Planning is futile.

An utter lack of planning is why I was in the right place at the right time to meet the man many of us know as the anarcho-capitalist, and new steemit user: The Dollar Vigilante.

Circumstances and timing. These two are arguably the main culprits for why our lives are the way they are. Traveling has taught me to always, ALWAYS take advantage of them.

I had just returned after spending 2 weeks in Peru and the very next day I found myself in an email correspondence with Jeff trying to figure out the best way to do an interview for his YouTube channel: Anarchast. As it turns out he’d be in the next town over for about 12 hours before he was off again. This was my chance! After a quick Uber ride to Miami I found myself sitting outside at a bar in South Beach sipping Jameson trying to get a bit of liquid courage. Jeff is to my right slowly inhaling his cigarette while recanting his experience of infiltrating the Bilderberg meeting, his time spent in Venezuela with Luke Rudkowski seeing for themselves the despair and danger there, and how he was on his way to the Dominican Republic to finally solidify his citizenship there.

Pinch me.

It was awesome to be talking with a man who says what he believes, makes moves in his life that reflect his values and helps others to see the light and achieve success. I had the chance to meet with and be interviewed by him for his YouTube Channel: Anarchast. I’ve read many TDV posts and have watched his Anarchast videos long before I ventured outside the country on my own. He isn’t exaggerating when he says that the U.S. isn’t as free as the government would like you to think. The very concept of a government is the antithesis of freedom. The idea that we need government is an insult to the intelligence and abilities of the citizens in this country. In my opinion, there’s nothing the government does that the free market can’t also accomplish, not to mention it’d be done far more cost effectively.

As a matter of fact, a big reason why I enjoy traveling so much is due to the fact that I get a break from the ridiculous fear-based system that is the U.S.

I get a healthy reminder of this state-of-mind each time I re-enter my country. Despite the fact that I’m entering the country of which I am a legal citizen, I still get an overwhelming sense of suspicion from the border patrolmen. It’s like they see me as a threat because I chose to leave the country for an extended period of time. If you return from anywhere near the Middle East forget about it. When I returned from Morocco they made sure to thoroughly check and re-check my luggage, I can’t wait to see what happens in the future when they see my passport has stamps from places like Ethiopia and Egypt.

This is also a major reason why I enjoy Portugal so much. When I’m in Lisbon and Nazaré there is no sign of militarized police, no intimidating men brandishing automatic weapons on their belts. Instead I see four police officers riding in one car. Basically they just keep an eye out for anyone doing anything especially crazy. And this is the country that has successfully legalized all drugs. Many assumed that experiment would end badly; yet what really happened is Portugal has successfully removed the stigma of drug use. This has helped with a couple different aspects. First, for those who use drugs because they view it as an act of defiance against the system, legalization has killed that motivating force for them. Second, by removing the legal implications of using drugs, those who need help are more likely to seek it since they aren't scared of admitting that they partake in the activity.

Our "War on Drugs" isn't really a war on the drugs, it's a war with those who use drugs. It's the reason why our prisons are overpopulated, it's a program that spends millions of dollars from the tax payers and it has done nothing but make the situation worse. It's one of many clear examples that our government doesn't care about the well-being of it's citizens. Don't get me started on the military...

The government cares about the government.

They force you to give them your money (taxes) which essentially is an interest-free loan from you to them, or else threaten you with a prison sentence. When was the last time you were able to get an interest free loan from the government? If you've never really thought about it, or if you're scared to even question the role of our government because you fear they may "come get you", I mean... hello?! What more evidence do you need to prove that the role of government isn't in the best interest of us, the citizens.

I'll stop now before I go on a real tangent that lasts hours.
I'll leave you with this: do your research, trust but verify, don't rely on mainstream media and taxation is theft.