OK, Let's Talk About the Role of Government

In the wake of the Rand Paul kerfuffle, a question from David Gregory on today's "Meet the Press" suggests the angle that the elite media is going to take in attempting to discredit libertarians:

[T]here are questions about his principles left unanswered, like whether his belief in limited government means he opposes, say, the minimum wage, the ban on child labor laws, or workplace safety rules.

OK, fair enough. But sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Here are some questions for those who, like the President and his partisans, seem to advocate an ever-expanding nanny state:

Should government be able to direct how people throw out their trash (recycling)? Or the kind of cars they're able to drive? Or tell restaurants that they cannot use any salt in their cooking? Or ban incandescent light bulbs? Or prohibit people from riding bicycles without seats, unless the bicycle was originally constructed that way? Should the federal government really be regulating Americans' garage sales? Oh, yes -- and should government be able to require people to buy health insurance?

All those laws already exist. So when people like David Gregory are worried about the "far out" things a libertarian might conceivably think, perhaps they should worry a little more about the downright crazy things that liberals have already legislated -- and ask Democrats what they think about that.