In the former Soviet Union, nearly every decision people made -- from their jobs to their hobbies to their clothing -- was politicized. Personal choices that were insufficiently collectivist for Communist Party officials negatively impacted careers, housing, and rations, which were allocated by political pull and socialist virtue-signaling rather than merit. Some decisions, such as starting a small business or storing some extra food, could result in the gulag or a firing squad. The personal was the political. I am concerned that the U.S. is trending in this direction, where many aspects of life are politicized. Americans are more politically...