Freedom, according to the dictionary, means to have liberty rather than being in confinement or under physical restraint; to be exempt from external control and regulation; the power to determine individual action without being under coercion or duress.
It means having personal liberty rather than being in financial or physical bondage or slavery.
It means having the right to come and go as you want and to make personal choices.
Our freedom was spelled out in the Constitution of the United States; defined in the Bill of Rights.
Nowhere is there any mention of freedom being dependent upon money in these sources, yet today, it clearly is.
Not only has the definition of freedom changed from what the founders intended, but the net result is that more and more of our personal freedoms have steadily eroded away.
Freedom no longer exists as it was originally defined.
One thing is quite obvious: freedom, in any sense of the word, does not apply to everyone equally.
The rich have always enjoyed more personal freedoms than the poor, simply because freedom has a price tag on it.
Those who have the money to hire expensive attorneys can buy their freedom as we witnessed in the O.
J.
Simpson trial.
The rich can also influence legislation and the interpretation and administration of the law to benefit their personal minority interests over that of the majority.
The fact is that freedom is neither accessible, nor affordable to everyone equally.
It is a commodity.
People cannot do what they want to do, which means they can't pursue life, liberty, and happiness just any old way they want.
Freedom really doesn't exist in America today for the average individual.
Here is why.
1.
You can't work at just any old job you choose.
Career choices are extremely limited these days.
There are millions of people who are compelled to work at jobs they don't like; not out of choice, but out of pure necessity.
They are forced into labor in order to live; in order to pay their bills, pay for their dwelling, to buy fuel, and to feed their families.
They don't really have a choice, and for many, they are lucky to even have a job.
In a free society, people should be able to choose how they make their living and not be forced to take whatever job they can get, but career choices are limited to those who can afford to qualify for the job.
The reality of living in America is that you need to take whatever job you can get and be glad for it, or you'll starve to death.
This is especially true during economic recessions like the one we are presently experiencing.
2.
The key to securing a good job has always been education, but even that doorway to opportunity is closing and not available to everyone equally.
Studies show that the high costs of higher education have shifted from the taxpayer to the student and family.
Higher education is a privilege, not a right, and only the privileged can afford to go on to college or a university on a self-pay basis.
Those who can get student loans often pay high interest and take decades to repay them in order to get ahead.
Unfortunately, the sad reality for many students these days is that after securing large student loans and completing degree programs, there are not enough good paying jobs available following graduation.
There really is no correlation between completing higher education and finding better employment opportunities.
The tragic lesson learned here is that the fundamental rights we were told we have with regard to selecting careers, finding good jobs, and living quality lives if we work hard, have disappeared.
The U.
S.
now has a much higher percentage of low-income workers than other developed nations.
3.
Even if you find a good job, when you enter the workplace today, you generally leave freedom at the doorstep.
The majority of employees are now hired on a temporary or part-time basis so companies can deny them rights and benefits.
Two people are often hired to fill one position.
Companies can monitor an employee's email, read their correspondence, monitor their Internet usage, log how long they spend in the restroom, and even track their movements on their cell phones.
Personal privacy and expression no longer exist in most workplaces.
Jobs can be lost for expressing political opinions, speaking out about company policies, labor unions, or even voicing concerns about safety issues.
Most companies require pre-employment drug screening, medical exams, background checks, credit history, previous employment contacts, and urine samples from ongoing impromptu testing programs.
Essentially American workers are at the mercy of their employers and have to take what they can get...
which in many cases, is little more than forced servitude.
4.
A lot of American workers have even lost their freedom to enjoy their time off.
An article in the Washington Times reported that Americans are working an average of eleven more hours per week compared to what they did in the 1970's, yet the average income for middle-income families has declined by 13% since that period...
thus people are working longer hours for less money.
5.
Most people these days are limited by their cash flow; by their transportation options, their educational background, and a growing number are tethered to their doctors and pharmacies through their prescription medications and health care requirements.
As a result, many individuals cannot travel on their own or access public transportaion or public buildings without assistance.
Personal freedom for most Americans is primarily a function of their income, financial assets, debts, age, race, religion, families, health, liabilities, obligations, and usually what is left over from their paychecks at the end of the month.
Personal freedom generally all boils down to a matter of money and indebtedness.
6.
Nowhere is our loss of freedom and liberty more apparent than it is in the banking and housing industries.
People can't just buy or build any old house these days to live in, without first getting a building permit, a mortgage, and permission from the neighbors.
Where you live, and how you live, is typically regulated by your community and must meet certain standards for appearance, value, and safety first.
Home buyers are required to put down a large down payment and finance their home by paying two to three times what it is worth; which is the equivalent of indentured servitude for generally a term of fifteen or thirty years.
Any homeowner who loses their home through foreclosure is often restricted from purchasing another new home for at least ten years, not to mention all the other penalties and sanctions they face due to their destroyed credit rating.
This is why so many Americans have become slaves to their mortgages and banks.
7.
It's a rigged game.
In order to have a roof over your head, you have to play by their rules and most Americans are in no position to negotiate.
Beggars can't be choosers.
Banks control FICO, and other credit-scoring agencies, and have basically written the credit and lending laws through lobbyists and key banking figures placed into important government positions.
The credit reporting system, which supports and enforces the lending practices and regulations, imposes strict penalties on any consumers who defaults on their financial obligations.
Once a citizen has been branded with slow or bad credit through derogatory remarks placed on their credit report; that person usually has to pay much higher interest rates, or is blocked altogether from making certain purchases such as new cars, houses, and certain medical care or procedures.
They may even be restricted from some employment opportunities.
Being in debt is equivalent to being a wage slave owned by one's creditors; which are usually large banks.
Indebtedness for shelter and transportation have become basic necessities, and for many, the choices are limited, and the ability to pay for them is tenuous.
8.
Credit card companies, also owned by large banks, are responsible for enabling Americans to overspend their incomes and dig themselves deep into financial debt.
By making just minimum payments, the consumer will be forced into trading their time for money for many years in order to pay off their loans.
This is a form of economic slavery and may seem voluntary, but it is driven by constant advertising pressure that takes unfair advantage of the ignorant, and the naive, by capitalizing on their impulse buying habits, their immature need for instant gratification, and mostly on their greed.
Many companies target and exploit gullable college kids in particular anticipating their parents will bail them out of their debt.
Consumer debt forces more people into the workforce to payoff their obligations, which is only right and fair, however, forced labor is still a form of involuntary servitude.
You owe, you owe, so off to work you go.
9.
Following 911, the implementation of the Homeland Security Act cost Americans many of their individual rights.
Government surveillance and intrusion has never been greater.
The government can now ease-drop into your personal telephone conversations without warrants, or place bugs without your knowledge or permission to listen in on you.
It can monitor your bank accounts and your spending habits, question your neighbors, and keep files on you.
The government requires you to disclose all your personal financial information to the Internal Revenue Service, which can be used against you in court if necessary.
You are required to provide several copies of your recent tax returns before you are eligible to purchase a new home or to qualify for some jobs.
Your private credit information can be accessed by almost any business, and it is used against you to establish payment options, interest rates, and terms on consumer loans.
Banks are required to disclose their privacy rules, which essentially authorize them to disclose your personal financial information to certain third parties.
A bad credit history restricts your options to purchase goods and services on credit for many years.
Ben Franklin once said, "Neither a borrower nor a lender be.
" How far has society strayed from that advice? Freedom today is clearly a function of money.
10.
Forget about personal privacy these days; it doesn't really exist anymore.
Once considered an essential right, Americans now sacrifice it every day when they use the Internet.
The CEOs of Google and Facebook have each said the age of privacy has ended, so get over it.
Every time you visit websites, your surfing habits are tracked by cookies to determine what interests you so companies can send appropriate advertising to you.
Internet companies can sell your personal data for profit.
Apple iPhones were made to track and store their owner's physical movements.
The government routinely accesses corporate data like this, many times without subpoenas, to spy on citizens.
Many corporations voluntarily allow the government to use their data and technology for this purpose.
There are many government and private spy satellites similar to Google Earth, as well as unmanned drones, that have strong resolutions and are used by law enforcement to track citizen movements on a regular basis.
Did you know your computer files are open to investigation and the information on your hard drives could be used against you in court if it becomes necessary? If you have a WiFi router for your computer, even your neighbors can pick up your messages on their laptops and access the Internet through your connection.
The walls have ears, and who knows, maybe your television is watching you? I know your telephone and cell phone give up your secrets on a regular basis.
11.
People are no longer free to just go wherever they want either.
Most driver's licenses require finger printing, a photo, and your personal data is entered into a national database for law enforcement purposes.
There is a good chance the government knows more about you from the information they collect than your own mother does, or even you know about yourself.
12.
The right to life, and the freedom to live, are even disappearing in this country.
When it comes to infant mortality, the United States has been ranked 49th in the world.
Infant mortality for African-Americans is 2.
5 times greater than that of Caucasians.
Lower-income families, regardless of their ethnicity, suffer greater infant mortality rates than their affluent counterparts.
13.
To insurance companies, your right to life doesn't mean you have a right to health care.
If you can't afford certain medical procedures or medications, you can be turned down by care providers, and you may die.
You do still have the right to die, but only if you have not designated full code services in a living will; in which case, hospitals are directed to keep you alive as long as possible through artificial means at any cost, or at least until your bank account is empty.
If you designate a "Do Not Resuscitate" order in your living will, then you will be allowed to die without interference.
However, in the meantime, you do not have the right to die through suicide, unless you live in a state such as Oregon, that has already sanctioned voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide.
If you really wish to witness the evaporation of your individual rights, just wait until you are admitted to a hospital or nursing home.
Upon admittance, your constitutional rights disappear altogether and a group of medical strangers dictate what your choices are and your quality of life once you are firmly within their grip.
14.
People are no longer free to even select the kinds of foods they eat, or to know exactly what is in their food choices.
Companies who genetically alter foods don't have to print labels to inform consumers what they have done to change molecules in certain foods.
The hormones added to beef and chicken to promote rapid growth may also be causing an obesity epidemic and premature puberty in young people.
While companies scramble to patent seeds and food additives, most Americans remain unaware of the dire implications and consequences of having greedy private corporations control any segment of the food chain, especially when profit motives tend to override basic human rights.
15.
We have also lost the freedom of being informed citizens by the media, and along with it, any trust in what is reported to us by news broadcasters and the press.
Bill Moyers said that in 1984, the number of companies that owned controlling interest in major media corporations was around 50, and today it is down to 6.
Only a few companies now control what is published and disseminated as news in the U.
S.
, which directly shapes our perception of current events.
The media, when controlled by so few corporations, has the ability and power to collaborate to define our reality by selecting what news they report, which is a little too Orwellian for most of us.
16.
The biggest threat to our personal freedom in this country is Congress.
The members of both the House and Senate seem to represent special interest groups and large corporations rather than their electorate.
There is so much corruption on so many levels.
Most Americans want tighter control and accountability on U.
S.
banks, but Congress continually subsidizes their bad business decisions and actually rewards them at the expense of the taxpayers.
Citizens want higher taxes for the rich, but instead it gives them tax breaks.
Our nation continues to pursue policies that benefit the most unpopular institutions in the country: large corporations, HMOs, and Wall Street banks.
Many Congressmen have forgotten who they are supposed to serve and seem more interested in courting the favor of companies and lobbyists who might benefit them once their terms are complete.
Is it any wonder that we are losing our personal freedoms? But wait, I almost forgot...
freedom in America is just a myth isn't it, so how can we lose something that doesn't exist anymore? Think about it.