In America we are moving slowly but surely from ‘freedom reigns’ to ‘freedom wanes.’ When my father was a young boy many people existed outside the government’s purview. Births and marriages were recorded in family bibles. Unless people owned land they paid no taxes. They conducted their lives pretty much as they saw fit. Things have changed a lot in almost a century. And it’s getting worse as each year passes. Today we can hardly turn around without first getting permission from the government. What we have today are different degrees of lack of freedom. Let me enumerate some of the ways in which we lack freedom. You are not free when:

• The government can take your property and transfer it to someone else without your permission and without just compensation (market value after property has been marked for condemnation is not real market value).
• The government can deny your desired use of your property with no compensation by reserving it for the use of ‘endangered’ plant and animal species.
• You can’t subdivide your property and sell it to others for home sites without government permission.
• You can’t construct a dam on a stream to create a lake on your property without government permission.
• You can’t drill a well to provide water for you and your family without government permission.
• You can’t install a septic tank to handle your home’s waste without government permission.
• You can’t build a home or place of business without government permission.
• You can’t repair or make an addition to your home or place of business without government permission.
• You can’t install a sign in front of your place of business without government permission.
• You can’t own a motor vehicle or boat without registering it with the government.
• You can’t operate a motor vehicle without government permission.
• You can’t operate a business without government permission.
• You can’t go fishing or hunting without government permission.
• You can’t get married without government permission.
• You can’t get a job without a government issued identification number.
• You have no choice but to enroll in and pay for Social Security and Medicare.
• You can’t possess a gun with which to protect your family without government permission (in some places).
• The government can raid your home without your permission and unannounced.
• You can’t discipline your children for fear of being charged with child abuse.
• You can’t freely speak your mind for fear of being labeled.
• You can’t transfer wealth to your children without government involvement.
• Your property is taxed to pay for the public school system even though you pay to send your children to a private school.
• If you send your children to public school you have little or no control over the curriculum.
• You are taxed to pay for government programs that you find morally repugnant.
• You must inform the government each year of the amount of your earnings and send a big chunk of it to the government (much of it to be used to devise more ways to make you less free).

Sadly, governments are hard at work concocting new ‘progressive’ ideas for supposedly improving our lives, and most of these will result in further restricting our personal freedom. One of these is the move to dictate what we can and cannot eat. New York City is now considering banning foods that contain ‘trans fats’ in city restaurants.

Obviously, reasonable arguments can be made that some of the above restrictions on our freedom are necessary in a complex society — especially in light of the threats to our security from radical elements here and abroad. But this does not change the fact that our freedom is waning.

Despite all this, I still believe that we enjoy more freedom in conducting our lives here in America than we would in most any other country. But it could be better.