A little noticed detail in Santa Barbara’s recent drive to criminalize plastic straws, which culminated in the Santa Barbara city council taking testimony from a nine-year-old about the planetary menace, has come to light in recent days. During that council session, councilman Jesse Dominguez said to following in response to citizens who asked “what’s next?”:

“Unfortunately, common sense is just not common. We have to regulate every aspect of people’s lives.”

Take that one in for a moment, for it expresses the core impulse of liberalism today. In fact, let’s repeat it:

“Unfortunately, common sense is just not common. We have to regulate every aspect of people’s lives.”

Well, it seems this kind of directness is imprudent, even for a liberal, so Councilman Dominguez is trying to walk back that statement.