Fear Mongering For Liberty

            by KEVIN CZAR

            Fear
is a natural, necessary animal instinct.  It serves as an indicator, signaling
when we should snap into a state of extreme awareness.  When fear strikes,
time slows.  The state of fear struck me six separate times today.

            This
morning, I was driving to work when an old man drifted his truck into my lane.
 I awoke from my morning haze, slammed the brakes, he returned to his
lane, and I went about my day.  That was the first time, today, that I
felt fear, and it served me well.

            The second
time I had a scare was around noon.  I was reading the words of our
president.  He suggested that college tuition should be more affordable
for working class families.  I agreed, but then he said something
terrifying.  He proposed to fix the problem of high prices by making loans
cheaper.  His plan, in short, was to give student loans to however many
18-year-olds wanted them—at below the market price.

            Oh my goodness, I thought.  The
president of the most powerful country on Earth does not understand a
fundamental economic law.  If he stimulates the amount of college attendees
by essentially handing out money, the colleges will have no incentive to keep
their tuition down.  I was frightened, the commander and chief doesn't get
basic economics, and if he does comprehend it, then he is purposely inflating
the cost of tuition.

            That led
me to my third scare.  I started fretting about the debt crisis—yes, it is
a crisis.  $17 trillion in the hole?  $50,000 per citizen?  $150,000
for every tax payer?  My children and grandchildren should not be laboring
to pay off debt they did not induce.

            The
fourth time I felt fear, I got to thinking about my future.  After all, it
is uncertain, and mostly all decisions are inherently risks.  However, I
quickly remember I'm an individual in charge of my time, and there is peace in
that sense of control.

        The fifth time I felt fear
was around dinner time.  A stranger knocked aggressively at my door.
 I wasn't expecting anyone, but the knocks kept coming—again and again.
 I wondered if it was someone trying to cause trouble, so just in case, I
grabbed my weapon and hid it in my pocket.  Fear passed as I felt the
comfort of control.

        I asked who it was, and a
deep voice replied.  It was my neighbor, Stew.  Stew is a socially
awkward, seven foot former basketball player.  He was asking if I could
move my car to create space for a visitor of his.  I did so, and we went about our way.

        The last time I felt fear
was late at night.  My mind hung on the fact that most of today's politicians
do not obey the free market principles cherished by our founding fathers.
 I mean, think about it: Price fixing and indebting!  Forget the
economics for a moment—intuitively that is wrong.  That is un-American.
 We didn't sign up for this.

        The fear filled my veins as
I wondered if I was doing enough to protect my life, liberty and property as
the US Constitution was designed to help defend.  Adrenaline rushed as I
concluded, I wasn't doing enough.  George Washington and Thomas Jefferson
would be ashamed of me.  The fear of falling short was present, and it
signaled more awareness.

       My response was this.
 In hopes of connecting with someone who was also concerned, in hopes of
even making someone concerned who has until now been indifferent, I picked up a
pen and wrote these words.