I’m going to need to see your ID for that…

You need an ID to buy alcohol, rent an apartment or be admitted to a hospital in the US. You need it to get on a plane or to obtain a marriage license. You’ll need it to set up a bank account or a company. Fair enough.

But in Illinois, you also need it to buy this normal household product…

Big Governments = Bad Governments

The problem with politicians is not that they exist; the problem exists when governments grow large, slow and dumb. Instead of facilitating business and upholding reasonable laws – they create unnecessary rules and regulations that cause clogs in the system and distort the free market. Oftentimes this is done to ‘protect’ their citizens with oppressive nanny state laws.

Consider a new state law in Illinois which mandates that people who buy drain cleaner need to provide photo ID and sign a log that marks the date, address, and even the brand and net weight.

Both sides:

Merchants and customers are infuriated by the law.

Customers are annoyed they need to have their privacy infringed upon to buy something at the local hardware store. Businesses hate dealing with the angry customers and having clerks go through the hassle of writing a report every time a homemaker needs to buy draino for her clogged sink.

You might think that since everyone hates the law, it might get repealed. Keep in mind that legislators who make these laws love having another excuse for bigger budgets to enforce these laws. This comes from a State that is on the brink of insolvency and could well default on municipal bonds.

It’s not only the US that has horrendous laws that infringe on individual liberty. Last week in Great Britain, there was a dangerous encroachment on the sanctity of personal protection. Unfortunately, a sign of our times.

A Man’s Home is His Castle

An old common law tradition is that when someone breaks into your house, encroaches on your property – you have the right to defend yourself.

Not anymore.

A farmer and his wife were asleep at night when burglars broke into their home, which is isolated and in the countryside. According to neighbors “they had been robbed 3 or 5 times. One of them was quite nasty”.

So the other day (details here) they were robbed again by two burglars, the homeowner grabbed a legally owned gun and fired at the robbers, who ran away, and then called the police.

When the police showed up, they had arrested the burglars. Great police work up to this point. Bravo.

However, the homeowners were in disbelief when they were also arrested – on grounds of “suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm.”

If this isn’t a police state, what is?

Put yourself in their shoes for a moment. Your house is continually robbed and the police are incapable of reaching your isolated house in time, so you take means to defend yourself from the thieves.

Modern day justice is so backward that the State provides more protection to criminals than to homeowners. Common law has time and again proven that a man in his home is allowed to defend himself. Apparently, the system in the west is so broken that even that base level human right no longer exists.

If you can’t be allowed to protect yourself in your own home, can you really consider that freedom? Perhaps its time to look elsewhere, for a place where freedom truly lies…

Maybe you would consider using Flag Theory to live like a Permanent Traveler.

The important thing is that you need to internationalize your life – diversify and hedge against the sovereign risk of keeping everything you own within the borders of one country.

You don’t even need to leave home… You can get a gold backed debit card, an offshore company, and even a 2nd passport from the comfort of your living room.