Rich people are not a problem

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for June 24, 2026)

The most economically ignorant opinion ever is the call to tax wealth above a certain amount at 100%. The people calling for this don't understand how anything works.

Some excuse this by saying, "No one needs a trillion dollars". Some scale it down to a billion or even a million dollars.

Do you want to talk about "need"? What I need is for government to keep its hands out of people's pockets. Government doesn't need to steal money to pay for things government's supporters believe they need.

No one gets to decide what others need. As long as they aren't stealing it, it's none of your business.

If someone earns a quadrillion dollars by giving customers what they want and by filling a niche, they aren't a problem. It's a positive thing for society, and only ignorant people get upset over it.

It's trendy to hate rich people. It's also incredibly stupid. Most of the people upset over "excessive" wealth- such as the tax-addicted politicians and their followers- contribute nothing. Takers envy makers. 

For a millionaire politician to demand that a billionaire entrepreneur hand over some percentage of his money is dishonest. The entrepreneur contributes; the politician is a parasite who only takes.

It isn't "greed" to want to keep what's yours; greed wants to steal and hoard other people's property. The only rich people who can oppress anyone are rich politicians.

Yes, I realize there's no rich person in today's world who doesn't get a substantial portion of their wealth by helping government. Government is the problem, not the wealth. The solution isn't to steal a percentage of their wealth and hand it over to that same government.

Do these tax advocates really believe it's a good idea to tell an entrepreneur that one successful business is enough- there's no benefit in starting more, or even expanding his existing business? If there's no way to make and keep the profit from one's business, there's nothing left to put back into the economy. And no motivation to do so. It costs us all.

These political lies based on envy could destroy the future.

The only ethical level of taxation is, and has always been, 0%. It doesn't matter if you believe the people you're being manipulated to envy can afford it. Instead of begging politicians to rob others, start contributing something to the world. Then you can give your own money to whatever you like.

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Worse than a stopped clock

On any topic, if it's up for a government decision, government will get it wrong. Even if it appears at first that they got it right, just wait. They didn't. They'll screw up anything left to them.

It's so predictable that anyone who doesn't expect it must be living in a cave.

I never trust them to make the smart or ethically correct choice, so I'm not disappointed. But I am disgusted.

Even a stopped clock is right once (or twice) every day. But government? Nope.

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See how I've grown?

Yesterday was the annual family reunion.

It's a stressful day for me. But I go anyway- I don't always avoid doing things outside my comfort zone. I think it's good exercise.

It was fine. Lots of food, and too many people. But I think I did well.

There's only one relative I can't bring myself to speak to. Years ago, back in the MySpace age, I had reached an agreement with his siblings to rent a house that their parents had lived in (their mom was in a nursing home). Everything was set, and I was happy because the house was far out of town- just like I prefer (or need).

But then this clown found out about the deal and chimed in. He didn't like my MySpace page. He said that because I was anti-government, I would be cooking meth in the home. So, since he was the eldest sibling, the deal was pulled out from under me at the last minute. 

Yes, it was partly his property, but we had a deal.

It caused me problems and cost me. But he imagined himself the Good Guy in his white hat.

I'm still angry about it (if I see him). I sometimes wonder if he now realizes he was wrong, or if he even remembers breaking the deal. Either way, he's not worth my time. I never think about him unless I see him, and I only see him at these reunions. He can go in peace- as long as he goes.

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I decline to participate

I'm really good at staying out of the way of people who want to do things I dislike. Even self-destructive things. Until they try to involve me. 

Then they could mistake me for someone who is "closed-minded" and wants to control others. They would be wrong.

You have the right to perforate yourself in the cranium with a cordless hole puncher.
I'm not going to help you do so. 
I'm not going to do it for you- except in self-defense or in defense of an innocent victim.
I'm not going to make you feel better by encouraging you to do so.
If you ask my opinion, I'll tell you not to do it.
I may even hurt your feelings if you whine about me not supporting your desire to harm yourself (or others). Yes, I'll probably tell you it's a stupid thing to do.

The same goes for many other socially popular methods of self-harm.

I oppose legislation violating your right to harm yourself, whatever your chosen method. (For that matter, I oppose ALL legislation.) It's none of the State's business or concern. That's not the same thing as thinking you should do harmful things to yourself. Those are completely different issues.

I'll stand up for your right to do something I think is stupid or self-destructive. Just don't think I'm going to participate or keep my opinion to myself.

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Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’…

I had wanted to make a knife sheath out of rawhide for a while, but had never done it. 

Rawhide is tough to work with. 

But I needed a distraction this past week, so I dug out some rawhide, made a pattern for a sheath for a Russell’s Green River Hunter knife, and got to work. 

It took a few days for the rawhide to dry and give me the final results, but I think it worked well. I like how it turned out.

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“I wish there were more rules”

And this is why we can’t have nice things.

This town may be threatening to impose a lot more property rules on the residents. Seeking to punish anything they subjectively don't want to see. Things like "disrepair", "clutter", and so forth.

I overheard two people talking about this, and one of them- from another town- said about her town, "I wish there were more rules". Then went on to complain about a neighbor who uses his property in a way that she doesn't approve of. She is burdened by what she sees when looking in that direction.

The one from here was practically salivating over all the potential violations she can see around town, saying, "They won't be getting away with this anymore".

This attitude disgusts me.

People have a right to use their property as they see fit- as long as doing so doesn't violate someone else's REAL rights to life, liberty, and property. Being offended by seeing something isn't a violation of your rights. It's a character problem.

"But it brings down property values." Good. Then property taxes will be lower.

There's hardly a house in town that wouldn't be targeted for one thing or another, mine included. And since it's subjective, there's really no way to anticipate what's going to get under the mayor's saddle. We've gone through various enforcement obsessions, where the current rulers get tough on one ridiculous thing or another for a year or so, until they pick something else to be up in arms about, and forget about the previous emergency enforcement situation.

I'm already mad at the town rulers for vandalizing two streets this past week by installing "speed bumps". What's next? Flock spyware?

If the town does go through with it, I will be photographing every "violation" at the mayor's property and putting it online. Yes, I will go to war.

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Supporting your mortal enemy

If someone hasn’t yet figured out that government- all government- is their Ancestral Enemy and will murder them for its own convenience, there’s probably no hope for them.

It's a tragedy to see. 

I just wish there was a way to avoid being collateral damage during their carnival of self-destruction.

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Find better solutions without government

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for June 17, 2026)

I hear a lot of people saying the local community should have this or that. Or pointing out things they believe should be improved. But they always seem to want government, or at least someone else, to provide what they want or to fix their problems.

If you have complaints about the local community, don’t wait for government to fix them. See what you can do for yourself, maybe with help from others, with or without government permission.

Government wants you to depend on it for solutions, but its solutions can be worse than the original problem. Plus, it will use your money for any solution it tries. It would be better and more efficient to use your money directly, rather than filtering it through the waste machine of government bureaucracy.

The responsibility is yours. It always has been. Keep in mind, taking responsibility can be dangerous.

If your solution is effective, government will probably try to punish you. Just like the people around the country who've been punished for repairing potholes that local government has ignored for much too long. In some cases, government crews even dug out the repair work and returned the road to its damaged condition.

When I lived in Colorado, residents were prohibited from plowing the snow off the road to their house if local governments insisted that the road not be plowed beyond a certain point. Some defiant souls did so anyway and were punished. Others left their vehicles abandoned at the end of the plowed road all winter and used snowmobiles to cross the distance between their car and house.

You aren't "authorized" to solve problems this way. This is how you can tell that solving problems isn't government's priority.

Government is not on your side. It always has sketchy justifications for what it does.

If you come up with a good solution or improvement, and you aren't punished for it, be aware government may try to take over and claim the credit before ruining it. Then you can start over.

One of the very worst things anyone can do is to take something good and hand it over to government to administer and ultimately squander. If you have something good, whether it's an invention, a solution, or real estate, don't give it to government. Take back your control. Stay silent and don't ask government for anything, and soon you'll realize it has always been an unnecessary evil.

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Irresponsibility

Being responsible- accepting your responsibility- is best. No question about it!

However, I believe everyone has the right to be irresponsible... in certain ways. By this I mean, not all irresponsibility automatically violates someone else.

But no one has the right to violate others in an attempt to avoid the personal consequences of their own irresponsibility.

That’s where I see so many go wrong. Including most of those who support, pass, and enforce "laws" designed to punish irresponsibility.

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Misplaced respect

Statists really can't comprehend when someone doesn't fawn along with them over some harmful part of government- such as the police or the military.

It's completely beyond them why anyone would oppose those things. (Some feel the same about the spyware.)

It doesn't matter how clearly you explain. Some say they supposedly "hate government", too.

They have a deep-seated desire to "respect" those who are the greatest danger to their liberty. A much greater threat than anyone in any other country.

In TV and movies, there are good cops and good military pawns. That's called fiction. Many people fall for the propaganda because they can't distinguish between reality and fiction.

I blame govschooling and the media.

Yes, I realize some of those government personnel were fooled into joining. Some were pressured and couldn't resist. Some didn't see another path. Some needed the money. Some thought it would make them respected. They were innocent victims... at first.

Some wanted to do good. They failed. 

Some craved the power they saw coming from such a position- either immediately or down the line. Those are the truly evil ones.

The harsh reality is that they are all hurting, not helping. They are empowering the state by remaining on the "job". That's not an ethical thing to do. It doesn't earn my respect or my thanks. Please quit!

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Modern advancements vs modern annoyances

I really appreciate modern advancements... but on the other hand, I really hate modern annoyances.

I'm not sure how you can get one without the other.

Plus, I realize the things I see as the annoyances are likely to be someone else's wonders of technology.

Because I can be the same way about some things.

For example, I hate manual transmissions in cars, while most "car people" love them. Maybe that's because I'm not a car person, and I just want vehicles to get me where I need to go with the least hassle possible- and I don't need to feel like I am controlling every little function. It's probably why I'm not too opposed to self-driving cars, while being suspicious of the technology making that possible. 

One thing I've never felt this way about is guns. I love everything from iron and wood matchlocks to full autos in polymer and stainless alloys. Each has its place. I wouldn't want to depend on a matchlock for self-defense, even though I might enjoy shooting them for fun. (I've never actually shot anything more "primitive" than a flintlock, though.)

I wouldn't want a "smart gun" with biometrics, just like I wouldn't want a car with the same thing. I have no desire to be vetted by a gun or a car; judged "worthy" or "unworthy" of operating either one. That's one of those modern annoyances I hate, and that those who want to control us are pushing for.

I'm willing to do without any technology that gets too intrusive. In that case, the old things are probably better for me, even if less advanced. Plus, the old things have their own charm, and sometimes, getting acquainted with the less advanced stuff can make you appreciate the modern stuff a little more. Until you've had to make fire under primitive conditions, you won't appreciate Bic lighters- or an electronic lighter- as much. But that's because a lighter is a modern advancement, not a modern annoyance.

Appreciate the differences, and find your own lines between the two. I think it will make you a more well-rounded individual.

Or, that's my take on it.

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Disconnected

I believe that authoritarian "order" is its own kind of chaos.

It removes proper consequences from the actions which earn them.
It makes sensible behavior result in nonsensical punishment.

It is an attempt to disconnect actions from predictable consequences and replace those consequences with toxic substitutes. In other words, it results in chaos- and not the constructive kind.

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The monsters seem to always get what they want, eventually

I’m tired of government and its supporters getting their way. Getting whatever they want. Nearly every time. At the expense of liberty, privacy, and property. If they don't get what they want today, they just keep pushing until they eventually get it. 

No matter how bad it is for the rest of us.

People get tired of fighting, they can't keep watching, and government intends to have its way with us.

I'm not sure what I can do about it, other than change my attitude and accept that this is the way it is at this time, and keep reminding people that there's a better way.

Is the problem internal to me? Or is there a real danger that I need to be aware of? Statists would say- and have- that it's my problem. That this is just how it is, and if I don't get on board, I'm going to be steamrolled.

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"For your own good"

No one ever disarms you for your own good.

But they'll lie and try to brainwash you into believing that's the reason they do it.

No one ever surveils you for your own good.

But they'll lie and try to brainwash you into believing that's the reason they do it.

No one ever governs you for your own good.

But they'll lie and try to brainwash you into believing that's the reason they do it.

And far too many people- usually the loudest, most ignorant minority (there's a strong correlation there)- will fall for it and cheer to have it imposed on us all.

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The fear of liberty is irrational

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for June 10, 2026)

I've never considered myself a particularly brave person, but I've never been afraid enough to feel like I needed to be governed or to have you governed on my behalf. I've never been so afraid that I was willing to give up essential liberty for a false feeling of safety. I can't comprehend this level of irrational fear.

Fear makes people (and animals) unpredictable and dangerous.

Similarly, I'm not able to do everything myself. I lack the resources and skills for many important tasks. I've never seen this as justification for forcing others to do these things for me. I prefer cooperation over coercion.

If I can't afford to pay others to do things I can't do, I'll do without. Nothing is so important that I feel you need to be forced to help pay for it through taxation. It's no less a mugging if you promise that taking the money is necessary and it will be used for the common good.

If I'm unable to talk people into helping out, without threats or enslaving them, then I'll accept being on my own. Either I'll figure it out, or I won't.

I'm not willing to advocate for a government to help me force you to do things, or to force you to fund things, which I feel would be good for me or for society. Or because I'm scared.

Wouldn't it be nice if people returned the favor?

I have a hard time relating to people on the other side of these issues; the people who believe in government.

It's not a matter of preference. Preferring Pepsi or Coke doesn't harm people who prefer the other, or who prefer Dr Pepper or water. Preferring to govern others, for whatever reason, seems natural to those with this preference, but does hurt everyone else. The excuses used, even in good faith, don't diminish the harm.

If your system won't work unless you force everyone to participate, it's a failed system. If you're afraid of those who want to opt out, and you'd force them to abandon their homes to do so, your system is wrong.

Once upon a time, people couldn't see a way to keep society running without slaves. They figured it out once the option was off the table. It's going to have to happen again, sooner or later, with government. This is the next step in totally eradicating slavery. Even if it's scary.

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Why am I not a communist?

If I were dumber and less ethical, I might be a communist.

I might at least fall for the labor theory of value.

I do a lot of hard work for other people. It's something almost daily. 

I do yard work for elderly relatives- sometimes cleaning up after serious neglect. I move furniture and try to repair appliances and equipment. I change light bulbs they can't reach. I sometimes fix non-engine car problems (with the help of YouTube) and have saved people hundreds of dollars that way. I show them how to use their technology. I run errands. 

I also help the community. I've spent hours and hours picking up trash around town. I've helped people by shoveling snow. I've helped strangers when I saw they needed help as I passed.

I've also labored for the enemy. I've wasted huge amounts of my valuable time doing things around my own property that I don't want to do, or even to have done, just to keep armed thugs from showing up to force me to do it or rob me if I haven't. 

That's a lot of labor.

Yet, I only occasionally get paid anything for any of my services. And I'm fine with that- except for the yard work the town forces upon me. I don't do it for the money; I like to help people.

However, if I believed in the labor theory of value, I might believe I am owed something for all that work. 

But where would that money come from? 

If the people I help could afford it, they'd probably pay me for my work. 

Should other local residents be forced to pay me for my "service to society"? 

Ewww. No!

Should the "taxing authorities" of the town pay me out of the tax money they confiscate from us all, since I am increasing the tax value of the property so that they can ultimately steal more from the residents? That's the worst kind of profit they are gaining from my labor, and commies hate profit, right? (I'm sure they'd say that particular money-from-nothing doesn't count as profit.) 

I'll keep helping when I can. I am owed nothing unless there's a prior agreement to pay me, and I do the agreed-upon work satisfactorily.

Believing otherwise would be a red flag. It would show that I am dumb and unethical.

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A disturbing lack of discernment

One thing I've noticed about cops is that they seem utterly incapable of telling the good guys from the bad guys. Especially when the bad guys control the purse.

If someone is violating life, liberty, or property, they are the bad guys. If they are paying you to help them do any of those things, then you're a bad guy, too.

There's really no wiggle room there.
Or Wiggum room, either.

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Yes, it should

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Only an evil person "plays" this game

A "patriotic" cop on X was scolding people who hate Flock cameras and other spyware.

He pointed out that you and I have no expectation of (or right to) privacy in public spaces. You aren't protected by the 4th Amendment in such cases. He says, "Don't hate the players, hate the game". And, that it's just too bad if this upsets "Flock haters".

I have some thoughts on this.

You need to hate the players, too, because they choose to play the game, knowing it's wrong.

Guys like this are why more and more people are getting smart and hating cops. He is siding with government by excusing what it is doing- saying only the Supreme Court can decide otherwise.

I recognize that I have no expectation of privacy in public. I've noticed people taking photos of me more times than I could ever keep track of. It doesn't bother me. The difference is "regular people" aren't photographing me in order to track and control me; to use against me later. Government and its partners in crime are. 

Only a cop or other vile government supremacist could pretend not to see the difference.

What about his Bill of Rights claim? The 4th Amendment doesn't apply to random strangers, it applies only to government and those working for government. It doesn't bind you and me; it binds government.

If government is looking for a loophole, that is exactly the situation where there can't be a loophole. Government has no right to photograph or track us because government has no rights. None.

This guy would have been making excuses for slave traders- because that essentially what he's doing now. If that's "patriotic", keep that junk away from me.

Just say "no" to spyware.
The only good Flock camera is a dead Flock camera.

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Government: it lies

Government lies. That's obvious. Even a minimal level of awareness will force a person to see it.

It should also be obvious that the lies all skew in one direction: to make government seem less harmful, less evil, more competent, more essential than it is.

It's also obvious, since government still exists, that most people believe most of the lies. They believe the ones they want to be true, while rejecting the ones they don't want to be true. (Politics makes people stupid.)

They might believe that cops are the good guys, that the government military is securing "our freedom", or that anti-gun rules and Flock cameras keep us safe. Maybe they believe environmental laws protect the environment, or that govschools educate children. Some seem to believe that only a government can create a long, smooth surface.

Why would anyone believe these things, against all objective observation? 

Because government told them so. 

And even if they know government lies about the things they don't believe, they'll fall right into the lies that they want to believe. They leap in with their arms wide and their eyes closed.

And they'll hate you if you don't join them.

Hating their fellow humans. Choosing a criminal institution over people. All because government lies.

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