Choices: The metric of Freedom
Posted in LFA Flashback by R Lee Wrights on October 16th, 2009 by R. Lee Wrights
“If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.”
John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)
Are you really free? That is the question that launched Libertyforall.net more than seven years ago. We challenged Americans, then and now, to question just how free the “freest country in the world” really is. But, how does one determine the amount of freedom enjoyed by individuals? How do we quantify a seemingly abstract concept? With freedom it may be easier than you think. I believe we can effectively evaluate the level of freedom enjoyed by Americans, or anyone else for that matter, by examining the metric of freedom - choices.
Choices are in fact the only metric we can use to measure freedom. Without choices precious freedom ceases to exist. Therefore, the amount of freedom any individual possesses is effected proportionately by the number of choices that person has when contemplating a course of action. In simpler terms, you are only as free as the number of alternatives available to you when it comes time to make a decision. If you only have one choice about something, as in paying taxes, then obviously your freedom is greatly reduced when you consider your personal budget and finances. Conversely, you know you have greater freedom when numerous choices are at your disposal. It is a shame you have more freedom when choosing a restaurant than you do in how your money is taken from you and spent.
Perhaps an even clearer example of how restricting choices diminishes freedom can be found within our very own electoral system. In fact, I would opine that ballot access is one of the areas where the State works to restrict our freedom as much as possible. In most elections the best you are going to get is three choices; and, you only get the third choice because Libertarians work their third-party assess off achieving and maintain ballot access in most of the United States. My question is, in a truly free society shouldn’t we be able to vote for anyone we chose? Are we really free if we are only allowed to vote for individuals who the ruling party/parties say we can?
How much does ballot access law reduce the amount of freedom the freest citizens on the face of the earth enjoy? Nothing restricts the growth of third parties in America more than the scourge of ballot access law. These state statutes are undeniably discriminatory in nature, as they are designed to put restrictions specifically on all third parties by establishing limits that are easily attainable by the two “major” parties, but very difficult for smaller third party organizations. In fact, as a result of the elections of 2000, some if not most state affiliates for the Libertarian Party, the third largest political party in the United States, lost their ballot access before 2004. Huge petition drives will be required in some states just to exercise the right to run candidates for public office and give the citizens more than two choices on Election Day. Why is the government so intent on restricting your choices in some of the most important decisions you will ever have to make?
I mean, the smaller your party is the harder it is to achieve ballot access or “new party status”; thereby, making it nearly impossible for small third parties seeking recognition by the state as a political party. I have found no value in most ballot access laws, other than as an impediment to the rights of the minority political parties, or as a muzzle to try and mute a dissenting minority voice. It can be said that Republicans and Democrats alike have no interest in the freedom of the minority parties to have equal access to our government. They have seized control of a nation and have no intentions of ever relinquishing the reigns to the team that powers the run-away wagon we have come to call bureaucracy.
The greatest threat to the third party movement in America, and the choices that they offer citizens, is the two majority parties that will always stand united on the issue of restricting ballot access to all contenders other than themselves. If you are not a Republican or a Democrat in the United States of America, you are a slave to a government controlled by a majority that forces its will upon you. Are you really free?
Even though ballot access may be one of the most egregious restrictions upon our choices it is by no means the only one. Taxes clearly present us with the most glaring example where the precious flame of freedom has practically been extinguished. What choice do you have when it is time to pay your taxes? You either pay what the State says you owe, or refuse to pay and face prosecution and imprisonment. Is that really a choice at all?
And what about what is to be taxed and what the collected revenue will be used for? How many choices do you have? Usually none. If you own property the State not only decides how much that property is worth, but also how much tax you must pay for the privilege of owning the property. You are not asked for your input, nor are you given the option of not paying. You pay or you go to jail or worse. Then, the State takes the money raised through forced taxation and gives it to whomever they please for whatever purpose suits the politician’s fancy. How far removed from actually slavery is an existence such as this?
And, what happens if the State decides it needs your property? When it is time to build a new highway, or the city/county/state needs some extra land for a new park or another shopping center, do they come to you and ask if you mind if the government condemns your property? No. The State has eminent domain. This concept is based on the belief that in reality government owns ALL property; and therefore, can condemn (take) your property if the government deems it necessary for the “common good.” So when the state wants to build a new road, or a shopping center for that matter, all they have to do is declare the project necessary for the preservation and continuance of the common good and they can force you from your home and take your land. Homeowners have become little more to the various levels of bureaucracy than working drones cranking out the political honey of tax dollars at a steady rate. As long as the politicians do not want your land for some “special” purpose you are allowed to continue to work the hives under the watchful eye of your masters. You do not have a choice, so, are you really free?
I could literally go on for pages and pages, but hopefully these few paragraphs illustrate my point sufficiently. The next time you wonder about your freedom, use the only metric available to you to help you discern whether you are really free or not. Choices are that metric. When confronted with a decision ask yourself, “How many choices do I have?” If your choices are numerous, you can be fairly certain your personal freedom is still intact in that area of your life. However, when you realize you have only one or two choices, you will know that your freedom has been greatly reduced. And, when you come to the point where you realize you have no choice at all you can be sure that your freedom has been totally removed from you.
More choices mean more freedom every time, all the time. One cannot exist without the other. Without a free will to choose for ourselves what we will or will not do with our money, our property, and our lives, we cannot claim to abide within a society that holds freedom as its most precious possession. The number of choices available to you will always provide the answer to that lingering, haunting question - Are you really free?
Originally published in Liberty For All April 1, 2007.
R. Lee Wrights is a writer and political activist living in North Carolina. He is the co-founder and editor of the free speech online magazine Liberty For All. Contact Lee at rleewrights@gmail.com.
