Ben Shapiro: I trust ‘normal Americans’ more than our politicians

“Coronavirus is not going to be got rid of, so what this relies on is people being responsible,” said Ben Shapiro.

By Josh Plank, World Israel News

American conservative commentator Ben Shapiro on Monday called for a reopening of the U.S. economy, saying that personal responsibility is more important than government intervention.

The host of The Ben Shapiro Show told viewers, “So here is the key question: do you trust Americans to be responsible, or do you not trust Americans to be responsible?”

“Coronavirus is not going to be got rid of, so what this relies on is people being responsible,” he said. “And here’s the thing: I think the American people are responsible. I think they’re more responsible than our media and our politicians, I’ll tell you that.”

Shapiro said, “If I have to determine whom to trust, members of our political class, members of the chattering class … or the normal Americans who can be trusted to go out and take responsible measures, I trust normal Americans.”

Shapiro also attacked the notion that the government can determine which businesses are essential and which are not. “Now, how essential a service is, is really not the business of the government, and that sort of language needs to die,” he said.

“You know how essential the service is?” Shapiro asked rhetorically. “Exactly how many people are willing to patronize the service under conditions like these. That’s how essential the service is.”

Shapiro suggested that if people are irresponsible and if that irresponsibility causes a spike in coronavirus cases, than it is not the fault of the government but of individuals making bad decisions.

“If you don’t want to be infected, don’t go out. And if you don’t want to be infected, socially distance,” he said, adding, “That would be on you.”

Friday on Fox News‘ The Daily Wire, Shapiro told host Dana Perino, “I also think it’s important for politicians not to play the ridiculous game where they suggest that if only we save a single life, then any policy is justified. That’s the last refuge of the political scoundrel.”

“Policy making is always about weighing competing values and weighing exactly the cost to not only human liberty but to human prosperity; the number of lives ruined, not just the number of lives lost; what it looks like when you have 30 million people suddenly out of work,” he said.

“Individual citizens are going to have to make decisions that don’t threaten other people but that allow them to live their lives in a way that they feel comfortable with. And that risk assessment is going to vary based on each person,” Shapiro said.

He said, “In a free country, we’re all going to have to do that, and to pretend otherwise is simply just political lying.”