Rant incoming: What is it about a mask requirement that is such a hot-button issue for Republicans, compared to every other thing we have in our lives that regulates our conduct to protect public safety? Why do I have to get a driver's license to drive a car? Why do I have to maintain auto insurance, or have my car inspected annually? Why am I forced to comply with onerous and arbitrary speed limits and traffic signals while driving? Why am I only allowed to water my yard certain days of the week? Why does my house need to meet all kinds of codes for construction and utilities? Why can't I freely discharge a firearm, or fireworks, within city limits? Why do I need a permit to discharge pollution to the air or a body of water? Why can't I burn trash in my yard? Why does a person need a license to practice medicine, law, or engineering? Why do I need a doctor's prescription to buy an otherwise- legal drug from a pharmacy? Shit, why can't I buy liquor on Sunday, or choose to gamble in a casino in Texas?
All these things limit our freedoms, as much or more than a mask requirement. What is so uniquely terrible about masks? Regardless of how this pandemic turns out, when I go out in public, I'm going to wear a $%^&* mask every day for the rest of my life just because it seems to trigger these snowflakes.