So let’s go back to the question of government in our lives and the idea of the Total Freedom Act.  Those in government; whether Democrat, Republican, Tea Party, Independent, Green or anyone else, should have nothing at all to fear about the Total Freedom Act.  Any student of political science and any observer of human nature should know that people cannot be effectively governed without consent.  Only 50% of the country votes every few years and, in total, roughly 25% - 30% of the country actually ends up making the final decision to elect one party or the other.  This, alone, doesn’t mean that you have a mandate.  This doesn’t even make the government legitimate.  You cannot govern without a mandate and you can’t get a mandate unless you first have consent to govern. 

Perhaps this explains why the Great American Experiment went so stunningly well in the early years.  Remember, people actually opted-in to becoming Americans.  That’s because most of them were not born here or, if they were, then at some point in the very recent past their parents or grandparents opted-in by making the long journey to this great country.  But, after many generations, the population is now far removed from that decision.  The slow but steady decay we are seeing today might have something to do with the fading, now basically non-existent memory of that moment when each and every American said “yes” to taking part in America.  Whether saying “yes” means taking part in government or being free from it, we can now experience that moment again!  We can even do it this year!  Why not?

But I should also warn you, those of you already in office, that if you are kind enough to give us this freedom, you can no longer continue to run for reelection with the message of “getting Washington out of our lives” – not unless you are fighting for the Total Freedom Act.    But if you are not a proponent of this idea, you can no longer run on Ronald Reagan’s message of small government or, indeed, getting rid of government.  The words are nice, but the action is better.  And how shameful it would be, now that you’ve heard this simple and realistic idea I have proposed, to continue using this message to gain support when you know, full-well, that you could very easily deliver exactly as you promised.  Maybe you or your supporters haven’t previously thought of this as a real option, the idea of this Total Freedom Act, but now you understand that this is a good idea and is a very real answer to our modern-day ideological culture war.  So instead of running your next election on yet another empty promise, you can run on the idea that you have finally fulfilled this promise in the most real way imaginable.  I’m offering you the answer right here, in this short book.  You, as a true patriot, can soon say that you have delivered the chance at total freedom to every American!  You can say that you, personally, have restored America as that place of true freedom!  Do it before your opponent does!

I’m convinced that you guys can lead the charge and make this happen without causing any real havoc or interruption to the system at all.  Even after this bill passes, very few people would want to opt-out of the government you are part of, would they?  Instead, what you’d be left with is a population that wants to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.  When you pass this legislation, they will not feel demoralized and in despair, as so many of them do today.  They will finally feel respected by you.  They will finally be treated, by Uncle Sam, as the adults that they are.

It seems to me that, once this idea has been shared far and wide, any politician who would continue to run on the small-government message…that there’s nothing we can do to get government out of our lives other than electing yet another politician making the same generic promises we’ve already heard for decades…would be completely disingenuous.  Anybody running on a message of small government should be asked about their support for the Total Freedom Act.  Anybody who truly believes in these principles should support it.  So, unfortunately for you, now that this idea has been put forth, you might have to change your approach a bit.  I know, the other approach was working quite well to get you elected, but the message is getting kind of stale and it is certainly time to find a new bag of tricks.  Sorry about that.  I’m not saying you’ve been disingenuous all these years.  Maybe you just didn’t think of this.  But either way, you do have to change your tune now.  I’m sure that you have plenty of talented strategists who will come up with something.  Then again, you may not need much help in this area because you will be so popular after enacting this historic legislation that you will get yourself reelected by a landslide. 

As we move forward, assuming this idea has been spread, the only reason I can see for not wanting to give people this true and genuine chance at freedom is that you want to continue winning elections by making disingenuous promises which you have no intention to keep.  What else can we conclude, after watching the way you guys have operated for all these years?  And now, after hearing about this idea, what are we to think if you were to ignore it? 

At this moment, as a politician, you are at an interesting cross-road.  We followed you as you walked us here, now it is time for you to lead us all the way to the destination you’ve been telling us about.  Give the people what you have been promising: give them the chance to get the government off their backs and let them experience the wonders of the free market.  Once again, a person who has opted-out will also not be a burden to the government.  As far as you’re concerned, it is as though he or she were never born at all.  Better yet, the remaining voters will finally be interested in real solutions.  New ideas will enter the political arena and be accepted by the population because everybody taking part will actually have chosen to take part in the system that governs them.

Oh, and whatever you do with this idea, I’m going to ask one thing: do not dare attempt to use moral arguments against it.  Do not attempt to tell us that you cannot allow people to opt-out as tax-payers and forgo government services because you care about them, because we have a duty to make sure innocent kids aren’t punished due to the decisions of their parents.  Don’t you dare make this into a moral argument!  Why not?

First of all, you have no right to lecture these people.  They are Americans.  They were born with certain inalienable rights and one of them is the right to freedom.  Don’t you dare pretend that you care anything about morality here.  Where is the morality in being part of a system that sends kids off to die in a war based on lies?  Where is the morality in not providing every child (no, actually every person) with guaranteed access to healthcare?  In case you haven’t noticed, you are not part of a government that is grounded in morality.  Whether Democrat or Republican, do not pretend that yours is a government that represents morality at all or I might stop by just to throw up on a staffer’s shoes at your next fundraiser. 

America is the only country where this idea makes sense.  Precisely because we fall short so badly in terms of social justice and morality in our government and in our economy, this chance at total freedom is a unique opportunity.  Only after you’ve taken some very real steps toward making this a moral country where we take care of each other and respect each other, then I’ll shut up about this Total Freedom Act.  But as things are, you simply have no moral ground to stand on.  People are not being taken care of!  But if you are truly concerned, perhaps we can make some moral considerations like trying to make sure that children are still protected to some extent under the law of the land (regardless of the choices their parents make).  I’m sure these questions will be worked out as you begin drafting the Total Freedom Act.  Maybe, while you’re at it, you can make sure that every single child has healthcare (just like old people do).  I’ll even help you with the verbiage.  It takes just one sentence: “All children under the age of 18 are now covered by Medicare”.  Simple.

You can also stop looking down on people and pretending that they don’t know what is in their own best interests.  More likely, they see you and what you are up to quite clearly, indeed.  Having us trapped is not the same thing as having us fooled.  Please just give us our right to freedom and then do everything you can to throw us a tasty enough bone every now and then so that we don’t actually exercise it.  But, either way, you do not have the right to claim control over our lives on moral grounds just because you happen to sit in some luxurious stone building in Washington, D.C.  Nope, you have to back it up with something.  As things stand today, I’m not seeing it. 

Indeed, it is only our consent which gives you any right over our lives.  I don’t care how smart you are, how rich you are, how powerful you are, or how many influential people you know.  Even if you are not on our side and care nothing about us, you have to at least start respecting us as human beings.  If nothing else, shut up about your anti-government rhetoric unless you really mean it.  Pay up or shut up.