Whether we like it or not, government is part of life, and will be here for the foreseeable future.
Let’s look at two examples of how people have tried to shrink government or outright get rid of it in recent times:
-The Libertarian Party (LP) was formed in 1971 with the goal of educating the public about the ideas of liberty, and how far things have gotten away from what the founding fathers intended. Through the course of many elections with dismal results and little or no media attention, the focus shifted to winning elections. In 2008, the LP nominated Bob Barr, marking the official point in which it “jumped the shark.” Unfortunately, in 40+ years, the LP has achieved little to nothing in terms of cutting government. Election results are still dismal and the party is still considered “fringe” and is not allowed in major televised debates.
-In 2007, Rudy Giuliani kicked off the Ron Paul Revolution by uttering these words at a presidential debate: “That’s an extraordinary statement of someone who lived through the attack of Sept. 11, that we invited the attack because we were attacking Iraq. I don’t think I’ve ever heard that before and I’ve heard some pretty absurd explanations for Sept. 11. I would ask the congressman to withdraw that comment and tell us that he didn’t really mean that.”
Ron Paul went on to inspire millions of people to pay attention to his ideas that at that point had not been heard by most Americans. Many took action and spread the words of liberty by going out to the streets and holding signs, or talking to friends, family and neighbors about why we need to quit voting for the lesser of two evils and finally embrace liberty and freedom. Some listened.
In 2008, Ron Paul received somewhere around 4% of the GOP vote in the primaries (disappointing, but in context, a huge win as he lasted longer and received more votes than “frontrunner” Giuliani!)
In 2012, with a bigger budget and base, Ron Paul’s message reached even more people. The congressman ended up with around an average of 10% of GOP votes, and came close to outright winning the state of Maine.
Money was raised, more minds were changed.
So where are we now?
Well, the government has grown to levels the original LP members couldn’t have dreamed of. We are being spied on. Our money is being inflated away. Taxes have gone up, especially at the state level. And things seem to get more ridiculous every day.
The question is…should we fight this? Do we have an obligation to fight? What does “fighting” exactly mean?
Since we know that elections, while they may serve to educate some people, are not effective in gaining more liberty, what else is there?
Well, there’s shaving your head, covering yourself with tattoos, and throwing Molotov Cocktails at state-run buildings.
But, that gets a little dangerous, and…might end with you dead or in a cage. And, the news stories will paint you as a crazy anarchist! So that means 0 freedom, and the average person cheering your captivity or death.
So let’s get to it. Here are the 6 steps to “take action” against the government, and carve out freedom for yourself (in an unfree world):
1. Go into business for yourself. Yes there are bureaucracies. There are regulations. There are taxes. But….jobs themselves are becoming more extinct with each passing year, and you will likely have to have some kind of business soon anyway just to get by! Write down ideas daily and start thinking of things that are mobile and might pay you dividends down the road, after they are built. Internet businesses come to mind.
2. Don’t go into debt. Period. That means no credit card debt, no real estate debt, and no car debt. And no student loans! Houses are a scam. Traditional education doesn’t pay. And you can always buy an old car that runs for as little as $800 on Craigslist. Debt=slavery, so the less you have, the more freedom you have. (“Good debt” in terms of investing is another issue. Let’s start with the basics.)
3. Start becoming invisible. I don’t mean die your hair, grow a beard and disappear in the middle of the night. I mean, start doing things to keep yourself a little more private. For example, if you own a business, you can get a New Mexico LLC and not be required to put your name on the articles of organization, or anywhere on company documents. Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) offer a way to disguise your IP so not everyone knows where you are connecting to the internet from. You could even become a Permanent Tourist (PT) and not declare any specific place as your home. You can probably see what advantages this might have!
4. Become curious about yourself. It’s fun, and it will lead to emotional freedom! Who are you, what are your strengths, what makes you happy? What makes you unhappy? Start doing a little less each day of what makes you unhappy, and a little more of what makes you happy, and you will slowly but surely free up your personal life.
5. Turn off the TV. You will learn soon enough about anything major that will affect your life, and what you can do about it. Watching “the news” on TV will likely give you the perception that the world is a scary place, and that bad things are constantly happening that you should be scared of. Would you rather spend your time fighting against something, or building something?
6. Travel. You will see things that will show you just how brainwashed you were staying in the same place, and seeing the same people! This is a good thing. Traveling will expand your mind and give you ideas. It will literally open up new worlds and allow you to grow, in a way that staying home never could.
So there’s your manifesto. To overcome the government, there is no need to try to change others, wave signs, write letters, or hope that some law doesn’t pass or some evil person doesn’t get elected.
You win by taking responsibility for yourself and not involving yourself with the madness.
