Author Archives: patriotinstitute2gmailcom

The saying goes the only things you can count on are death and taxes. That’s partially true. We should be adding a third element to that equation. The saying should be the only things we can count on are death, taxes and ourselves.

The movement towards American independence from Britain was initiated from taxes. The colonists felt they were being taxed too much by the parliament and the king in London. If they could see the taxes we are paying now, they’d be rolling in their graves.

We are taxed when we earn an income. We are taxed when we spend what we have left. We are taxed on our home. We are taxed if we sell something. We are taxed over and over and over on the same money on which we’ve already paid income taxes.

On average, Americans work over 100 days just to pay our taxes. If you add in all the other government fees, tolls and other charges, we work for almost half a year just to pay the government.

The chart below is an estimate of Tax Freedom Day by state. Tax Freedom Day is determined by the Tax Foundation, an independent tax policy nonprofit founded in 1937. Through rigorous research and analysis, the Tax Foundation calculates Tax Freedom Day annually, contributing to informed public debate and policy formulation.

However, there is one sure method to avoid paying taxes. Self sufficiency.

There is now a strong movement in the US towards self-sufficiency. We can grow vegetables. With even a small plot of land, we can raise chickens for eggs and meat. Having a hive of honeybees is a fun way to have pure honey, not to mention beeswax and pollen.

If you produce your own food in your own backyard, it isn’t taxed. Not only that, but with food standards in the US being questionable at best, with insecticides, preservatives, chemical additives and even just straight up fake food, by growing your own, you control freshness and quality.

There is an undeniable sense of satisfaction in preparing a meal exclusively from food grown on your own property by you.

But we are even stronger together. Collaborating with neighbors means we can decide to grow different crops and trade at the end of the growing season. You can grow squash, corn, raspberries and peas. Your neighbor might have apples, lettuce and radish. Through cooperation, you both get to enjoy both and all of it is organic, clean and free of chemicals.

Best of all, no government involvement. The more we can keep the government out of our business, the better.

This isn’t just for food either. Bartering is a very effective way to trade goods and services between ourselves. With no direct exchange of money, there is nothing to tax. Everyone wins.

That is why as part of the Castle Doctrine family, we started the American Barter Network. This a new platform that will enable people to offer goods and services for trade to other members. No exchange of funds. No taxes.

Self sufficiency is freedom. This freedom is not an all or nothing proposition. Even a small step in the right direction makes us more free. If you grow a few tomatoes at home, you don’t have to buy tomatoes. This, however a small step it is, means you are not bound to the supermarket to buy tomatoes. Every small step counts.

Another aspect of this is that we should support our local farmers’ markets and local farm stands and butchers / meat processors.

There are many good reasons to bypass the supermarkets and support our local farmers’ markets.

According to the North Carolina Farm Bureau, the top five reasons to go to local markets are:

1. The first reason why you should be shopping at local markets is to support local farms, many of which are family farms. In fact, more than 98% of all farms are family farms.
2. Enjoy fresh seasonal foods. Produce sold at these markets and stands can be the freshest and tastiest food around.
3. Taking your family to the farmers market means you have an opportunity to meet the people that grow your food.
4. You can spend time sampling the local produce, getting tips for cooking it straight from the farmers or asking for advice about trees, shrubs and plant for your outdoor DIY project. Even if you are looking for fun activities or opportunities to mingle, look no further than your local farmers market.
5. Shopping at your local farmers markets is a great way to broaden the variety of foods in your diet. Local farmers are likely to produce foods you may have never heard of.

There are likely to be reputable, clean and professional butcher shops and meat processors in your local area as well. I was pleasantly surprised to find a number of retailers in my area where I found not only fresh, local meats but it was of significantly higher quality than the supermarkets and cheaper!

With some research, you’ll discover there are many small steps you can take to move your family a little closer to self-sufficiency. Many small steps add up.

The benefits include you’ll save money, you and your family will be healthier from consuming higher quality food and you loosen the government’s grip on your life.

Get the Book! Of Faith and Freedom: How Americans of Faith can heal an ailing nation.

Subscribe to the Castle Doctrine podcast: https://thecastledoctrinepodcast.buzzsprout.com/

Follow us on Facebook!

Join The American Barter Network

That lost sense of community

When I serving as Town Manager, we like most other towns in America, had monthly town hall meetings. These were the public’s opportunity to come and listen to the current town business and offer their comments.

The same small group of maybe 5 or 6 citizens came to every meeting. Regardless of which topics were on the agenda, really no one came. No one in the community seemed to care what their local elected officials were up to because every month they had the opportunity to come and address the mayor and council and express their thoughts and they couldn’t be bothered.

The gears of government continued to grind. Lands were annexed, town equipment purchased, budgets discussed and passed and even water rates increased and practically no one from the citizenry had a single comment they wanted to voice to those making the decisions on their behalf. This was true even as the council was spending their money.

The only murmurs coming from the town residents came after whichever action was taken. Then the comments would come in the form of emails, phone calls and what was most often the case, posts on Facebook and other social media.

When they could have intervened to altered the process and outcome of any action, they instead chose to acquiesce and defer to the council.

This assessment is probably unfair. I get it. People are busy. It takes all of our energy just to work, pay the bills and take care of our families. The cost of living is rising so fast that many of us are working two jobs and still can’t make ends meet. Who has time to go sit in town hall meetings? They’re boring, nothing of consequence happens and they’re going to do whatever they want anyway.

The thing is, if that is your attitude, you’re probably right. At the local level, if there is no opposition, whatever your elected officials want to do, assuming it isn’t illegal, they’ll do and get away with it. People may complain afterward, but by then its done.

This piece is titled Polis for a reason. The word’s roots come from the Greek, meaning city-state. As in the English word Metropolis or the capital of Maryland, Annapolis. But it also often means the political body. Meaning not the architecture or geography, but those citizens involved in the political life of the city. It encompasses those citizens who take part in the decisions of the city-state, not only in council’s votes on legislation but also influencing the sway of the legislature before any votes are cast and also in setting the agenda.

Back to my earlier example of my time as a town manager. In that particular town, not counting the mayor and council, the Polis consisted of 5 or 6 members. Statistically, that means about 1 in 1000 citizens actually take part in any municipal political decision. Even then, that participation only happened during the town hall meeting by which time the elected officials have read the legislation and decided on how they were going to act. Even the pathetically small number of citizens present were not going to impact the action of the council.

This is unfortunate. As citizens, we have the opportunity to get involved. Not only to shape the votes of our elected officials, but to even set the agenda of what items are being considered by our councils. It is just a matter of getting involved.

We can march and protest. We can write letters. Or, the most common form of voicing a concern, post a comment or meme on social media to complain about an action that our politicians have already taken, signed and put into action.

It is so much easier to sway a political piece of legislation before it becomes law than it is to try to get a piece of legislation repealed.

It is a very rare event indeed that a piece of legislation is changed or repealed because people complained.

If you want something done, as the saying goes, do it yourself. It is possible for citizens to write a piece of legislation, present it to your elected officials and have it voted on and passed.

Local elected officials, like your mayor, town council and even county commissioners, don’t have staffs. They act on the legislation that is presented to them. Where does that legislation come from then?

Town councils consider and vote on resolutions that are generated by their town staff. County commissioners consider and vote on resolutions that are written by their county staff. Most often means these resolutions presented are for more – more money, more staff, more equipment, more office space, for that particular department.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Active citizens can have very effective role in setting the agenda and getting legislation passed. Activism, not by protesting or marching, but by working from the inside of the system that is in place to get what really needs to be done, actually done.

It is just a matter of commitment to the cause and learning how to work the system. Patience is also required. It’s government. Nothing happens fast in government.

But with those ingredients, commitment, knowledge and patience, we can be a very effective Polis within our system and change the outcome.

Join us. We are The Castle Doctrine.

Get the Book! Of Faith and Freedom: How Americans of Faith can heal an ailing nation.

Subscribe to the Castle Doctrine podcast: https://thecastledoctrinepodcast.buzzsprout.com/

Follow us on Facebook!