Liberty Drip

In Florida, our preferred grocery store chain is Publix, "Where Shopping is a Pleasure." The stores have always been bright, clean, and well-stocked. The employees were always friendly and helpful. They smiled when you spoke to them. They cared... these people are a memory.  Publix was the last best hope for people like myself, who worked in customer contact positions all their lives and were trained to treat customers well, to underpromise and overdeliver. We were trained to be good to our customers, or we were shown the door. I miss those days. I miss walking into a place of business and not being treated like an inconvenience. I'm here to spend my money and help you keep your job so you can have money, too. Don't be so ungrateful about it. I was aware of a steady, subtle decline in the quality of not only Publix's service, but the quality of their products, too. I was prompted to sit down and write this because the half & half I bought from Publix not a wee...

We all want to be heroes. I can remember being a kid and imagining I was Batman or Spiderman. Even at this age, I dream of being brave and strong and indestructible. The thing is, even if I was those things, that wouldn't make me a hero. There was a time when being a hero meant something. It wasn't too long ago. But the title means little now. Everyone is a hero. All you have to do is donate blood or wear a mask or rat out a neighbor who is barbecuing without a permit or not wearing a mask. A few months ago, I was ratted out at my local grocery store for not wearing a mask. Did the person who ran to the manager to snitch on me earn the title of Hero? Of course not. There was no risk and no good deed was performed. All there was, was an individual who wants to feel good about himself pointing a finger at someone who wasn't marching along with the parade. Years ago, it was recycling that made you a hero. Commercials make heroes out of moms who make a sandwich for their kids. ...

I arrived at the airport in Bozeman, Montana. I check in. I go through security and the surgical metal in my right knee gets picked up by the machine. A man touches me. I’m part of a group of eighteen travelers, thirteen of which are teenagers, two of which are my daughters. I am not wearing shoes. I turn and a female TSA agent is about to touch my daughter. I rush up to make my presence known. My daughter is fourteen years old. We move on to the next indignity. I am called aside. They ask questions about my wife’s carry-on. There are a lot of things in there. Are they all mine? No, they are for five of the people in the party.  The guard is particularly focused on a small jar of huckleberry jam. (Yes, huckleberry is a real thing and it is delicious.) It’s wrapped tight in bubble wrap and she can’t get it open. I tell her to use the scissors if she has to. She does. Sure enough, huckleberry. I videoed the violation of my privacy. I repack my bags. I am in a bad mood and I still hav...

MAY 23, 2020: I began to write this piece and never finished. Full disclosure: I work at home. My business has been affected by the illegal government shutdown of “non-essential” businesses, but I am still getting by. My wife is apparently an essential person, too. She is working from home as well. Our income has taken a pretty severe hit. We’re losing about sixty percent of our income. Our daughter, who worked her tail off to graduate high school a year early, has been denied her prom and her senior class trip. She is lonely and distanced from her friends. This is harder for all of us because she will be leaving for college in the fall.  Our government’s severe overreaction to the Coronavirus has resulted in a 26% unemployment rate. What is this doing for the mental health of the people who were struggling to get by? How many people will commit suicide when their economic situation becomes unbearable? How many already have? How many marriages will crack under the strain? Any stat...

A family is playing basketball in their front yard. Someone reports this to the police. The police break up the game and send them inside. *** A couple in New York are sitting outside enjoying fresh air, or as fresh as one can find in a big city. The police make them sit six feet apart. Never mind that they live together. *** In Texas, a woman was fined and arrested for opening the doors of her beauty salon. *** In New Jersey, a man was arrested for going to the gym. *** The government has implemented a new category for discrimination. Essential vs. non-essential employees. Tell the family that can’t pay its bills that they are not essential. Better yet, don’t. The government has already told them. No sense rubbing it in. *** I am out running errands and my daughter calls. It’s about 8:30PM on a Wednesday. She tells me there’s something happening at Joe’s house. Cops, fire rescue, chaos. Joe is our neighbor. Joe is a sick man. He is a hoarder. His yard is entirely filled with all sort...

G i v in g M e L i b e r t y D oes N ot G i v e Y o u D e a t h A L i b e r t a r i a n Vi e w f r o m t h e CO V ID F o x h o le Th e r e c ent no v el  C o r on a v ir u s ou t b r eak h as p r omp t e d a v a r iety o f r e s pon ses f r o m ou r f ede r al, s ta t e a n d l oc al g o v e r nm en t s t h at con fr on t pers on al li b e r ty. E m e rg en c y po li c y iss u es h a v e i nc l ud ed t h e m a r s h ali n g a n d coo r d i n at i o n o f h ealth c a r e wo r ke r s a n d m ed i c al r e s ou r c e s , r e s tri c ti o n s o n p r i v at e - se c t o r bu si n e s s a c tiv i ty a n d t h e mo v e m ent o f c it i zens, a n d t h e f i n a nc i n g a n d i m p le m en t a ti o n o f ec o nom i c r elie f . Go v e r nm en t s w e r e i n it i ally o v e r wh el m ed, u nd e r sta nd a b ly, b y t h e n eed f o r u rg ent a n d e f f e c tive a c ti o n o n a s c ale n e v er b e f o ...