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Property & Freedom Welcome to the first edition of our new biweekly newsletter - The SovereignLife Report. I trust you will find it informative, enlightening - and, in particular, provocative! Any publication seeking to further the cause of individual freedom in this world cannot help but be provocative. The reason is quite simple - the main ideology that permeates our culture and daily lives is the belief that the individual is subservient to society. To hold a consistent moral viewpoint which upholds the rights of the individual, inevitably creates head-on collisions with the status quo. So, unless you hold a very consistent view of individual rights, you are quite likely to be offended by some of the views expressed in this newsletter. And I make no apologies for that. In fact, I will go so far as to say that in order for a publication such as this to be worth reading, it must be thought-provoking. Hey, but there is still some freedom in our world - and one such freedom is your choice to subscribe or not. No arm twisting here! Freedom is a catchall word. It rings though history as a clarion call - but, unfortunately means different things to different people. So I'm going to define freedom right now - so there can be no doubt as to what I mean when I use the term. "Freedom is the societal condition that exists when every individual has full (i.e. 100%) control over his own property." That quote, by Andrew J. Galambos, covers all bases. One only needs to define "property" to complete the picture. Most of us think of property as just "things" we own - like a house, a car, a CD collection. And sure, all such things are property. However, at its base, the most fundamental property, your primary property, is your own life. You own your life. It's your property. And if you don't agree with me - then just ask yourself, who owns it if you don't? But assuming you agree that your life is your own property, then it follows that all other personal property derives from that fact. Your car is your property, because you exchanged money you earned for it. The money you earned is a representation of a certain quantity of your life's effort. You work, you earn money. So the tie-in between your money and your life is very clear. So, most of the things we call property are things we purchase with money we have earned - during the expenditure of personal effort. Property can also be intangible. A thought can be your property. A book you write is your property. A new breakthrough idea you may have is your property. A song you write is your property. In fact, anything that arises out of your life, your effort, your mind - is your property. So, back to the definition: To be free means to have 100% control over your own property. You'll notice it doesn't say you have the right to the property of others. The definition provides for everyone to enjoy this same right, and as a result, there can be no exploitation, and no expropriation of each other's property. Not in a free society. The only way you can be parted from your property - morally speaking - is if you part with it, on terms you agree on, voluntarily. Such is the basis of all trade and commerce. We enrich our lives by trading our property. Many of us trade our time (our property) with someone else (an employer), and receive money in exchange. We can then use that money to exchange it for the things we want - which then become our property. So a free society is one in which property rights are upheld - and in which all property exchanges are done on a voluntary basis, whether sold, traded or given away. From this, one can easily see that we do NOT live in a 100% free society. Just some examples: Your income is taxed - for the purpose of redistributing it to other people. Now unless you have voluntarily agreed to this, then your property is being stolen. You could go to jail for taking certain illicit drugs. That's another violation of your property rights. Remember, you own your own life, and therefore your body - so only you have the right to decide what you can consume. You can be fined for not wearing a seat belt, and once again, your property rights are being violated. Why? Because it's your life and only you have the right to decide on whether you will wear a seat belt or not. You could be drafted into the army - to be sent off to a war. No free society would permit such a violation of property rights. I could go on, and on. The list of property rights violations in modern society is forever getting longer. And each new violation sets in motion a new trend, a new acceptance of such violations. If your goal is to be free - free to live how you want; free to make as much money as you want; free to say what you want; free to do business how you want - then you've got an uphill battle on your hands. And it's a battle that can only be won when you have a clear idea of your rights, a clear idea of what justifies such rights - and a clear strategy for protecting your rights. Finding ways to protect your freedom, your property rights, is the focus of SovereignLife. To be "sovereign" means to be king of your own domain, master of your own destiny, owner of your own life. To become sovereign is a worthy goal for any one. And I invite you to travel that road with me. Live Free. David MacGregor | ||||
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