The word "Freedom" is a word that is used all too often and without the knowledge of what it really means in life today. To some, Freedom is being given what they want – money, healthcare, free cell phones, etc… Based on the 2012 Presidential election, what else are we to believe? This is not what Freedom really is, but far too many people think it is. The voters that got what they wanted do not realize that no government will ever give Freedom to the citizens they control. There is no reason to do so. For any Government to give its citizens Freedom is to relinquish power and control and much like an actual Bigfoot sighting, it is a rare event and governments relish the power they have and always crave more.
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."
-- Thomas Jefferson
When the United States was founded, people had no problem with the concept that you worked to make it through life. That was life. Each person depended on their own strengths and skills to earn their way through life. This is the way it was and the way it should be. But today, it is so different. People consider themselves too good to actually work. They rely on some government handout that allows them to stay at home. This is easy to understand when you have 99 weeks of unemployment checks arriving at your house. To most of the people that receive unemployment checks will milk the situation as long as they can. It is much easier to collect paycheck without actually working for it. If you take a close look, after a year of "working" for your unemployment check and not taking jobs outside of your comfort level that actually require substantially more effort to earn just a little bit more, it is an easy job to decide what most Americans will choose – the government provided stipend.
"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen."
-- Samuel Adams, speech at the Philadelphia State House, August 1, 1776.
There are the people that depend on government for as much possible to live. If they could figure out a way to get the government to give them everything they need to live as well as they want, they would do it. They have no idea where the money actually comes from or who is forced to pay for it. They just see the government as a huge supply of money to pay for their every need. To them, this is the Constitutional role of government. This is the reason that government exists.
"When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic."
-- Benjamin Franklin
For those that choose the government stipend, congratulations, you just gave up some of your Independence. You have taken the first step to relying on the government to take care of you – and you did it by choice. There are so many other programs where you can get "free" stuff. It all sounds so good. Getting things you did not actually earn. The fact you may feel entitled to these things only serves to enslave you to the ones that provide this help.
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."
-- Thomas Jefferson
Freedom is a product of Liberty, Independence, Personal Responsibility, and Self-Reliance. When you exercise these four traits, you are Free. You are free to live your life as you see fit. You owe nobody anything. You are not dependent on one entity for anything. There are no promises of wealth beyond what you are willing to do to acquire it yourself. You work hard, putting in long hours to exploit your skills to acquire the necessary wealth to live the life in the manner you wish. There is almost nothing to stop you from doing this… Almost nothing... But there is something. There are all of the social programs that take wealth from you and give it to those who did not earn it. This is not Freedom. This is how government takes care of the people owned by the government.
"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have."
-- Thomas Jefferson
Government should be an entity that provides for the citizens what the citizens CANNOT provide for themselves. This includes but is not limited to a military for security, the building of roads for commerce, and construction and maintenance of infrastructure within the country that is not built by private enterprise. Instead, government now exists to provide for its citizens things that they have provided for themselves for centuries. For the government to give to someone, it first must take from others. Productivity is everything in a Free society, this means Capitalism and a Free Market. Something no longer taught in schools is that the higher the productivity, the higher the standard of living. Anything that limits productivity, limits the highest standard of living that could be achieved.
"Capitalism allows for an ever increasing standard by which success is measured. Socialism, on the other hand, allows for an ever increasing standard of dependency."
-- David Meyer, March 2005
Socialism is one of those limitations. Socialism tries to narrow the economic gap by taking away from the most productive and spreading that wealth around to others that did not earn it under the guise of fairness or equality. The way this transfer of wealth is tolerated is by accusing the wealthy of being selfish for wanting to keep what they earned. What is ignored or just not realized is this transfer of wealth is both a fine on being productive and an increase of government dependency of a growing segment of the population. The more dependent this population is on the government, the less free they are to live as Independent and Free people. One would think this would be patently obvious but to those that live for handouts, they are more concerned with the right now rather than the future.
"Governments do not invest to increase productivity, but rather to increase the level of dependency of those that they claim to help."
-- David Meyer, 01 February 2009
It is easy to understand the goal of big government enslaving people this way. It is all about power. Just like a drug addict that needs just one more hit, entitlements have become a way of life for more and more people. At some point, they cannot or refuse to live without this money that has been given to them for the many years. They are addicted and feel threatened when they realize they may actually have to earn what they have. They never realize that at some point, all the freebies will end when handouts exceed productivity.
"The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money."
-- Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of England
Politicians know they own these dependent people. People we elect to office are suppose to work for the people, but this is where the tables change. Elected government officials know they own these voters they continue to give more and more handouts. When you look at American history, you see the courage that was required by individuals to relocate from the east to the west in covered wagons. There were no government subsidies to make this happen. They were free to live their lives and they chose to do this. Can you imagine welfare recipients mustering the fortitude to do this today? With the entitlement mentality they have accepted for themselves, there is no way they could do what was necessary to settle the west. You cannot even get them to pick up the trash in front of their home. They refuse to do what is necessary to earn their way through life on their own much less make any real attempt to improve their lives. They see no value in work. In fact, after so many years of being paid to do nothing productive, they probably do not even know how to be productive members of society.
This is the attitude that made America a great country.
Not Socialist Government Program full of Wealth Redistribution policies.
Not weak minded people that are willing to sell their freedom to the Federal Government for everything they want.
America is being forced fed very anti-Capitalist propaganda. The last election was very telling on this fact. 60 million people voted to raise taxes on prosperous people to punish them for being successful. Taking money from successful people will never improve the lives of people that are dependent on Government and are becoming even more so. Years ago when Social Security was formed, America was promised that this money would never be touched by the government... that it was in an account for each person. That has proven to be a lie. The Federal Government has taken that money and thrown it into the General Fund. We were also promised that Social Security benefits would not be taxed. Once again, the Federal Government has changed their mind. It will not be long until the Government will attempt to absorb any 401K plan or IRA Retirement. The larger Government grows, the more money it needs and the more money it will take. Remember, the Government is not interested in protecting us, it is quickly moving to a position where it wants to control us. We need to protect ourselves as best we can.
How do we do this as citizens? It really is not all that hard although it does take a concerted effort and perhaps a change in lifestyle and attitude. Let us take a look at what "Freedom" really is. As mentioned earlier, Freedom is a product of Liberty, Independence, Personal Responsibility, and Self-Reliance.
To Live a Free, Independent, and Self-Reliant Life is to practice Personal Responsibility
For those that actually seek a Free, Independent, and Self-Reliant life, we will present one way to do this. Keep in mind, the idea is to live free from the Dependency of Government and Free from others that feel entitled to live off of your hard work.
The concept is to see what it is you can do to improve your life without being a slave to a paycheck. This seems like a ridiculous statement, but it is possible. How does one achieve this goal? How does one take control of his (or her) life without living like a homeless peasant? It is not as difficult as you might think.
"Peace of mind is a good investment"
-- Venita Van Caspel, investment advisor and author
Imagine how great it would be not to be indebted to anyone. A Free man is indebted to no one. This is the life that everyone should work to achieve. Forget working to have $100 million. Just work to be Free... That is the key to happiness.
Pay off your Credit cards. Get out of debt. Pay cash for everything. This is a hard lifestyle change for most people to do, but it is well worth it. How many people have $10,000 or more in Credit Card debt? Look at it like this. How long are you going to continue to pay for that sandwich you ate a year ago and paid for it on the Credit Card that that is never paid in full? Credit Cards charge 18-29% interest. You have the choice to pay the banks that amount of interest or keep it for yourself. It is acceptable to use Credit Cards, but always pay it off completely each and every month. In this society, you almost have to have a credit card. You cannot rent a rental car without a credit card. Many hotels require a credit card to check in. If you do have a credit card, keep the credit limit to less than $2000. If you cannot afford it, do not buy it. NO EXCUSES!!!
Do not live beyond your means. Regardless of what you make, do not have a lifestyle that exceeds your income. In fact, it is much better to live below your means.
Be smart when you purchase a house. Do not purchase a house beyond your financial abilities. When buying a house, purchase in a buyer's market rather than a seller's market. This will give you (the buyer) the most house for the dollar spent. Any real estate professional can tell you what the ratio of homes on the market with the number of potential buyers. Buy low, sell high. A simple concept to understand. This is not as hard as one would think to discover this information.
You need to figure out what you really need to live a comfortable life. Food, shelter, security, etc..., and invest whatever you can to acquire these items. Gold and Silver coins should be part of your long term plan. Purchasing some acreage in the country away from urban areas is a good idea. Putting a small house or cabin on this property gives you somewhere to go in an emergency. Most middle-class people are actually able to do this if they watch their lifestyle expenses.
The purchase of Gold and Silver coins is usually a good investment. One of the benefits of this investment is that the purchase can be completely hidden. American Eagle or Canadian Maple Leaf gold coins are the best choices as they are easily traded. Our opinion is if you have $100,000, you should have $50,000 in 1 ounce Gold coins and $50,000 in 1 ounce Silver coins. Beyond that, the split should be $66,000 in Gold coins and $34,000 in Silver coins for every $100,000. You want to take possession of these coins and not keep them in a bank. You want to make yourself completely independent from any financial institution. While some might think this to be a very stupid and unproductive investment strategy, the value of this strategy is that no one has a record of your actual wealth.
NOTE: Before engaging in any investing, you first must take the time to educate yourself on the subject. Investing contains many pitfalls and incompetance can lead to financial disaster.
Paying off your car loan may or may not be a smart idea. If you have a 2.9% loan, you may want to keep making the payment because it is such a small rate of interest you are paying for the money. However, if you think your employment might be in question, paying off the car should be something to consider.
Plant a garden and grow as much of your own food as possible. This seems like such a simple concept, but it is not practiced as much as it could be. Victory Gardens were in everyone's backyard during World War II and provided food for many people. Remember, aside from the purchase of the seeds, there is no tax on this food. It might take a couple of growing seasons to get it right, but it is not all that difficult to achieve a successful garden to feed a family with home grown vegetables.
Purchase in bulk if you can, but only the items you will actually use. There is no reason to buy 50 lbs of lima beans if you will not eat lima beans. Purchasing in bulk really only works if you have the room to store the bulk and you actually enjoy using the product.
Because of the excessive spending of the Federal Government, just like Social Security, there will one day be a run to nationalize private retirement accounts. You might want to consider liquidating your 401K retirement accounts and convert them into Gold and Silver coins and just keep them hidden in a vault totally independent of any other entity. The idea is to keep this investment asset off the grid and unknown to anyone other than whom you choose to share this information.
If you look on the internet, many lists can be found on basic goods that will be needed in times of emergency. It is always a good idea to stock up for an emergency to prevent being a victim of shortages in stores during emergencies.
If you can position yourself with no mortgage, no auto loan, and no credit card debt, you really do not need that much money each month to live a comfortable lifestyle. It will take work, but this should be your ultimate goal because the result will be a high standard of living.
By assessing these points, you can see where you stand and how venerable you are to the state of the economy.
Why is all this important? It is not important if you do not care, but for those that do care, take note of this observation. Taxes will be going up on everyone over the next few years. It is no secret. The harder you work, the more you make and the more is taken away from you under the guise of fairness aka The Redistribution of Wealth. At present (2012), a person can earn about $9500/year without having to even file a tax return. For two people, that is $19,000/year earning potential without the requirement to file a tax return. Take a look at the following video clips and you will see the people that want to spend your tax money. What this really means is that if you do not owe money, have no credit card debt, mortgage, car loan, etc..., you can live a high standard of living on very little money.
"There is a much easier way to destroy a liberal. Simple have them state their position clearly. If you can get one of them to explain their view in plain English, where mere-non-political-mortals can understand it, the abject and mind-numbing stupidity of their stance becomes evident; and they cease to be a factor."
-- Unknown
When The Meaning Of Freedom Was Actually Understood
The Cream of the Crop
Liberal Voters On Display
The following video clips show the anti-Capitalist Liberal mentality and complete lack of education. These are not the people that made America great. They are the Freeloaders that expect everyone else to support their lifestyle. They have no idea what it is to be Free. They have no understanding of the concepts of Liberty, Independence, or Self-Reliance. Not only do they not understand they do not want to understand. All they want to do is to blame someone else for their failures and get the Government to take from others to support their dependent lives. They do not want to live as Free people. They are begging the Government to control their lives and everybody else's lives and so the Government is happy to do so by stealing the wealth of those that work to improve their own lives as Free men can. The only thing that is at stake is the Freedom of all Americans.
The people in these video clips and tens of millions just like them expect to receive your money. They did not earn it, they do not deserve it, do not let them have it.
College students. Money well spent. Is it any wonder the country is going to hell!
Typical Democrat Liberal Voter
Another worthless Liberal completely clueless to what it is to be Free.
She does not care where Obama gets the money to pay for her lifestyle.
Another proud Obama voter and Liberal required to be taken care of
by the American Taxpayer, of which she is not one.
The only thing a few of them know is they support Anti-Capitalism, Socialism,
and stopping anyone that disagrees with their message... whatever that is.
So many of them have no idea why they are actually protesting.
Another Typical Democrat Liberal Voter
Here we clearly see the ignorance, intolerance, lack of respect, and anti-Semitism that is the cornerstone of Liberalism.
Can these people be more ignorant or useless?
The only jobs these people are qualified do will soon be done by robots.
It is clear that the education has clearly failed these people.
Typical Clueless Liberal Mentality. She clearly states who her heroes are.
Another Liberal illustrates the complete lack of rational and intelligent thought.
Why is it the most ignorant and uninformed voters
tend to favor Liberal Democrat Candidates?
Liberal Hypocrisy. This is what our taxes pay our schools to teach our kids.
Is this really what you want your hard earned money supporting? Most of us worked hard for our money and these are the people that want to take it from us. These are the people that want higher taxes on everyone that work hard to earn a living. These people are the ones that want "Free Stuff" from the government. These are the people that despise Capitalism because they have been so indoctrinated with Socialist propaganda that relieves them from personal responsibility for their lives. Somehow, their decisions are not the cause of their problems, it is someone else's fault and they plan on the Government to seek out revenge on those they see as the enemy. The people they see as the enemy are the people that have worked hard for themselves to achieve something worth having and they now want their piece. The fact they did nothing to earn what they want does not matter. At some point you have to protect what you worked hard to earn, because if you do not, these are the people that will have the government take it from you.
Are these people going to hate me for writing this article? Of course they are and if they could get the Government to stop me from writing this and exercising my First Amendment rights, you can bet they would.
