Commentary Believe it or not, before the coronavirus pandemic the U.S. government had never sent money directly to citizens. Not during the Great Depression. Not during the awful Spanish Flu pandemic. Never. My, how things have changed. Over the past year, the U.S. government has sent out three waves of direct checks to the vast majority of Americans. So far, most Americans (89 percent of adults according to the Tax Foundation) will have received up to $3,200 in “free money” from Uncle Sam. There are many reasons this could be very dangerous to the future of the republic. First, it’s akin to buying votes. Now that the precedent has been set and Americans realize that politicians are willing and able to send them money, we’re almost assured that in the future politicians will run on the promise of “free money.” In fact, we’re already seeing this take place. Many on the …