We all talk about freedom. Freedom from tyranny, freedom from persecution or freedom from an oppressive government. By comparison, we live in a blessed and free world when viewed from the reference of Iran, North Korea, or even Saudi Arabia.

But what if we were confronted by freedom. Freedom like our Founding Fathers knew it. Free to keep your entire paycheck. Free to hunt, fish or boat without licenses, regulations or oversight. Free to marry without government permission. Free to live without the shackles of government.

But you would also be free from the many benefits brought by the government. Social security, medicare, medicade, public works and sanitation… Imagine keeping your entire paycheck, but paying for your own healthcare in full. Taking in your elderly family members who cannot work or afford to live on their own. Pay tolls for every road and highway (they have to pay for themselves now).

The only taxes would be sales tax and property tax, but those would be collected by the state. Customs and tariffs are the only taxes raised by the Federal Government. No standing armies (just the Navy and Marine Corps), no Homeland Security. The common defense would come from state-based militias armed with personal weapons. Personal property rights would be enforced by local elected officials. Crime would be dealt with truly by a jury of one’s peers. With no money for prisons, how much less crime would there be when crime could have the ultimate punishment?

Think how you would feed your family, clothe yourself or even pay for the everyday essentials. Imagine educating your own children or schools functioning only on what they could raise from local property taxes. Some schools would succeed more than others. Think on how we would need to participate in every aspect of our family’s lives.

Total freedom means a lot of responsibility!

Inch by inch, we Americans have shrugged off our responsibilities. Far easier to give up a foot of freedom than take on a foot of responsibility. Only, giving up that freedom was a one way ticket. If we want that freedom back we have to fight for it. We have to vote, shout, rail, even take up arms if all else fails.

Business would have no bailouts. Loans come from local bankers deciding if it is a money-making investment. No laws on discrimination or disclosure. A bank would decide if it is a smart loan without oversight or regulation. Smart banks thrive—foolish banks fail. Good businesses thrive—bad businesses fail. Some would make it big, some would fail. All would have a free-market equal chance.

If we would get sick, choices would be church or family. Doctors would be paid for services and do the best they could. Mistakes could happen. Good doctors succeed, poor doctors get run out of town. The sick or the indigent would rely on their family or the church. Could we help each other like that? Could we turn to God over Government? Can people accept the responsibility for themselves and their families to get back to these founding principles?

The biggest gift from God to our nation was freedom. Yet that freedom had two costs: responsibility and self governance. Imagine if we could be responsible once again? Imagine if we had the control to govern ourselves and accept the consequences when we couldn’t. The hard truth is that some will thrive while others will fail. This is the American Way, the trail of the American Dream.