If there's one thing the last two years have taught us, it is that governments should not have any emergency powers clauses available to them. None at all. Letting the government just decide "Oh, this is bad enough to let us stomp over your rights" is worse than risking the one in a billion chance that a) something very bad does happen and b) government intervention actually fixes it rather than just making it worse.
If there must be emergency powers, it should be at the lowest level of government possible; your individual villages, towns, suburbs, city councils. Never at the federal level. The feds should be concerned with external threats ONLY. Any assistance they provide should be explicitly requested by the town or state first. Even then, we should be very very concerned about how this assistance is paid for.
If Emergency Powers were truly necessary, there wouldn't ever be a rule about them.
Example: USA has fourth amendment clauses. If the USA was somehow invaded in a land war and occupied, soldiers would take cover from fire on private property, Amendment be damned. Because it would be patently obvious that it was necessary. No Emergency Powers needed. If they damaged something in the firefight, the owner would rightfully petition/sue to have it restored.
If there's one thing the last two years have taught us, it is that governments should not have any emergency powers clauses available to them. None at all. Letting the government just decide "Oh, this is bad enough to let us stomp over your rights" is worse than risking the one in a billion chance that a) something very bad does happen and b) government intervention actually fixes it rather than just making it worse.
If there must be emergency powers, it should be at the lowest level of government possible; your individual villages, towns, suburbs, city councils. Never at the federal level. The feds should be concerned with external threats ONLY. Any assistance they provide should be explicitly requested by the town or state first. Even then, we should be very very concerned about how this assistance is paid for.
If Emergency Powers were truly necessary, there wouldn't ever be a rule about them.
Example: USA has fourth amendment clauses. If the USA was somehow invaded in a land war and occupied, soldiers would take cover from fire on private property, Amendment be damned. Because it would be patently obvious that it was necessary. No Emergency Powers needed. If they damaged something in the firefight, the owner would rightfully petition/sue to have it restored.