Kevin Duffy on dealing with natural disasters like the coronavirus

With natural disasters, you have three dangers to worry about: the threat, the authorities and the crowd. Often times the actual threat is the least of your worries.

~ Kevin Duffy, tweet, March 12, 2020

Grover Cleveland on vetoing a bill to help Texas farmers

I find no warrant for such an appropriation in the Constitution, and I do not believe that the power and the duty of the General Government ought to be extended to the relief of individual suffering which is in no manner properly related to the public service or benefit. A prevailing tendency to disregard the limited mission of this power and duty should, I think, be steadfastly resisted, to the end that the lesson should be constantly enforced that though the people support the Government the Government should not support the people.

The friendliness and charity of our countrymen can always be relied upon to relieve their fellow-citizens in misfortune. This has been repeatedly and quite lately demonstrated. Federal aid in such cases encourages the expectation of paternal care on the part of the Government and weakens the sturdiness of our national character, while it prevents the indulgence among our people of that kindly sentiment and conduct which strengthens the bonds of a common brotherhood.

~ Grover Cleveland, veto message of a relief bill that appropriated $10,000 to the Texas farmers who had suffered a long, devastating drought, 1880s

Lew Rockwell on "natural" disasters

Oddly, and by some strange practice that dates back to, hmmm, the beginning of time, rulers are not to be held responsible for actions that take place on their watch. So the government is not liable. It should be but it isn't. So putting government in charge is always a perfect storm for disaster without responsibility.

~ Llewellyn H. Rockwell Jr., “Land Socialism: Playing With Fire,” October 24, 2007