Quote from perplexed:
Mistake.If you don't want much - you are much less controlled.
There's different ways of coming at this topic. There's the "dumbed-down, lazy" America where the person is happy being mediocre or being less than mediocre and getting paid via government handouts confiscated from other people and having government tell them what to do, and they may lose what they have if they rock the boat, assuming they would even want to rock the boat.
Now that I've typed that, really, though, I'm kind of boxing controlled people in based on income. Someone can make large amounts of money and still be under government control. They just happen to get more of their money confiscated.
Then there is, yes, those who may not generally be considered successful, but they don't require as much "stuff," and in that sense they are free and less controlled. Yet, they are still somewhat controlled if they stand on the sidelines and don't rock the boat.
Maybe I didn't explain it well, and I'm probably not again since I'm typing this while distracted,
but my main point was that government doesn't like outlaws because outlaws rock the boat and can interfere with government's plans, and government's plans, at least nowadays, tend to be about controlling you and taking your money. It's great if someone can opt-out of being "a consumer," but they are still probably on the sidelines more than being opposition.
And, yeah, "what can one man do?" It's hard fighting Big Government. The easiest way is to vote for people who are willing to smack government's hand when it goes for your wallet. Cut government's purse strings, and it will have less money to do stupid things with.
While I think government slavery and financial slavery are linked, I don't consider them the same. I think I know what you're saying, though. Buying "stuff" you don't need promotes slavery. Being what the media and government like to call "a consumer" promotes slavery. Debt is slavery.
