Your Own Government is the Most Dangerous Threat to Your Freedom
In the movie, Enemy of the State, Will Smith’s character inadvertently becomes an enemy of the state. In the movie, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nowadays it’s easier than ever to become an enemy of the state.
There’s always speculation in the media about dangerous enemies abroad. Russia and China are the enemies of the day. But the most dangerous enemy for you is likely to be closer to home. The chances of Russia or China causing you serious harm are close to zero. The odds of your own government destroying your life are much higher.
This happens to thousands of people every day. The government is full of bureaucrats dedicated to making your life a misery. They can look at your bank accounts for ‘unusual’ transactions. They can search your home and office. They can arrest you and put you in a cage. They can stop you from travelling. They can take your children away. They can take all your money and assets.
These things happen every day. We all think it’ll ever happen to us. But the fact is that anyone with wealth is at risk. There are parasites out there who will gleefully separate you from your assets.
Let’s look at a few strategies for getting the government out of your life.
Don’t Live in any One Country
Governments tend to look at citizens as farm animals. As long as the animals stay on the farm they have the illusion of freedom. The truth is the farmer can do whatever he wants with them. They’re totally under his control. The farm animals are treated well. Right up until they’re sent for slaughter.
By diversifying where you live you’ll never be under the control of any one government. If life becomes intolerable in one plave, simply move on to your residence in another country. You’ll already be set up with somewhere to live and the right documents to enable you to stay there permanently.
The concept of the perpetual traveller was popular at one time. Now we have digital nomads. It’s possible to roam the world, staying only a few months in each place without papers. But it’s best to have a legal residence in another location to make sure you can live there permanently should the need arise.
Keep Your Money in a Different Country to Where You Live
If you can’t move yourself out of the country you live, at least move your money. You’ll be much less vulnerable if you have a stash of money outside your home country. If you become an enemy of the state it’ll be more difficult for the government to freeze your bank accounts outside their own jurisdiction. You’ll never be left with no money to pay your bills.
Never Break the Law or Draw Attention to Yourself in the Country You Live
The world’s a big place. You can almost always find a country to do what you want to do legally. There’s no point in drawing attention to yourself by breaking petty laws. Best to get along with everybody where you live. Keep a low profile and off the radar of the state.
Do Business in a Different Country to Where You Live and Bank
This is fundamental. Avoid becoming an enemy of the state by using flag theory to separate your activities.
It’s easier than ever nowadays to live in one country and do business in another. You can, for example, be living in Colombia while your business is in the US. You can take advantage of having a US income and a Colombian cost of living. You’ll also be protecting yourself by doing business outside the country where you live.
Don’t Live in the Country of Your Citizenship
The country of your citizenship can be the most hazardous place for you to live. Your government asserts ownership rights on its citizens. They can take away your passport and keep you there indefinitely. The US can refuse to renew passports if a citizen’s accused of owing more than $50k in taxes. Those with tax debts have effectively been declared an enemy of the state. It’s becoming more common for citizenship to be used as a tool to control people. Remove this power from your government by living someplace else.
Don’t Keep Assets in Your Own Name
You should aim to own nothing and control everything. Nobody can come after assets that you don’t own. Set up a foundation or a trust to own your assets. Nobody can be the legal owner of a trust or a foundation. You can put mechanisms in place to control everything until you die. But you can quite legally say that you own nothing.
Tell No One Where You Sleep at Night
In an ideal world, the only person who should know where you sleep is the person you sleep with. Don’t use your actual address on government documents. Use a maildrop or rent a cheap place to use as an address for such things. Make sure that the only things you keep there are things you don’t mind being found. A decoy address can be an excellent insurance policy.
Use Maildrops for Privacy
Maildrops can be useful to hide your actual address. Anytime your asked for a physical address just use the maildrop address. This stops your real address appearing on any databases. This is a cheap and effective method to maintain your privacy.
Have an Early Warning System for Government Investigations
You’ll almost always know months or years in advance if the government’s investigating you. There will be seemingly innocuous letters from government departments. They’ll be getting in touch with your professional advisors. The tax authorities will be writing to you with unusual questions. Your bank accounts are unexpectedly closed down with no reason given. Learn to read the clues.
Some of the above may seem paranoid. But you’re better to be a year too early than a day too late. You never know when you’ll become a target of government. By taking all or some of the actions I’ve outlined above you can protect yourself from the worst. Even if you are unfortunate enough to become an enemy of the state.
