The Authoritarian Stranglehold Over Our Lives

Two Books on Transcending This

“Do you believe in the freedom of individuals to determine their own futures and solve problems cooperatively working together, or do you believe that a powerful but benevolent government can and should rearrange outcomes and make things better?”

This question was posed by Matt Kibbe, New York Times bestselling author and president of Free the People, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting libertarian ideas. In his book entitled Don't Hurt People and Don't Take Their Stuff, Kibbe makes a stand for individual liberty and shows us what we must do to preserve our freedom. 

Recently, I had the opportunity to talk with a lovely couple from Winter Park, Florida about the current political climate in the Sunshine State. They were immediately forthcoming in their views about Republican Governor Ron DeSantis and his penchant for authoritarian edicts. “He and his GOP minions are ruining our state,” they decried. 

Many view DeSantis’ quest for authoritarian power as a residue of the Donald Trump era, one that led to deep questions about the meaning of freedom in America. DeSantis who has faced widespread criticism for his attacks on abortion, the LGBTQ community, and voting rights is up for reelection in Florida this year. It is widely anticipated that he will seek the GOP presidential nomination in 2024. 

DeSantis has been particularly persistent in his attacks on education in schools and "critical race theory,” the latter a discipline that seeks to understand how racism has shaped U.S. laws and its impact on the lives of non-white people. 

The governor, in fact, spearheaded the passage of Florida’s “Stop WORK Act,” to combat what he calls “woke indoctrination” in Florida businesses and schools. The aim is to suppress and prohibit any and all forms of information and discussion that may make some parties feel responsible for historic wrongdoings because of their race, sex, or national origin. 

Supporters of the Act assert that critical race theory is discriminatory and that people should not be indoctrinated with the belief that some races or sexes are inherently oppressed or privileged. However, federal district judge Mark Walker recently issued a temporary halt to the Florida WOKE law provision that prohibits mandatory workplace training about race and sex saying:

“Normally, the First Amendment bars the state from burdening speech, while private actors may burden speech freely. But in Florida, the First Amendment apparently bars private actors from burdening speech, while the state may burden speech freely.”

Then there’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsome's own brand of authoritarianism for the State of California. Many in the state are now arguing that his overreaching pandemic shutdowns and extreme restrictive measures on businesses have led to a stranglehold on free enterprise and the economic prosperity within the Golden State. 

An example of this is the war being waged against the state’s independent contractors pursuant to AB5, a California law enacted in 2020 which has had a chilling effect on the relationship between independent contractors and their clients. The intent of the bill was to provide greater rights to gig workers by requiring companies to reclassify independent contractors as employees if certain conditions were met. However, the bill had some sobering consequences for creative freelancers in the state. 

For example, if I were a freelance writer in California, my submission of 35 articles to a single client would automatically deem me an employee. This law has drawn criticism and legal protest from a broad range of freelance creatives, who say that the law restricts their work freedom and livelihood. 

The Left and the Right: Two Sides of the Same Coin? 

Noted author and controversial figure Ayn Rand, if still alive, would have much to say about the totalitarian thinking that appears to be asserting a greater stranglehold on our lives. This narrative is one she is well acquainted with having grown up amidst the Russian revolution

It, in fact, was the theme of her first book We the Living  where she explores in fiction form “the supreme value of an individual life and the evil of a state that claims the right to take and sacrifice that life.” In Rand’s view the predominant theme of We the Living is: 

“The Individual Against the State” 

Rand believed that each individual has a moral right to live for their own sake and to pursue their own personal happiness. Although they each passionately want to live freely, the two major figures in the book, Kira and Leo, cannot due to statist directives that deem them as societal to be used as the state dictates. 

In the book’s introduction, noted Objectivist Leonard Peikoff a close associate of Ayn Rand, offered this: 

“The basic cause of totalitarianism is two ideas: men’s rejection of reason in favor of faith, and of self-interest in favor of self-sacrifice. If this is a society’s philosophical consensus, it will not be long before an all-powerful Leader rises up to direct the faith and sacrifice that everyone has been extolling. His subjects cannot resist his takeover, neither by exercising their faculty of thought nor their passion for values, because these are the two priceless possessions they have given up. The end result is thought control, starvation, and mass slaughter.” 

Similarly, Kibbe in his book Don't Hurt People and Don't Take Their Stuff presents a passionate argument that defends the principles upon which America was founded, principles shared by Americans across both sides of the political spectrum. He argues in his book that the “Constitution grants each American the right to self-determination, to be protected from others whose actions are destructive to their lives and property.” 

He persuasively demonstrates in his book how the political and corporate establishment, when left unchecked, infringes on the freedom of everyday people. From taxes to onerous regulations there continues to be a slow erosion of the ideas, codified into law, that represent the bedrock of American democracy 

Kibbe’s mantra is as follows: 

“Don't hurt people: Free people just want to be left alone, not hassled or harmed by someone else with an agenda or designs over their life and property. Don't take people's stuff: America's founders fought to ensure property rights and our individual right to the fruits of our labors.” 

In a concluding thought he offers this: 

“Take responsibility: Liberty takes responsibility. Don't sit around waiting for someone else to solve your problems. Work for it: For every action, there is an equal reaction. Work hard and you'll be rewarded. Mind your own business: Free people live and let live. Fight the power: Thanks to the Internet and the decentralization of knowledge, there are more opportunities than ever to take a stand against corrupt authority.”