Last week I had the opportunity to share a bit of my journey with folks at Anarchapulco. I subsumed my stories — from a racist phase, to a nationalist phase, to one more aligned with complete liberty — within the integral nature that ideas have in shaping our perception of the world and thus, our actions. And I underscored the role that language plays in communication, and the fact that individuals can change.
I heard Jason Sorens speak in 2005. He advocated that liberty-oriented individuals around the globe vote with their feet and relocate to New Hampshire (NH) as part of the Free State Project – to pursue liberty in our lifetime. I was intrigued. A month later I drove from DC to Lancaster to attend PorcFest. I was present for less than 24 hours. That was plenty of time to recognize the potential of the idea.
I then got involved with the Mid-Atlantic Free State Project group whilst living in northern Virginia. I valued my experiences there – getting better acquainted with Austrian Economics and its implications, and cultivating other knowledge and skills – but the thought of moving to NH tugged at me. It was appealing to not just talk about liberty, but to actively pursue it.
In 2009 I relocated to NH, which I now call “the ‘shire” for its magical qualities. Keene was homebase for The Motorhome Diaries and Liberty on Tour, as well the place that Cop Block was incubated. It became clear when I was on the road with those projects that, while there are growing pockets of communities who internalize the ideas of self-ownership, the ‘shire was special.
In 2014 – at PorcFest, of course – I met the person who, in 2015, agreed to be my life partner. That fine lady, if you’re unaware, is Amanda B. Johnson. We plan to re-up each year, so long as we’re both still having fun. Based on our frequency of laughs and smiles and songs, I’d say we’re on a good trajectory.
Amanda B. Johnson and Pete Eyre in Tamworth, the ‘shire
In late 2014 Amanda and I left the ‘shire for Oklahoma City where I got top-notch surgery to repair my ripped bicep. The friendly and entrepreneurial folks at the Oklahoma Surgery Center agreed to be paid entirely in Bitcoin and gold. And the anesthesiologist’s own son was super into Cop Block! (more…)
Today Congressman George Miller (D/CA) and Senator Tom Harkin (D/IA) introduced the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2012 in both the House and the Senate. The bill proposes three $0.85 raises to the minimum wage which is currently $7.25 to be $9.80 by the end of 2014. I find this to be outrageous.
Do these politicians never learn? The minimum wage is a job killer. Every time the minimum wage is raised, more jobs go away, never to be seen again.
“The Employment Policy Institute, a nonprofit research organization that studies public policy issues surrounding employment growth, released findings from a study that examined both Miller’s and Harkin’s proposed legislation, that concluded the proposals would eliminate as many as 768,000 jobs for less-skilled and less-experienced employees.”*
“The economic consensus on raising the minimum wage is clear, and these latest proposals are no exception,” Michael Saltsman, research fellow at EPI, said in a press release announcing the study findings. “Instead of reducing poverty rates, a higher minimum wage reduces employment for the least-skilled job seekers.”*
In a voluntary society, companies could produce more jobs while paying employees a “fair” wage based both on the companies needs and the experience of the employee. This would leave room for the companies to hire more employees, plus neither the company nor the employee would have to pay out much of their profit and income in taxes. The employee would benefit by being able to bring home all their pay and companies could hire more people with the increased profit margin.
All the minimum wage laws do is eliminate jobs and decrease profitability for companies, which in turn brings down goods and services provided by the employees and companies and increase the prices of goods and services.
*http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2012/07/26/federal-minimum-wage-would-reach-980.html?page=all
The edited video of the civil disobedience panel held at the 2012 Liberty Forum, in which me, Ian Freeman & Jason Talley converse with those present about ideas, strategy and impact. It was recorded on Friday, Feb. 24th, 2012 at the Nashua, NH Crown Plaza.
Do you have thoughts on the content discussed? Points where you agree or disagree? Things that need clarification? How would you have answered some of those questions?
[cross-posted to FreeKeene.com from PeteEyre.com/Schoolcraft]
Incentive: 100-FRNs or its equivalent in silver
Deadline: Midnight EST March 31st, 2012. Send an email to “copblock [at] gmail [dot] org” with “Szasz” in the subject line and a link to your video
Details: All submitted videos will be added to a playlist on CopBlock’s YouTube channel (link will be updated when created). In early April a poll on CopBlock.org will be up for a week, asking visitors to vote for their favorite. The individual who made the video with the most votes on Midnight EST April 7th, 2012 will be receive their choice of 100FRNs or its equivalent in silver
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