Civitas Institute: Gov. Cooper’s Executive Overreach ‘Disturbing’

RALEIGH – We’ll go ahead and share this reaction from the Civitas Institute to Governor Roy Cooper’s Wuhan Coronavirus inspired executive orders shutting down restaurants and other businesses across the state, before he issued another one that’s even more draconian.

Civitas, a conservative think tank dedicated to policy research that promotes individual liberty, responsibility, and limited, constitutional government, finds Cooper’s decision to override the majority opposition of his Council of State “disturbing” and counterproductive.

From Civitas Institute President Donald Bryson:

“North Carolina communities and businesses have responded extraordinarily in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic; coming together to care for each other in exemplary ways. Such cooperation is not something that state officials should be eager to halt. Instead, they should encourage it. State and federal governments do not own the silver bullets to help North Carolina out of this crisis, and bringing the economy, and the livelihoods that it represents, to a grinding halt will make things considerably worse for a number of our state’s workers and entrepreneurs. Businesses provide goods and services that North Carolinians need. Lawmakers must realize that crippling economic costs are to be avoided because, in reality, they represent human costs; families doing the best they can to provide for their loved ones.

Last week’s move by Gov. Cooper to disregard the will of the Council of State on Executive Order 118 was disturbing. The framers of the state constitution created a dispersed executive branch, intentionally allowing for the governor to be advised by the Council of State. North Carolinians deserve better than unilateral action by the governor and his political advisors. They are entitled to a unified front from elected officials, something that is sorely lacking in conversations surrounding the state’s response to this crisis. Raleigh should strive to be less fractured than Washington.”

Far from poking holes without viable alternatives to offer, the think tank will be rolling out policy prescriptions for state lawmakers to consider the APPROPRIATE response to this crisis, and all the damage these economy killing orders have caused.