In any disaster, government has a critical role to play in response and recovery. But government can only do so much, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said Friday.
“People look to their government for leadership, but it isn’t the answer to all the problems we have. And it was never intended to be,” he told the Free Press editorial page while on his way from Knoxville to Chattanooga last week.
Before his executive order Thursday, Lee had been heavily criticized in some corners for not requiring Tennesseans to stay home outside the use of essential businesses during the COVID-19 virus outbreak. However, his previous directives had asked state residents to do just that.
“Government has a very important role to play, but we have to take personal responsibility,” he said. “That’s how we’re going to solve this.”
Yet there really isn’t anything the government can do to compel people to take personal responsibility. The state can put orders in place, as he did, for many businesses to close and to shut down large gatherings, “but the government can do nothing to make people do that. You can make examples out of people, but this is not a police state, and it’s never going to be.”