Constitutional republic or technocracy?

Our nation’s founding fathers were no stranger to pandemics.

They knew of many viruses and diseases — yellow fever, smallpox, measles, scarlet fever, to name a few. Yet, when the Constitution was written and signed, our founding fathers chose not include a caveat for a health emergency as a means to suspend the inalienable rights of U.S. citizens.

Indeed, they took steps to prevent such an effort in the First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right...