Robert Higgs and Donald Boudreaux on crises and the ratchet effect

To disable the ratchet effect, people must rouse themselves to think more seriously about the long-run consequences of actions taken hastily in response to national emergencies—and about whether they want to keep their remaining economic freedoms and civil liberties or be content to surrender them one crisis at a time.

~ Robert Higgs and Donald Boudreaux, "Past Crises Have Ratcheted Up Leviathan. The COVID-19 Pandemic Will Too.," Reason.com, May 1, 2020