While the coronavirus has affected our country's health and economy, the most sacred of all, our freedom, should be inoculated. Wisconsin, along with many states, is seeing a dereliction of duty from elected officials who took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies.

Pandemic politics are consuming our nation's elected leaders, reminding us of the infamous words of Rahm Emanuel, Obama's chief of staff, "Never let a crisis go to waste." Meanwhile, we cannot let this crisis lay waste to the freedoms that are the foundation of this great nation.

Our government of, for, and by the people has grossly overreached and become a government that rules over the people. We have let fear of this disease sweep away our rights and allowed government to dictate our livelihoods. We can protect our own lives, and the lives of our loved ones, by adapting our behaviors, not forfeiting our freedoms. We do this every day with decisions that have potentially deadly consequences, like driving a car. We are as careful as can be, we don't drive when we could endanger others, but fear doesn't stop us from going places.

Precautions can and should be taken to prevent the spread of disease. And we must be cognizant of those most vulnerable, ensuring they are protected. Reopening Wisconsin will need to be a slow and calculated process. It should be handled regionally, where local governments can decide how to best serve the people.

However, the biggest threat of this disease is not death itself, but the demise of freedom. We let the government shut down not just our businesses, but our livelihoods. At the beginning of March 2020 we had a bustling economy, by March 31, we had record unemployment. We lost more jobs in a week than total in the Great Depression.

Many people believe that those who choose to make a stand and call for the end of this extreme shutdown are putting lives at risk. We must remember that each person has a choice. When the government says businesses can turn their lights back on, people will not be forced to go to those places. Everyone will still be free to use PPE and receive home deliveries. With livelihoods at stake, we cannot wait until the virus is eliminated to reopen Wisconsin.

The government overreach we experience right now is a taste of socialism, what government control in our lives looks like, acts like and feels like. So-called Democratic socialists are "not letting this crisis go to waste" in order to transform the foundation of our country, the freest country in the world. As Americans' dependence on government for their livelihoods skyrockets, socialists are scheming to keep it that way. There will always be danger, but we are not free when we live in fear. This is not what our founding fathers fought for.

In crisis, the leadership, intentions and integrity of our government officials are uniquely tested and put on display. But what will we see in ourselves, what do we want to happen in our state and country? That is our responsibility, not just on election day, but every day.

Reach out to your elected officials at all levels - federal, state and local. If we want to counteract government's interference, then we cannot sit back and watch. To preserve freedom, we must fight for it.