Onkar Ghate on a More American Approach to COVID-19

From Alex Epstein, host of Power Hour. This week’s Power Hour features a 2-hour interview with philosopher Onkar Ghate, focusing on why lockdowns were never a necessary or proper response to COVID-19.

Dr. Ghate, a Senior Fellow at the Ayn Rand Institute and a longtime colleague (and mentor) of mine, has been doing some great work on what a truly American, pro-freedom, approach to infectious diseases looks like.

Some topics we covered include:

- We need objective, clearly defined laws specifying and limiting the power of government in regard to infectious diseases.

- Why Sweden has more American infectious disease laws than America does.

- How clearly defined laws lead to better preparedness by government, industry, and individuals.

- Why more profit-making in the health care system is key to scaling capacity.

- How governments have failed to do their proper job of identifying and isolating infectious individuals.

- How far greater transparency from government would empower a free people to make rational decisions.

- The right way to handle potential hospital capacity shortages.

- How the idea of “free” health care promotes irresponsible behavior.

- Why state-wide lockdowns were not the right policy with the evidence we had.

- Why lockdowns were a panic-based, not reason-based policy that should be removed as quickly as possible.

- How governments should make policy and communicate to citizens going forward.

- Why now is the time to write to government officials—and what you should write.