Steamboat Institute’s Position on Colorado’s Mask Ordinance Featured in the Pilot

The Steamboat Pilot extensively featured the Steamboat Institute’s position on Colorado’s new mask ordinance and the threat that crises such as the coronavirus post to civil liberties:

Protecting the self, protecting the nation

“In general, governments often use crises as the pretense to expand their power at the expense of the general population,” Schubert-Akin said in an email.

letter along with 96 others asking the Routt County Board of Commissioners to amend the mask order. As the letter to the commissioners said, “your decision seems extraordinarily heavy-handed and intended to sow fear and distrust, rather than to stop the spread of disease.”

Of customers, 35% said they had done more shopping in other counties where masks were not a requirement. Many business owners who responded, 70%, said the face mask mandate has negatively impacted their business.

When it comes to mask requirements, Schubert-Akin’s predominant issue is with the steep fines and jail time that a violator could face. In Routt County, violating the mask requirement could result in up to 18 months in prison or a $5,000 fine, though local law enforcement and the district attorney have said maximum punishments are rarely sought, and the emphasis is on education and compliance.

Schubert-Akin takes issue with other restrictions she said are being enforced with political preference. She pointed to the gathering limits, a perceived attack on the First Amendment, which have halted many events but have not stopped thousands of people from convening in protests for racial justice and police reform.

certain health officials.

letter of support for the protesters, whom they said are calling attention “to the pervasive lethal force of white supremacy.”

The Steamboat Institute recently published a “Stopping the Stampede on Civil Liberties” tool kit, which Schubert-Akin said is a way for concerned citizens to make their voices heard and urge officials to uphold civil liberties in their pandemic responses.

HERE.