Lockdown madness would be devastating for many Texans

Kevin Robers, Ph.D.:

Some Texans have simply given up. Mick Larkin in Wichita Falls, Texas, has closed down his karaoke club for good. The Lone Star State’s COVID-19 lockdown rules were changed again June 26; Mr. Larkin and his partner dumped the $1,000 in perishable goods they’d just purchased for the weekend and walked away.

No decision to put Texas into another lockdown should be made in a vacuum. Some argue the lockdown will save lives, but we must recognize that lockdowns can also cost lives and livelihoods. Renewing Texas’ stay-at-home order would invite personal financial devastation to millions of families across Texas.

During the initial lockdown, the Texas economy suffered a devastating blow. January and February saw historic bests in the labor market, but things fell off of a cliff in March. That’s when the economy cratered and 1.3 million Texans lost their jobs. In a survey taken at the end of May, 16% of Texans said they were facing financial ruin, and 22% said it would take them a year or more to recover.

When we consider that (as of this writing) Texas has an active COVID-19 case rate of just 0.4% and the second-best recovery rate in the country, is that level of personal devastation to millions of our friends, family and neighbors necessary to combat the disease?

Despite these challenges — including the cratering of the oil and gas markets again — Texas seemed to be on the rebound. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, reopening the economy in May and June helped reverse the economic trend-lines. In fact, Texas led the nation with 237,000 jobs added back in just May.

Many of the businesses that survived the first lockdown couldn’t survive a second. And as The New York Times reported, shutdowns are hitting Black-owned businesses hardest. Over the last three years, inequality was shrinking. With the shutdowns, it’s growing again.

The data show that shutdowns are especially hard on Texas minority families, who often don’t have jobs that allow them to work from home. According to the Economic Policy Institute, while about 30% of White workers can telecommute, only 16% of Hispanic workers and one out of five Black workers can do so.

Looking at the numbers another way, 62% of top wage earners (highest quintile) can work from home, while less than 10% of those at the bottom can. And in households with children, nearly two-thirds of parents say they cannot work from home. “This means that not only are their jobs vulnerable, but the care of their children may be as well,” according to the EPI.
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Lockdowns are worse than the disease.   They should be avoided for the health of the people and the economy.  Their only constituency appears to be some Democrat politicians who think they can be used for their political benefit.