Editors at Issues and Insights ponder the prospect of increased policing for previously private parts of our daily lives.

Nothing in recent times illustrates the left’s inclination to control as does its response to the coronavirus pandemic. The Democrats want to keep people and businesses locked down while Republicans, with some exceptions, want to free people and unleash commerce. Don’t think the Democratic governors, mayors, and unelected public health officials who have put the most restrictive limits in place aren’t enjoying the authority they’ve given themselves. It’s as if they’ve waited their entire lives for this moment to exercise raw power over the masses.

Where else do we see Democrats policing our society?

They want to have the authority to determine: how much we have left over after paying taxes (it should be the same for all because inequality); the kind of houses we should live in (they can’t be too big and they have to be powered by renewable energy); and the cars we can drive (gasoline and diesel automobiles must be abolished). …

… The left also wants to: eliminate private firearm ownership; force the entire nation into a government-run health care system; tell employers what they must pay their workers; oversee the internet through “net neutrality”; compel everyone to go to the polls via compulsory voting; set aside segregated “safe spaces” on college campuses; decide what kids eat in school (and, if it could, what they eat at home); determine what students can and cannot be exposed to in school; and, of course, command the economy.

In some places Democrats have successfully outlawed single-use plastic bags, plastic straws, and plastic utensils. We’ve also heard that there are Democrats who are in favor of limiting our choices in deodorants and footgear.

Naturally, those who would make the rules would be exempt from them.

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