Independence

March 2006

My Declaration


One of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding fathers used in the great struggle for independence. ~ Charles A. Beard

Many people say if you do not like your country then you should leave. If, after many years of living here with family, friends, and other ties, I may find my country to be something other than one I can wave a flag for, do I still have to leave? Why is the State my master? If I move to another country that I like better, I will still be a slave to that State. This is like one slave wanting to leave his master and serve another more generous master. The slave is still a slave.

If I was completely free, I could declare my independence and form my own State, like the Catholic Church has its own State, Vatican City, which is only 108.7 land-locked acres. Its citizens, around 1000, have dual citizenship with Italy, much like some citizens of Israel and Canada have dual citizenship with the U. S. They trade and interact with other countries and citizens voluntarily. I would certainly offer dual citizenship to many people if I had my own country.
Each country could decide their form of government: monarchy, republic, democracy, etc. If a citizen who joined a country became disillusioned with the government, he could always declare his independence, and leave and join another country.

Monaco is a small country in southwestern Europe. It has a strong relationship with France. Monaco lies on the Mediterranean Sea at the foot of the Maritime Alps, forming an enclave in southeastern France. After Vatican City, Monaco is the smallest nation in the world, with a land area of just 1.95 sq km (0.75 sq mi). Monaco's estimated population in 2005 was 32,409. Monaco's population density, at 16,205 persons per sq km (41,969 per sq mi), is higher than any other nation. There are no income taxes in Monaco or Vatican City on their citizens. If you are a citizen of a small State, you may be better off than as a citizen of a large State. The large States can evoke envy, which make them a target of others. A small State is almost anonymous.

Why did Thomas Jefferson use the pronoun "we" in the Declaration of Independence? He could have used the pronoun "I" to declare his independence from the King of England and live happily in his country called Monticello. The reason Jefferson used "We" is because he needed help from his friends because King George would not allow people to be free. Jefferson and his friends had to use force to be free. This holds true today. No one is free unless he can declare his independence from the country, state, county, and city governments that control his life.

If everyone is free, each person would be able to declare his independence and form alliances, or dissolve alliances, and trade with other independents, all voluntarily, for mutual benefits and protection. Jefferson's declaration that people have the right to declare their independence from their masters would have applied to his slaves. Some who declared their independence would voluntarily decide to stay in Monticello because it was in their best interest and some would form alliances with others.

A person in America in the year 2006 is not free to buy a few acres of land and declare his independence. A homeowners’ association or town is not free to declare its independence. Too many people who are dependent on the produce of others, will use force to prevent a producer from freeing himself from the non-producers. Can you imagine the hue and cry from the rest of the country if a large state declared independence? Could California declare its independence with all its "national" parks and military bases? Would the rest of the country give up two great harbors, San Diego and San Francisco?

Unfortunately the Federal Government has made it more difficult for Americans to leave and declare their independence. The federal government owes each american Social Security and Medicare benefits that most Americans would not easily give up, even for freedom. Younger people who have not paid into Social Security and Medicare might be more willing to be independent from the U. S.

It would also be difficut for individual states to declare their independence because the Federal Government owns much land in those states. "Until the beginning of this century it was public policy to sell Federal land to homesteaders. Unfortunately, in recent decades the policy has been to take land from private owners and use it for “public purposes,” such as irrigation and flood control, power projects, wilderness areas, or any number of programs. The federal government now owns more than 30 per cent of all the land within the continental U.S., and its holdings are increasing steadily. It now owns more than 69 per cent of the area of Arizona, 71 per cent of Utah, 85 per cent of Nevada, and 90 per cent of Alaska".1

Individuals who join together voluntarily to form a state should also have the right to voluntarily declare their independence from that State. Compelling one to join a group is immoral. The state will be healthy if members can voluntarily join or leave. Does one wave the flag for the freedoms we have? How can one say we are free when there are thousands of rules and regulations telling us what we must do and what we cannot do? How can we be free and have the highest prison incarceration rate of any country in the world? The constitution does not guarantee liberty. The right to be independent does.

The Magna Carta was written in 1215. After it, many philosophers wrote about individual liberty and natural rights. It took more than 500 years, until 1776, for a group to advance the Magna Carta so that groups were independent and free from Kings, Popes, and Caliphs. During the interval from the Magna Carta to the Declaration of Independence, the printing press was invented. Since the Declaration of Independence, the internet has arrived. Individuals must not wait another 500 years to declare themselves free and independent to choose whom they will form alliances with.

(Edited June 28, 2006)

Charles Tolleson, March 2006