Land Of The Free? 3 Reasons Why That Is Under Threat In Our Time Kevin Danielsen July 19, 2012 2:59 pm
 Whether you are a liberal, conservative, or you just don’t care, there’s no denying that humans generally don’t like to be told what to do. We especially don’t like being forced to give away the things we’ve worked very hard to have, and we aren’t fond of being watched and cataloged. But, of course, that can only happen in Russia, China, or Iran right?
The natural state of any human is to wish for freedom, but so often we find ourselves descending into the gutters of tyranny. If you think that the US is somehow exempt from this principle, you may want to take a step back. Here are just 3 small examples of how freedom can slip through our hands, the moment we let down our guards. This list is by no means exhaustive…
1: Lemonade Stand Raids
It has been a favorite American pastime in the last century, and is often what creates that tiny entrepreneurial spark inside our children. In the middle of the summer, when the vacation has reached its peak and the hot sun is high in the sky, you can often drive down your suburban street and see a stand with a few 10-year-olds marketing Dixie Cups of lemonade for $.50 apiece.  However, your local bureaucrats want to force the little ones to get licensing or be subject to charges:
Police in Coralville, Iowa recently conducted a sweep and shut down a total of three lemonade stands. The stands were set up in conjunction with the annual bike ride across the state. The town requires vendors to have a permit during the event days. One stand in particular was operated by a four year old girl who made a total of $4 before the police shut her down. The mother was told that the cost of the permit was $400 and that the city’s ordinance was in place to protect the health of the bike riders.” [ Roxanne Wilcox of BentonCountyEnterprise.com]
Sadly, it often doesn’t stop there, as Wilcox reports: “In some cases, they have been shut down all together and the parents fined hundreds of dollars.” Imagine being fined hundreds, because your 4-year-old daughter made $4. The message sent by the government? Work for a major corporation, or collect unemployment …your choice.
2: The Raw Milk Fugitive
Imagine if some 1784 Bostonian bureaucrat spawned a law, which stated that all people who have farms and gardens must have the proper licensing in order to eat and sell the food reaped from their own property. It would be hard to say, but I think tar and feathers might become a part of the story very quickly. Today, however?
Grazin’ Acres farm owner Vernon Hershberger of Loganville filed a motion to dismiss the case. In the motion, he cited provisions in the federal and state constitutions, as well as biblical verses. Reynolds denied the motion.
Hershberger is charged with the unlicensed operation of a food establishment, unlicensed milk production, unlicensed dairy plant operation and the violation of a hold order placed on his products by state regulators who raided his farm in June 2010.” [ Tim Damos of WICSNews.com]
 According to the story, Hershberger wasn’t even selling his products to the general public, but instead operated a ‘members only’ store. Technically, only partial owners were the ones purchasing their own milk.
This indicates the true motive on the part of the state. First, provisions in state and the US Constitution no longer matter in the court of law, but agency licensing regulations and ordinances take precedent. Second, you are no longer allowed to harvest bounty from your own property and you need the government’s permission to do so. Third, looking at the statistics of how many people ‘unlicensed food’ has killed, versus fast-food fatalities from preservatives and fat content …this is about government and corporate control and not common health and welfare of the citizenry.
3: The California GPS Tracker Grid
If you are a citizen of the Bay Area, you may one day be required to install a GPS tracking device in your vehicle, which will record how many miles you travel. This way, the government knows exactly how to tax you, and none of your personal travel and driving information slips past their far reaching view. The Soviets could not have dreamed for a better way to make sure their comrades are ‘paying their fair share’.
Although all the details are still being worked out, the so-called Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) tax could cost up to a dime per mile and also be based on the time of day a driver is traveling on the roads.” [ CBSLocal.com]
Of course, Randy Rentschler of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission has the nerve to say: 
We’re not interested in where they go. We’re only interested in the amount they travel,” said Rentschler. “But for some folks, that’s a distinction without a difference. Anytime you talk about getting information from people, whenever that conversation comes up, it’s another hurdle you have to overcome.”
You see, to them, our natural liberties and disdain for tyranny are nothing more than a ‘hurdle’ that they have to overcome. California and the Bay Area are often seen as pioneers of liberalism, so get ready folks, we may have to fight this on a federal level before long.
The only way the government can get away with these antics is when We the People see the convenience in looking the other way. Until we hold our politicians’ feet to the fire, prepare to watch your freedoms float away after being sold down the river.
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