RUSH: Here’s Dave in Bourbonnais, Illinois.

CALLER: Hey.

RUSH: Great to have you on the program, sir. Hello. Did I pronounce that right, by the way? Is it Bourbonnais or Bourbonnais?

CALLER: Bourbonnais.

RUSH: Great to have you here, sir.

CALLER: Such an honor to speak with you. I’ve been listening for over 30 years, and you’re the best friend I’ve never met. (laughing)

RUSH: (laughing) Thank you, sir.

CALLER: I heard that, and I ditto the caller that says you’re that. My wife has a salon in Bourbonnais, and I have a small electric business, and I know that I’m essential. People make me feel essential. My wife, she knows she’s essential. My mom, 76, she knows she’s essential. We’re fighting to say that we’re worth something!

‘Cause Cuomo said that, if you’re essential, you can work. Well, I’m essential. Let my wife open the doors, she’ll let you know how essential she is — and the people around here feel the same way. She says they’re professionals at what they do at keeping things clean. They’re creative. They can open the doors and make you feel safe. Many may not want to come in, but most will. Man, I’m desperate for people to stand up and become essential.

RUSH: Yeah. You know, this has been kind of a bugaboo for a lot of people ever since this all began. Who gets to decide what’s essential? That’s what basically Andy McCarthy’s tweet said. The government’s job is to secure your liberty and freedom to act out the way you wish. It is not their job to tell you whether you’re essential or not — and you don’t have to prove it to them.

Look, it’s a control mechanism, which is something that a lot of these people are having way too much fun exercising.