It’s the Fourth of July, and all across the fruited planes of the United States, people are grilling out with their families and lighting off fireworks to celebrate “freedom”. Parade routes traverse city streets and American flags adorn homes and buildings as far as the eye can see. The drunk uncles of America are quoting Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin to their Bernie Bro nephews and nieces while trying to enlighten them on the finer points of a concept which, they themselves, know precious little about. Indeed, the comforts of the traditional Independence Day festivities evoke the illusory sentiments of freedom for many. It is also the perfect time to reflect upon what true, meaningful freedom is really all about and ask yourself an essential question, “Do I really believe in freedom?”
First, we should establish a definition for the term “freedom”. The Oxford Dictionary defines freedom as, “The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants.” Additionally it describes the term as meaning, “Absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic government”. Now some would argue, “Well, that’s what The Constitution is for!” That begs the question, two hundred and forty-one years after the founding, how well are the founding documents really serving us?
Nearly every freedom promised to us by The United States Constitution is circumvented by a system of laws, regulations, and bureaucracy entirely antithetical to it’s intent. A system that is exactly the opposite of what the founders envisioned. When we consider that the United States Code contains over 5,000 criminal offenses and an indeterminate number, somewhere in the tens of thousands more criminally enforceable offenses, it can hardly be said that the current system is designed with the concept of individual liberty in mind. That isn’t even including all the state and local regulations people have to contend with. Domestic spying by the U.S. intelligence agencies is in direct violation of the fourth and fifth amendments. It also, whether intentionally or unintentionally, establishes a chilling effect over people’s willingness to exercise their first amendment guarantee to freedom of speech. The failed War on Drugs has ruined lives, shattered families, and put people in prison for decades over small amounts of so-called “illicit substances”. These policies have given us more incarcerated human beings than any other nation in the world. Yet, the attitude persists that “freedom” is synonymous with blind allegiance to this oppressive system.
Some might say to themselves, “I’m a law-abiding tax payer! I have nothing to fear!” Despite that many who espouse the virtues of being in the aforementioned group will simultaneously chant the mantra, “Taxation is theft!” At present, the average American tax rate is somewhere between 30-40% and the tax payer has little to no say what happens to their money after it has been separated from them. The money is used to line the pockets of politicians and their crony cohorts. It’s also used to support the system designed to oppress those paying into it by creating a permanent underclass of welfare dependents, forever indebted to the politicians. Of course, what they can’t steal from the taxpayer, they print, enslaving future generations under a mountain of debt leveraged against their projected future value in the market. Without this endless printing of fiat currency, the system would fall and the government would never be able to fund its opulence. Yet, it persists because people are either too blind, hubristic, or scared to demand it’s end.
Consider also, that those dutifully paid taxes are used to fund our government killing people all over the world that have never attacked the U.S., let alone set foot on our soil. We send our young men and women to die in far off lands while telling them that they are doing something noble and honorable. All the while, politicians and bankers behind the scenes are scheming to gain influence over or steal resources from the regions we destabilize. Our government leaves those countries in a state of ruin with a trail of dead and mangled bodies in its wake. This, of course, is one of the most cruel abuses of power our government imposes on it’s people and those of other nations. If you don’t believe it, just look at how many current and former military members are part of the Anarcho-Capitalist and Libertarian movements that feel this way about their service. Based on these distinctions, “law abiding, tax payer” begins to sound a lot more like, “loyal subject”.
By this point, some of you are undoubtedly saying to yourself, “Well if you don’t like it, why don’t you move to Somalia or something?!?” If you should find yourself asking this question, maybe it’s time to re-evaluate your definition of freedom. Obviously, a third world den of iniquity run by gangs of literal pirates doesn’t set the bar for freedom. Neither, however, does the current state of tyranny in the United States. Freedom isn’t a comparative proposition, though. It is binary. It either is or isn’t. As the popular analogy goes, of course a slave would rather be beat once a month than twice a week but he would much prefer to be free of his bondage all together.
So getting back to the original question, feel free to run down this checklist to see if you value real freedom. Do you use the term, “law abiding, tax payer” to mean “moral person”? Do you say things like, “Well, the law is the law!” without considering the law's morality? Do you “support the troops” regardless of whether or not what they are doing could be considered a war crime? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you might not believe in freedom nearly as much as you think. If you read through this article and decided that you’re dissatisfied with this system, it’s time to consider what a truly free society would look like.
A free society is one where people are able to make the best decisions for their own lives so long as it doesn’t interfere take away the freedoms of others. It's a place where people are able to own private property without being forced to pay extortion fees to a government that cares little about them. Freedom means being able to travel without fear of being stopped and harassed by government road pirates who can throw you in a cage for possessing a plant. There is also an inherent responsibility in respecting the natural rights of people in other lands who have done nothing to harm you. Of course, the principles of freedom don’t entail a perfect utopian society and there will be problems. However, when our current society is run by a ruling class who profit from our subjugation, it cannot be said that we are free by any stretch of the imagination.
-Matt Vassy