Keep reaching for a little more liberty

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for December 29, 2024)

The year is winding down. I hope yours has been good and your next year will be even better.

I enjoy the week between Christmas and New Year. It might be one of my favorite parts of the holidays; it feels like a cozy nook to rest in and read a book. For me, it's a more relaxed time. The hustle and pressure of the holiday have calmed down, but the family holiday fun often lingers a while longer. So do the leftovers. It's a time to enjoy the present, reflect on the past year, and think about what I can do with the raw material of a new year. The future is what you make of it.

The past year had some challenges for me. but I survived and came through better than ever. I'm optimistic about the future.

I plan to bask in the present, grateful for the things that are going well. Maybe I can even come up with a plan for those things that need improvement.

I'll also keep pushing toward a better future-- "better" in this case always means more liberty. I don't expect huge changes immediately, although I wouldn't complain. As long as things move in the right direction, nothing needs to be instant. "Better than yesterday" is usually good enough.

I'll keep reminding people why liberty is better than slavery, even when slavery is called something more socially acceptable.

Neither the Right nor the Left has a monopoly on slavery; they prefer different flavors of the same old authoritarian swill.

What would your ideal future look like? More liberty, more slavery, or no change at all? Can you make an argument for your preference? Could you join me in smashing the shackles of a superstitious devotion to government and the slavery it inevitably brings? I'll not buy into the excuses some use to justify their favorite brand of authoritarianism, but will keep calling things what they are. Sometimes this will put me in the good graces of one political side, and sometimes it will align me with the other. I can live with that.

There can never be "too much liberty". If the world ever gets to a place where you say, "Stop. That's enough liberty for me-- I don't want more", you can stay there and I'll keep pushing forward. I suspect we're decades from that split, so for now, we can be on the same team.

-

Thank you for reading.
Please consider supporting KentForLiberty.

Did the tariffs work?

Just so you remember: Evil often "works" and is thus pragmatic.

If a threatened tariff gets a government to give another government something, it worked (at least in the short term).

Theft can get you a new car.
Kidnapping can get you a "girlfriend".
And a tariff can get you concessions.

It's still not right, even if it "works". Especially when it violates life, liberty, or property and moves in the direction of more authoritarianism.

-

Thank you for reading.
Show your support.