The delicious, toxic bagel of statism

Statism is like a very-expired, contaminated cinnamon raisin bagel.

How do I know? Because I have experienced both.

Once upon a time, the girl I was married to worked in a nursing home. She would often bring home expired food that was being tossed out. At some point, she brought home a package of cinnamon raisin bagels.

I didn't ever get a real lunch break at my job, so I would often just grab something I could munch if I got hungry. (I still can only eat one actual meal per day.) One day, rummaging around in the back of the refrigerator for "lunch food", I stumbled across this bag of bagels. Yummy!

I took it to work and tossed it on the shelf where I usually put such things.

That day, a little while after "lunch", I started not feeling well. Not nausea, but dizziness. It passed.

The next day, not long after "lunch" I got hit with the most severe dizziness I have ever experienced. I couldn't stand. I couldn't sit. I ended up lying flat on the floor upstairs, out of sight of customers, gripping the carpet (the shop was previously a house and had semi-shag carpet) while my boss complained at me for doing so. I told her she didn't have to pay me for the time I couldn't work, but that wasn't the issue as much as was my inconveniencing her by making her have to stay at the store until I recovered.

As I lay there trying not to fall sideways, or up, I remembered how I had felt the day before, not long after I ate the bagel. I connected the dots and realized the bagels had probably grown some sort of nice fungus which was affecting me. As soon as I expressed this to my boss, she tossed the remaining bagels in the trash.

It took a couple of hours, but the dizziness passed. I dug the bagels out of the trash and checked their "best by" date. They were only a year or so out of date.

Maybe I should have presented them to a pharmacologist- I might have discovered an awesome new drug. But I didn't think of that at the time.

Anyway, this is similar to statism. It looks delicious. It passes the smell test for almost everyone. But it screws with your brain once you internalize it, because it contains toxins you can't easily detect. Those of us who don't swallow it watch those who have done so flailing around, unable to do the simplest things for themselves. But they don't even realize how silly they look, or how helpless they are.

If only statism wore off after a few hours like bagel fungus does.

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As a comedian, I suck

On Facebook, for no particular reason other than something I read made me think back to that politician who was once quoted as insisting the "income tax" was "voluntary", I posted:

As of today, subscriptions to my blog are voluntary.
You can pay, or spend the rest of your life in a cage (or die if you resist). But since you have that choice, or you can choose to move to North Korea instead of paying, it's voluntary. Right?
I mean, the "tax" collectors at the IRS wouldn't lie about what "voluntary" means, would they?

Almost immediately, a guy posted a response:

Laughing my @$$ off no one is going to pay you to look at your d@mn blog if you have relevant information for our situation you would be giving it away for free not asking for money  

(edited for rude words)

OK, so he didn't get the joke; maybe he didn't see the winky face. And apparently he has never heard of punctuation.

But, then... I got to thinking. Is that true? Valuable (relevant) information must be given away? Only crap gets paid for? And that's how you can tell the difference between the two? There's no good information in a book that's for sale, but if the author (or someone else?) gives you the book for free, the information in it suddenly has value?  That seems a strange kind of thinking.

I would imagine some valuable information is bought and sold, while some is given away, but to say that only free information has any worth seems... odd.

I mean, yes, my blog is free. More free than it used to be, even, since I have opened up all the previously "subscriber-only" posts. Does this mean it now contains "relevant information"?

Does this apply to other contributions as well? If I do a good job flipping burgers, I have to do it for free. If I'm a competent brain surgeon, I can't charge for my services. Only the hacks and con men can expect payment. Or, does it only apply to information?

As a way to put my "resolution" into action, I have adopted "Don't be mean to stupid people" on Facebook and in face-to-face interactions. So, I didn't give him a reply beyond "Whoosh" (the sound of the joke flying over his head). Perhaps I should thank him for showing me how some percentage of people think- although I suppose elections have already shown the prevalence of the entitlement mentality pretty clearly.

Relax, it was just a joke. Just not a very good one, apparently.

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Statists believe they're smart, but...

...then they say things like how terrible new "synthetic marijuana" is, and how this problem is due to marijuana legalization around the country.

... or that Islamic terrorists are a big problem, so "we" need to keep using the US military to meddle in their lands so as to create more of them.

... they come up with bizarre "crimes" such as "trespassing on public property".

And then we see exactly how "smart" statists actually are.

Sorry, but if you believe more government will solve a problem, you ARE the problem. And none too bright.

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Don't help cops feel useful

I don't want cops to feel useful, wanted, or needed.

I'd rather they struggle to walk the boredom tightrope between donuts and steroids without anyone inviting them into their life. If they are going to be collecting their ill-gotten paychecks anyway, I'd rather they be sitting in the donut shop than out "on the streets". It keeps the harm they do to a minimum. I don't want them "earning their pay" by committing acts of enforcement. Not even against my worst enemy.

I don't want cops to feel useful, wanted, or needed. Because they aren't.

Let the only official duties they perform be robbing drivers, molesting property owners, and other acts of archation. Period. Don't let them do anything to feel useful, wanted, or needed.

I understand calling them when your insurance company demands it. I also consider that requirement an act of aggression by the insurance company, but good luck finding one that doesn't insist on involving cops.

But, otherwise, PLEASE don't call the cops. For your own safety's sake, if nothing else. There is no situation so bad it can't be made much worse by inviting a cop into the mix.

Plus, I don't want cops to feel useful, wanted, or needed.

Call me instead. Or call a neighbor. Or handle it yourself. Or call a crackhead- your life will be in less danger from him or her, I promise you.

But don't do anything to help cops feel useful, wanted, or needed. They are parasites on society. Let them feel that way. Let that feeling lead them to make better choices. Or not. Not my problem.

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All assistance should be voluntary

(My Eastern New Mexico News [formerly the Clovis News Journal] column for November 30, 2016)

Help one another, voluntarily (my chosen headline)

It is once again the season to remember the less fortunate. On one hand, you shouldn't need an annual reminder to be good to other people, but on the other hand, sometimes it's fortunate the calendar has a few such reminders built in.

If someone wants to help those in need, there is nothing stopping her from freely giving her own money and time to those she feels deserve help.

Yet most who feel more money should be spent on their favorite government programs are never content to simply chip in-- they demand laws forcing everyone else to do the same.

It's the opposite of generosity, compassion, or caring. Those things are better expressed individual to individual.

If someone truly believes the government is best able to help those in need, he's completely free to write the U.S. Treasury a check to spend on welfare-- or on a new drone to crash into a Middle Eastern wedding. Relying on taxation to pay for anything is unnecessary.

For those of us opposed to bullying of any sort, it is essential for all the help to be totally voluntary.

You don't need a "law" to remind you to help people. If you care, no tax is necessary to get you to donate. In fact, taxation reduces the amount you are able to use to help others. No "law" can change the act of forcing people to donate into an act of generosity. No one can be charitable with other people's money, nor is it kindness to hand over your own money under threat. Putting government in charge of such an extortion scheme doesn't change its immoral nature.

Instead of giving your cousin another cute plastic knick-knack to dust or forget, spend the money on someone who needs it; someone you feel is deserving. No one should be making that determination for you, either. When you personally know the circumstances of the person you help, you know their needs better, and care more, than any bureaucrat distributing pillaged funds possibly can.

An act which is of minor effort or cost to you might impact someone's life for decades to come. I know from personal experience, having been on the receiving end a few times.

I often remember those times, especially during the holiday season. It's something I'll always strive to pay forward. Taxes, regulations, and all the other government coercion only stand in the way. They invariably hurt more than they help. Let's start helping each other, instead.

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Setting myself up to fail?

I'm doing it. I'm making a New Year resolution. Unfortunately, it's not the kind that I find easy to make stick, but the other kind. I'm still going to give it a shot and, toward the long-term goal, I give myself permission to slip sometimes (although I will expect to be scolded if I do).

So, what is this resolution all about?

I am going to focus on preaching to the choir.

I'm not dropping the newspaper column, because Money, but I will try to limit my "spreading the message" to that. I may even find a more sensible focus for that column, too, if I'm lucky.

I realize I'm not going to convince fans of aggression and theft that they have been on the wrong side all their lives, and that their beloved uncle who died in some government war was on the wrong side. They don't want to hear it, and will do anything to avoid facing it.

So, I am going to try to focus on talking to YOU.

If some statists are "converted" in the process, great. If not, fine. I'm coming to see that they matter less and less to my actual life anyway.

And, just maybe, I'll come up with one of my other "resolution" type things, too. The type I have been more successful at keeping.

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"The Masses"* don't know and don't care

You and I are not going to get through to most people. They simply don't care if they are being enslaved or violated-- especially if they believe they are being protected by someone else being "controlled" on their behalf.

I see this as cowardice and laziness, but they don't.

They don't know what liberty is. They actually believe cops and troops are protecting them and their "freedom". And they don't want to know they are dead wrong. They are content (or as content as they can be, under the circumstances) in their ignorance. It comforts them.

If you speak or write honestly, you will offend them if they happen across your words.

So be it.

You are not like them.

Just know that I know you are out there. I want you to know I am with you, as long as you don't archate. In 2017 and beyond.

You are my people; my tribe. If I can consider myself to be part of a tribe.

They are the weather. Obstacles to be avoided or dealt with, but otherwise not worth getting upset over. Which makes me think it's time for a bit of a change. Stay tuned...

*When I see "The Masses" I tend to put the break between words in a different spot: "Them ...", well, you know.

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"Cop" is a choice to molest, just like "rapist"

Being a cop=rapist is a choice to behave a certain way. A way which violates the life, liberty, and property of individuals. Good people don't choose that path. Not ever. No excuses or justifications cut it.

If a rapist=cop is shot and killed for violating someone, it's not a tragedy. It is instead a triumph of good over evil. Of right over wrong.

Of course, those who support the cop=rapist will be angry. They will question why force was used against the rapist=cop, instead of something less decisive. Something like compliance in the moment, and then seeking justice afterward "if it is determined" a wrong was committed. You know if a wrong was committed- you don't need the cop=rapist's buddies deciding for you.

Ethical people won't criticize or second guess when a rapist=cop is killed in the course of his natural, evil acts, but most people aren't ethical.

If you are violating life, liberty, or property you deserve to die. No question. And this upsets those who can't come to grips with what it is they are supporting.

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Relax. Just breathe...

I need to remind myself-- over and over-- that I don't control what others do. Not even close relatives.

If they do things I consider shameful, I shouldn't let it get to me. Their choices are NOT mine, and I am not some dictator who gets to allow or forbid their actions.

I shouldn't let myself feel embarrassed. They aren't me, and I am not their master, nor would I want to be.

Still, it sometimes hurts. Especially when I see it as something that just feeds the State and makes us all a little less free in the long run. Especially if I know some will associate that person with me, and might assume I approve of what they do.

People must always be free to make their own mistakes-- even the ones they foolishly refuse to see as mistakes.

I shouldn't allow myself to get so bothered that I say nasty (even if truthful) things. I need to be better than that. But, it's a journey, and I keep getting lost along the way.

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Trust

Jyn Erso- Star Wars: Rogue One

If you want me to trust you, you WILL trust me with a gun. That is absolutely non-negotiable.

If I trust you, I'll never ask you to disarm. Not in my business, my home, or my presence. Never. 

If I do ask you to-- or if I demand it-- you'll instantly know I don't trust you and I don't like you.

And, the reverse is also true. If you ask or demand that I disarm, I'll take that as a very clear sign of how you feel about me. Trust goes both ways.

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"Free riders"

For a large number of people, their concern over "free riders"-- people who get a benefit without obviously paying for it-- is what stands between them and accepting Rightful Liberty. And that is a shame.

A common objection I have seen is that in a free society, where one would contract voluntarily with a private fire department, if your neighbor's house catches fire and your fire contractor fights it in order to save your house from damage, the neighbor has benefited from your contract without paying anything. Your neighbor is a "free rider".

True, as far as it goes.

I suppose you could have a stipulation that your fire department is not to fight fires consuming your neighbors' houses, if they have not also contracted for service, so as not to contribute to their "free-riderhood". The fire department could just sit at your house, hosing it down so the fire doesn't spread to your property. As long as the contract was agreeable to you and your fire department, you could have just about any conditions put in you like.

Alternately, if your house catches fire and your fire department puts it out, your neighbor has again benefited, since his house is less likely to be damaged now. Perhaps you prefer that in this case, your fire company set fire to the neighbor's house in order to allow nature to take its course? I really hope no one would want that.

The "free rider" problem is greatly exaggerated. If people get together to build a bridge, and don't charge a toll for crossing it, does that mean an out-of-town visitor is a "free rider" if he crosses the bridge?

How would you know? He may be crossing the bridge to trade with a business owner who helped pay for the bridge; someone he wouldn't have been able to trade with had the bridge not been built. So is the business owner being cheated since he paid to help build the bridge and the visitor did not? What if this person who crosses the bridge decides to trade with a business owner who also didn't contribute to the construction of the bridge? Does this business owner never trade with the other businesses around him who contributed to the bridge? How did he get the money that he spends in these other stores? Is there no value in keeping his store open for the other people in town?

If you choose to pay for police or "national defense", are those who refuse getting a benefit for nothing? That depends if you ignore the fact that under current conditions, "national defense" endangers us all, and police are bullies and scum. Me, I'd prefer to just get rid of ALL anti-weapon "laws" and let the cost of being a thug rise back to where it belongs.

If people see a benefit in something, they will probably be willing to foot the bill. In a free society, bridges and roads and fire departments would undoubtedly be cheaper and better, since no bureaucracy is eating up the funds and producing nothing but more bureaucracy. There is no reason to whip out coercion to deal with this. A true parasite will suffer the consequences of his decisions regardless whether there is a "government" of any sort to punish him or not.

Besides, everyone will be the "free rider" at times. There is no avoiding it. I think this is only a problem if you look at the situation selfishly or from a "but that's not fair" perspective. Just accept that the times someone else is getting a "free ride" on your dime are paybacks for the times you get the same benefit. It all comes out even in the end, so don't keep a ledger trying to nit-pick every offense. Even if someone seems to come out ahead, are you really willing to give up a little of your liberty to make sure everyone pays in every instance? I'm not.

Not paying "taxes" for roads; using them anyway

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PS: Also check out this article which has another, much more detailed take on this: Small-Town Anarchy

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Updated from here

Opinions must change to fit facts

(My Clovis News Journal November 23, 2016)


How often do you change your opinion about anything? When you do, what causes the change?

With the reluctance toward changing an opinion, it's amazing anyone ever does, on anything. Yet, it is possible, and it does happen. I have changed my opinion on many things over the course of my life.

When I change my opinions, I would like for truth, reality, and reason to be the catalyst. When I'm wrong, I want to know, and I want this knowledge to change me.

I am very suspicious when anyone tries to change my opinions by appealing to emotion. It reeks of manipulation. Emotion is the preferred tool when an opinion has no facts to support it. It happens every time.

This doesn't mean I always change my opinions for the right reasons, nor does it mean flawed reasons never affect me. I'm honest enough to know anyone can fall for delusions and superstition, and we all allow our biases to color our perceptions of reality. But I don't have to like it.

Often, the more I observe and learn, the more holes I see in my previous opinions. Other times, when I ponder things I've known all along, I realize I haven't been consistent. Then I can't rest until the inconsistency is dealt with. Facts can't change to fit opinions; I must change my opinion to fit the facts.

Changing your mind in the face of new information isn't "wishy-washy", it is smart. Sticking to an opinion by ignoring new information is a sure sign of stubbornness. It may keep you popular, but it stunts you as a person.

One particular change in myself is, while my personal opinions are still largely conservative, I no longer feel entitled to use force to impose my opinions on others. In fact, I see that as one of the worst moral failures possible. Good ideas don't require force.

There are other opinions I hold which might be considered "liberal", but unlike most of those who call themselves liberal or progressive, the thought of using force-- particularly the force of the state through "laws"-- to force others to behave certain ways is completely repulsive to me.

This personal opinion has only gotten stronger over the years. No one has ever given me a compelling reason to change my opinion on the use of governmental force. Their failed justifications don't even begin to reach the level of evidence I require to change my mind.

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(Also, as the Clovis News Journal and Portales News Tribune are becoming The Eastern New Mexico News, here is another link to this column: link
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Merry Christmas

... or whichever Solstice-centric celebration, if any, you observe.

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Must suck to be statist

I am coming more and more to the conclusion that statists are miserable.

They squeal at anything that threatens to poke a hole in their belief system. They assume the worst in every situation. They assume you mean whatever will offend them the most. They strike out with hatred at the slightest opportunity.

And, it's not just in response to me, but even those who try even harder than I do to meet them halfway.

They also see any disagreement as "hatred" and being miserable. They are strange, sad little people. No matter how numerous or powerful they are. They know they are on the losing side. And this takes a toll on their attitude.

Sucks to be them, apparently.

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If a cop kills me...

If I'm ever killed by a cop, I'm sure most of the community (however you define that) would decide I deserved it.

Probably because I don't excuse cops for archation.

There really couldn't be anything else they'd be able to use as justification.

I don't aggress, nor do I violate people's property rights. I don't even threaten to do either one. But, I don't excuse their "heroes" who do, and that is the biggest sin in the statist's mind.

And, considering that most people are statists, it means killing me is justifiable in their eyes-- if I ever act on my convictions at a "bad time" and refuse to comply with the bullies they worship.

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This blog, like all of KentforLiberty.com, is reader supported. Recent medical bills have hit me hard, cleaning me out in the midst of December birthdays and Christmas, so any donations or subscriptions would be GREATLY appreciated! Thank you.

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Seeking a loan

(It has been taken care of. Thank you!)

If anyone would be willing to loan me about $75 for a month (probably less, actually), I'd be willing to pay it back with an extra $5 on or before January 22, 2017.

I've been waiting for a check that is owed to me for doing some work, and it is 3 weeks late. It will come, I just don't know when. And I can't wait any more.

So, if anyone would be willing, use the Paypal link over to the right. You can put "Loan" and the agreement to pay it back +$5 in the message.

Thanks.

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The most important minority

The individual.

You are the only minority that matters.

So am I.

You are a minority of one among 7 billion-plus individuals who are not you.

So am I.

Whatever your personal religious beliefs are, more people don't share them than do. Even if you belong to the most popular religion on the planet, your fellow believers differ from each other in ways you don't even realize you differ.

Whatever your specific form of political beliefs, you are outnumbered by people who have a different take on how humans ought to interact.

Even if you are a statist, most people prefer a different flavor of statism than the specific form you favor. And if you actually believe whole-heartedly in individual Rightful Liberty, you are greatly outnumbered by those who'll find any excuse to weasel their way to justifying your violation.

Many more people have a different set of physical characteristics than your specific set- height, weight, body type, skin melanin content, hair color, eye color and shape, nose size and shape, whatever. You are a minority in everything that makes you you.

This is why you-- and I-- are the only minority that truly matters.

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This blog, like all of KentforLiberty.com, is reader supported. Recent medical bills have hit me hard, cleaning me out in the midst of December birthdays and Christmas, so any donations or subscriptions would be GREATLY appreciated! Thank you.

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Wrongness is a possibility

I am perfectly willing to consider that everything I have done, every choice I have made, everything I value, believe, or know is wrong.

But, that doesn't mean I believe someone else is necessarily right. One doesn't invariably lead to the other.

Judging by results in certain areas, the evidence leads to the conclusion that I'm at least wrong sometimes. Obviously, my economic choices have been disastrous. And I could always be more useful to others, and more sociable.

In other areas, I feel more confident. The only people who seem to have issues with how I have treated them are those whom I refused to allow to violate me. I even treat statists with kindness until they archate in my presence. This part of my life has been much more successful than the other.

And this is why I am more prone to give advice on not violating others than on financial subjects.

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This blog, like all of KentforLiberty.com, is reader supported. Recent medical bills have hit me hard, cleaning me out in the midst of December birthdays and Christmas, so any donations or subscriptions would be GREATLY appreciated! Thank you.

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Next, after LED lighting

Yes, this is an actual lamp I own. I found it in a junk store years ago, and bought it for a dollar. I pulled it loose from the plywood it was glued to, added a wick and some olive oil, and found that it works. 

Rather dim, but it works.

It's always good to have options.

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This blog, like all of KentforLiberty.com, is reader supported. Recent medical bills have hit me hard, cleaning me out in the midst of December birthdays and Christmas, so any donations or subscriptions would be GREATLY appreciated! Thank you.

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Keeping an eye on the threats

I think it's wise to know where all the Registered Liberty Offenders around you live.

That includes all the cops and other "law enforcement", of course, but also people like the mayor and city council members or anyone else who tends to archate for money, or as an unpaid position.

This also includes freelancers such as those who break into homes and businesses and rob without the "benefit" of a badge.

Bad guys are bad because of their actions.

In the event of a civil disturbance or societal breakdown, these folk are probably going to need to be contained. Know where they live, and where they are likely to be at any particular time. Your life may depend on it.

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This blog, like all of KentforLiberty.com, is reader supported. Recent medical bills have hit me hard, cleaning me out in the midst of December birthdays and Christmas, so any donations or subscriptions would be GREATLY appreciated! Thank you.

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