I ask the question in all seriousness. Do you really want freedom? Sure, I do. And you probably will claim you do. But do you?
We in America are fiercely divided between the blue states and the red states; between the blue counties and the red counties; between the Democrats and the Republicans; and between those who really want freedom and those who don't. Unfortunately, you won't find those who really want freedom in the majority in the blue states or the red states; in the blue counties or the red counties; in the Democratic or Republican parties.
To save precious electrons, I'll use the following shorthand, even though it is historically backwards: "reds" will refer to Republicans and "blues" will refer to Democrats. The mainstream media has given us this particular bit of nonsense. Their election maps use red to mark Republican states and blue to mark Democratic states. It should be exactly the other way around, but we're stuck with it now.
Both the reds and the blues claim to do everything they can to promote freedom. They're both lying.
The blues, despite what they say, spent the 20th century destroying our freedom. They enacted the Social Security Act, which is the single most effective attack on individual rights in the history of the United States, with the exception, of course, of outright slavery, including military conscription. (There is nothing more ridiculous and sad than listening to someone talking about how World War II, with its conscription, its rationing, its regimentation of the entire society, preserved our freedom.) Now we must provide our Social Security numbers to get a job, to open a bank account, to open an investment account, and to do almost anything else involving credit or any other aspect of creating and running a business.
The blues enacted the various gun control laws which control what guns we may buy, own, and sell, and from whom we may buy them and to whom we may sell them.
The blues enacted the various anti discrimination laws which control how we may conduct our private businesses: whom we must hire; to whom we must sell. I suppose I should be glad they haven't gotten around to dictating to us whom we must marry.
If you have ever run a business, you have spent enough time filling out forms, filling out reports, and paying all the various taxes and fees to know that the massive government structure created by the blues has nothing whatsoever to do with freedom.
I could go on and on about the behemoth that is the government created mostly by the blues. But why bother? Most of you actually like the regulatory welfare state. Sadly, you have bought into the notion that it protects you. Well, it does. It protects you from freedom.
Now we can get around to what those sweetie pies, the reds, have done to our freedom. For a snapshot preview, just go and try to get on an airliner. You will be harassed, humiliated, treated like a criminal suspect, and, in fact, you will be treated like a federal prisoner. Your shoes may be inspected. The airport goons will take away your little pocket knife. (You do carry a little pocket knife, don't you? Doesn't everyone?) If they decide you were actually planning on trying to hijack your flight with your little pocket knife, they'll arrest you. If you say anything about the insanity of their search of little old ladies, they'll arrest you. If you decide you refuse to be treated like they mean to treat you, and instead decide to leave the airport, they'll probably arrest you. If you do anything other than go along with the weird security procedures at the airport, in silent submission, they'll arrest you.
These red people are the ones who go on TV and brag about how they're protecting our freedom - by taking it away from us. These are the people who are monitoring our communications, monitoring our bank accounts, monitoring everything they can about us. And they're protecting our freedom. Right...
The really sad thing about all the above is that you ordinary voters actually believe the lies. Oh, you blue voters don't believe the reds' lies, but you do believe the blues' lies. And you reds don't believe the blues' lies, but you do believe the reds' lies. What is there about you that causes you to ignore such obvious, blatant lies when they come from "your" side of the political fence? I don't know. I don't think I want to know.
Back to my home place.