The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has all sorts of recommendations that the vast majority of adults ignore altogether: Don’t eat cookie dough or raw meat. If you’re a woman who is not on birth control, don’t consume any kind of alcohol. Don’t smoke a cigar — ever.

But the pandemic changed that. Now, the CDC’s guidance is gospel, especially in blue states and cities. Is it any wonder, then, that the agency has no intention of giving up its newfound power?