When we think of America’s nanny state, we often think of former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Big Gulp ban, former first lady Michelle Obama’s school lunch rules or the ongoing White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci orthodoxy surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now that President Joe Biden has delivered an especially conditional promise of freedom from the pandemic by Independence Day, it appears the left’s self-endowed guardianship of the American people is far from over.
“To celebrate our independence from this virus on July 4th with family and friends in small groups, we still have more to do in the months of May and June. We all need to mask up until the number of cases goes down, until everyone has a chance to get their shot,” Biden said in a Wednesday statement.
“To Americans 16 years and older, it’s your turn now. Now. So go get your vaccine before the end of May. We can do this. And we’ll do this as long as we don’t let up,” he added.
Many are going to take Biden’s word at face value and follow suit, receiving their dual vaccine doses and masking up regardless of their inoculation status.
Cynics, however, have a different plan.
Adults are perfectly capable of managing their own health, deciding whether or not they wish to be vaccinated and determining how risky an event or party is.
The language Biden employed during his remarks to the nation indicates his intent to treat individual freedoms as a “reward” for compliance.
Basic autonomy and fundamental freedoms are not rewards for “good” behavior. And the notion Biden seems to have that they are should concern everyone.
The left’s dedication to an inflated nanny state places its authority at the epicenter of everyone’s lives.
If those on the left can go so far as to manipulate the thoughts and actions of individuals — deluding them into believing that the government is always capable of making better decisions than the governed make for themselves — imagine how else they can control the masses.
Sure, it may sound conspiratorial, but history shows that those in power are bound to commit injustices.
Who can say that won’t happen here? Fear can be a powerful motivator for anyone.
For the last year, we’ve witnessed countless people engaging in self-quarantine, mask-wearing, social distancing and other sanitary precautions. Many of us did the same.
Though these actions reflect health-conscious decisions, they are often motivated by policy or by fear of the virus.
We can exercise precaution against the coronavirus, of course. In fact, that is a wise thing to do.
However, when the COVID orthodoxy becomes a religion and those in power continue to lord over their constituents by using freedom as an incentive to comply with restrictions (many of which are violated by the very officials who put them in place), this becomes a slippery slope.
Are we going to continue to forsake our autonomy and allow our elected officials to determine what is best for us instead of making those decisions for ourselves?
If so, we are the children who never grew up.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
