A difference of opinion is the cornerstone of a robust discussion.
As to being the "freest civilized country in history," that was certainly true two hundred years ago, when anybody who wanted to could build a cabin, grow whatever they wanted to, smoke whatever they wanted to, slaughter their animals any way they wanted to, have sex any way they wanted to, sell whatever they wanted to to whomever would buy it, and never see a government official year in and year out.
But in our current life, we are trading on our reputation for freedom rather than experiencing it. We don't even realize how much freedom we have lost. We accept that we can't drive without government permission, pee except in a government approved toilet using government approved water, buy a book without paying the government for the privilege, live on our own land without paying the government for the privilege, earn a dollar without paying government for the privilege, have sex without doing it in a government approved way . . .
This, my friend, may once have been, but is no longer, by a long shot, the freest society on earth. |
