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Dear Editor:

The question is, are our individual civil liberties and rights being impinged by state governors, their staffs and bureaucrats with the issuance of their edicts regarding COVID-19?

On the one hand, referring to Article 4, Section 4 of the Constitution, that document guarantees that our states would have a Republican Form of Government. On the other, what defines “guarantee” and what definition is being used for a “Republican Form of Government”?

Our laws are made by those elected to represent us and reside in the legislative body of our federal government. The other two branches of our government are there to add checks and balances to that power.

If the Constitution guarantees that states will make laws using that model, then it would appear governors who are writing laws (restricting individual civil liberties these days) should be questioned regarding their overreach.

If, on the other hand, those “guarantees” are meant to allow states individual sovereignty, and governors can make laws outside the federal model, then perhaps we should be concerned about how slippery this slope is becoming.

The model allowing governors to make laws today may seem politically reasonable given the current pandemic. However, Americans should be vigilant to ensure a political governance state of normalcy is soon returned to our citizens, lest we find ourselves being ruled over by those who enjoy that power far more than their obligation to represent.

Peter Kapuscinski

Dillwyn