You know, back when you were in like 5th grade you learned all those songs about America? About how America was the land of the free from sea to shining sea and stuff like that. They always capitalized on the land of the free. They made sure you grew up knowing that you were the most fortunate kids in the world, because you had all the freedoms in the world.
Well, that was true when you were young, when the only rules you really had to mind were the ones your pesky parents made up. Then you get older.
Now I was a cultured young kid, I knew about other cultures and such, and I was well aware that there were a lot of places in the world that were a lot worse off. Americans really do live the high life, all of us. So I still bought into that 'land of the free' stuff they always drilled into our heads, and thought that this was a free country.
Then I learned about property tax.
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My mama's grandpa (or great-grandpa) built a little cabin on a lake in nowhere, Maine many years ago. Built it with his own two hands. Made his own little self-sufficient cabin (not using government provided power or water sources and such) and that's where the family takes turns vacationing. I discovered that the adults of the family have to split up the bills for the place so we can keep going there.
I said "What bills?"
Mama said: "the property tax, of course."
I said "So the government owns the land?" She nodded.
I said "How?"
I realized the family would be paying for that cabin until the day it is gone only because it is on a piece of land that the government somehow think it owns.
There seems to be no way out. It's illegal to live in your car, or on the side of a road, or in an abandoned place that no one else is living in. You have to live in a house, and you have to pay the government to live there or else it's illegal.
THIS SHIT SUCKS2 by ~Aeris144 on deviantART
"So you call this your free country, tell me why it costs so much to live?" - 3 Doors Down
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