Introduction
The Economic Means to Freedom is one among many strategies that any individual could follow to expand freedom. Nothing in this article should be regarded as a suggestion that other freedom strategies should be changed or abandoned.

I do, however, encourage those looking for better, more workable, and more profitable strategies, to consider the Economic Means to Freedom.

Three important factors make the Economic Means to Freedom attractive:

1. The actions you take are under your control and theoutcome of your actions -- the results you produce -- for the most part depend on your own actions.

2. The results can be quick, so you don't have to wait for years and years before enjoying the benefits that result from your actions.

3. Your actions can become profitable fairly quickly. This may enable you to spend more time on profitable freedom-expanding actions. It may even enable you to devote all your working time to promoting freedom in profitable ways.

This is the first of a series of articles on the Economic Means to Freedom. Click here for additional articles.

Disclaimer: This article constitutes the dissemination of information in accordance with the right to free speech. Nothing in this article is to be interpreted as legal, accounting, tax, currency, banking, or investment advice. Anyone seeking such advice should consult a properly qualified and accredited professional. All readers of this article are emphatically advised to obey all laws on Earth and in the Universe to the letter.

Principles of the Economic Means to Freedom
Probably, about 20 important principles of the Economic Means to Freedom can be dentified. This article covers a few. Other principles will be described in the rest of this series.

This article is mostly theory. Future articles will cover some of the specific steps you may be able to take to embark upon practicing the Economic Means to Freedom. This article does suggest a few steps to start with -- such as finding out more about the free-enterprise institutions mentioned below (by utilizing them you may be able to implement some aspects of the Economic Means to Freedom), and subscribing to the Advanced Freedom Solutions Mailing List -- click here to subscribe.

The Opportunity Gap
As a professional consultant I've worked with computers for many years. I've also done some thinking about why Microsoft has been so successful. Why did it overtake IBM in terms of market valuation some years ago?

Microsoft basically sells software programs to make computers more efficient and effective and easier to use. We could call Microsoft's programs "computer success programs." At the time Microsoft was created its potential could have been measured by the difference between how successful computers were at that time compared to how successful they could become. There was a gap between what was and what could be. This gap represents potential. By utilizing this gap of potential, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and some of his associates became billionaires and top the list of the richest people in the world.

The "gap of potential" can also be called an "opportunity gap." In human affairs there is also a gap between what is and what could be. We suffer from "human failure programs" or "HFPs" (like coercive political systems!) that tend to keep many of us stuck at a low level -- if we allow them to! The gap between what is and what could or should be represents potential -- the opportunity gap. In human affairs generally, this potential is considerably greater than the potential that enabled Bill Gates to become the richest man in the world.

So, the first thing to appreciate is that there is this huge potential of the opportunity gap. Provide people with the means to bridge the opportunity gap, i.e., shift from where they are to where they should or could be, is the essence of the Economic Means to Freedom.

Of course, with a computer it's easy to delete an old program and install a new one. With humans it's much more difficult. We tend to love and identify with our programs (some obsolete), even if they no longer work very well.

Notice that it's largely because of the terrocrats (terrocrat = coercive political agent or terrorist bureaucrat) that we have the opportunity to take advantage of such an enormous opportunity gap. Through coercive control of "education" and other means, they load people with human failure programs (HFPs) -- such as "obedience to authority." In the absence of coercive political systems, there would be far less holding people down, and the opportunity gap would be considerably smaller!

Also notice that as terrocrats become more onerous and oppressive with their "laws and regulations," "taxes," property seizures, etc., the more they tend to expand the opportunity gap!

Example of Economic Means to Freedom
As an outstanding example of someone practicing the Economic Means to Freedom, a businessman bought a subset of the materials now available at BuildFreedom.com in 1993. At the time his company had assets of $286,000. Now, four years later his company's assets are worth about $40,000,000! Through various stages of growth and metamorphoses and a reverse takeover/merger, this company is now listed on Nasdaq. When all the reverse takeover/ merger transactions are completed, I guesstimate about 90% of the company's shares will be owned by freedom lovers. (The name of the company is available upon request. This is emphatically not advice for or against investing in this company.)

Note: All the information referred to above is available to you free of charge for personal use from our website: BuildFreedom.com. (We are supported by the business opportunities we promote which enables us to provide all our information free of charge.)

Three Economic Sectors
The second important thing to realize is that we can usefully distinguish three economic sectors: (1) public; (2) private; (3) free enterprise. The "public" sector is the terrocrat sector. The "private" sector consists mostly of people who kowtow to the terrocrats and/or are in cahoots with them in various ways. They pay "taxes" to support the terrocrats, they obey their "regulations," and they often beg for special favors like "tariff protection." The free-enterprise sector is also called "the underground economy," "black economy," or "unrecorded economy."

By "free enterprise" I mean an economic system characterized by (1) property ownership; and (2) voluntary exchange. In a free-enterprise system there are no "taxes" and no coercive terrocrat "regulations"; no one initiates force, fraud, or the threat of force to overwhelm the will of another; people are free to do whatever they like, provided they don't violate the rights of others -- basically the right to own property and to engage in voluntary exchange. Free enterprise is a "human success program" or "HSP." Coercion can be an HSP for those administering the coercion and some who benefit from the coercion, but is an HFP or human failure program for everyone else.

The greatest potential for providing people with the means to elevate themselves (in all respects) is in the free- enterprise sector, because this is where we enjoy the greatest freedom. One perspective of freedom is that it represents the range of positive options available to you. If you can find ways to operate with reasonable safety in the free-enterprise sector, you enjoy competitive advantages: no or few "taxes," no or few "regulations." (For most people it's not yet feasible to completely escape from the terrocrat and private sectors -- e.g., when I put gas in my car, I pay some taxes.)

The Internet makes it easier to shift assets, earnings, and economic activities into the free-enterprise sector. Of course, the Internet itself constitutes an enormous expansion of the free-enterprise sector.

Free-Enterprise Institutions
The third principle of the Economic Means to Freedom is the creation of free-enterprise institutions in areas like secure communication, currencies, banking, barter, investment, raising capital (free-enterprise share exchanges), etc. These institutions will make it easier to shift assets, earnings, and economic activities into the free-enterprise sector. Some examples:

Anthony L. Hargis & Co., 17220 Newhope St. #201, Fountain Valley, California [92708]; Tel. (714) 957-1375. Banking -- gold and dollar accounts; free-enterprise share exchange.

Natural Coin Exchange, 33838 SE Kelso Road, #2, PO Box 569, Boring, Oregon 97009; Tel. (503) 668-4941. Banking -- gold, silver, and dollar accounts.

Gold & Silver Reserve, Inc (E-gold). Accounts in gold, silver, platinum, and palladium.

Much more information on monetary and banking freedom can be found in an article called 'The Future of Money' at the Free-Market.Net website. I invite everyone interested in furthering the Economic Means to Freedom to help create and/or expand these and similar free-enterprise institutions.

A major consideration is that if you're stuck in the "official" systems and they collapse, you may be in such a hopeless situation that your very physical survival becomes a problem. Should such a collapse occur, you'll be much better off if you've been using alternative systems for some time, and you've got at least some of your assets in them.

Benefits of the Economic Means to Freedom
If you're an ardent freedom lover, and you live "in the system," obeying terrocrats and supporting them by paying "taxes," then you're living contrary to your philosophy -- some would even say you're being a traitor to your own philosophy. I have no intention here to make anyone wrong. I admit to paying certain "taxes" because I calculate that to be the least evil. In this regard I choose to be a traitor to my own philosophy.

We can think of a scale, spectrum, or continuum. At one extreme is being totally "in the system"; at the other extreme is being totally "outside the system." Each individual can calculate where on the scale he or she derives maximum benefit. And, of course, your life and affairs can be compartmentalized so certain assets and activities are "in the system,"and others are "outside the system."

Practicing the Economic Means to Freedom enables you to focus on doing things you can control. In contrast to political strategies, your results don't depend on some terrocrats "changing the law" or a few million voters changing their minds. I'm not suggesting that anyone drop political strategies. I am suggesting that some people will be more successful, and more satisfied with the results they produce, and personally benefit more from those results more quickly, if they practice the Economic Means to Freedom.

Provided you can become successful in the free-enterprise sector, the benefits can be quick and significant. For starters, if you successfully exit a "tax system," it may be the equivalent of giving yourself a 25-35% pay raise!

By the way, my experience has been that in all the places I've lived during the past 25 years, I have found people in the private sector willing to pay someone like myself in the free-enterprise sector without any problems. It may involve registering your own company or setting up a trust. I've literally had no problems -- even with a giant American multinational company -- to set up the arrangements such that I operate in the free-enterprise sector. In fact, it's often beneficial to the company because it relieves them of obligations like withholding, a lot of admin, and they can easily get rid of me whenever they want to.

I find the sense of living free and prospering exhilarating! I have a strong "beat-the-system" streak and I certainly enjoy not having to kowtow to terrocrats -- and for more than two decades, never having even one penny "deducted" or "withheld" from my earnings!

Of course, there are risks involved. You have to be more careful what you say and do. You have to guard your back. For those who are risk-averse, the Economic Means to Freedom may be inappropriate. Possibly, you should follow other freedom strategies.

On the other hand, operating "outside the system" tends to reduce certain risks. People "in the system" report all kinds of information about themselves to the terrocrats. They are also reported on by their "employers," insurance companies, stock brokers, doctors, etc. So if you're "in the system," terrocrats tend to have lots of information they can use against you. In contrast, terrocrats often have very little information concerning people "outside the system."

What to Do Next
So, if you want to live in accordance with your philosophy of freedom -- living free and prospering -- even make a fortune! -- then I suggest you seriously consider the Economic Means to Freedom.

As a starting point I suggest you subscribe to the Free World Order list and the Advanced Freedom Solutions list, and explore with others the best ways to implement the Economic Means to Freedom.

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