Over the course of the past dozen or so years I have had the pleasure of rubbing shoulders with some of the more savvy free-market thinkers around. And during much of that time, my own formulative views of the word have tended to ebb and flow as I processed information from a variety of sources, most importantly my own real-life experiences.

One of those free-thinkers who had a big impact on me was Harry Browne. We all suffered a great loss when Harry passed away a few years ago, but his message of how people could obtain personal freedom in an unfree world is as powerful and relevant today as it was when Harry wrote the book on that in 1973.

It is very easy for all of us to become mesmerized by the blitzkrieg of information that seems to constantly invade our minds. It is so overpowering at times that, without proper discipline, one can find himself missing out on the joys of life and dwelling only in darkness. And that is not a healthy way to go through life. Harry understood that – better than most.

The only true commodity of scarcity is time. And the only time that truly matters is yours and mine. Each of us has an expiry date and what we do with our time between the two goal posts should be left to each person to determine in their personal pursuit of self-interest.

Now, obviously, there are some basic "rules to the road" that determine how people should interact in a functional civil society. Personally, Richard Maybury has done the best job I know of reducing it down to a managable number – two. That's it, two simple natural laws that make it very easy for anyone to discipline himself before taking action. Here they are:

1) Do all you say you are going to do.

2) Do not encroach on other persons or their property.

That's it, folks. Two simple and easy to understand "rules" through which any person with an IQ above 50 should be able to navigate their way through life. The first law governs acts of contract and civil engagement, while the second deals with acts of a more criminal nature. But together, both cover the gammut of potentialities that we all face in our daily lives.

Understanding that self-interest and the pusuit of maximizing one's life does not conflict with either of these two natural laws is perhaps the first step in appreciating the power of a truly free society – one in which each person is his or her own master and determines how they wish to spend their time.

Today, for most people caught up in the daily struggle to maintain their heads above water, it is difficult to see how one can actually "break free" from a system that is anything but. And this was no different in 1973 when Harry wrote his bestselling book, How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World.

When we are born, we are born free. As we grow older and are shepparded through public schools and out into the work force, we begin to face the realities of a centralized society – one that continually tries to collectivize people's time under a life-long bond to the State. It is as if there are fields full of gallows with fresh nooses swaying gently in the winds of time awaiting the necks of all the fresh blood entering the workforce. The heads slip in and the serpent-like noose fastens itself – for life. And once a person succumbs to the pressure, they lose their abilty to think. For who has time to think when one's life (time) is constantly being robbed by a collectivist State?

The answer is YOU. You do not have to accept the burdens being levied upon your shoulders by the "time-taxing" power elite and YOU CAN LIVE FREE. To do so is to remember that YOU WERE BORN FREE. It is your right to live free and die free, too. Your life is yours to live and as long as the two natural laws mentioned above are respected and adhered to, your right to spend your time as you choose is yours and yours alone. The question you may be asking now is: How do I break free?

One of the first things you must do is tune out the propaganda machine. Mainstream media is like poison to the brain. Fear, fear and more fear. It is an endless parade of fear-based dominant social themes designed to minimize your thinking existence and supplant it with a subservient "need" for the leadership of "wise leaders" who can solve these created crises.

The Internet has given many – who wish to see – a good look at the tactics utilized by those controlling the mainstream media. Alternative media outlets and free-market sites like LewRockwell.com, Mises.org and others are shattering many of the elite's fear-based promotions.

So why not free your time and your mind by just tuning it out? Shut it off. You have the power to do it – so use it. Besides, it is blatantly obvious propaganda that the PTB are peddling and thoroughly depressing – considering the way most people swallow it like cool water on a hot summer's day. But you, dear reader, aren't most people and you do not need to accept the glass of brain pollution.

On to the next thing you can do to free your time. Why not just accept the fact that the monetary system today is created on a platform of deceit? The US dollar, for example, like all fiat currencies, is only money because the elites have used their power over government to make it "legally so." But hold on a minute… let's take a minute and do a Maybury conscience check.

The US dollar is only legal because the State says it is so. Legal Tender Laws make it just. Or do they? Hmm, well, let's look at the first natural law – Do all you say you are going to do.

The US dollar is "managed" by the Federal Reserve who claims to be maintaining a strong dollar policy (lie #1) and keeping inflation under control (lie #2). Now, there are many other lies being told, including the bastardization of gold and silver as monetary instruments, but any person whose noose is permitting even a minimal amount of oxygen to get through can see the State and the Fed have been doing the exact opposite of what they say.

The monetary system was hijacked long ago and the elite have been running a fiat-money PONZI scheme ever since. You cannot create endless reams of money-out-of-thin-air and not devalue the existing circulating currency and create monetary inflation. It is a fraud.

Now, let's take a look at natural law number two – Do not encroach on other persons or their property.

Here again, the State and those who stand behind it have violated natural law. Every time the central bankers create new money it is devaluing the purchasing power of all existing currency in circulation. And it's the savers, the pensioners and the retirees whose nooses tighten most under this devious system of hidden taxation. If that is not an encroachment on both the person and the property of any person caught in the dollar-trap then I don't know what is. They fail on this conscience check, too – on many levels.

I could go on and on about how the State and the Fed violate both of the two Maybury conscience checks, but for the sake of brevity it is suffice to say that the current monetary system is a fraud and it is designed to keep your head in a noose and steal your time – life.

Anyone who thinks that money is evil should think again. It is evil that has taken control of the issuance of money. But money itself, as determined by the free market over thousands of years, is far from evil – it is necessary for the advancement of a specialized society where an increasing division of labour allows for the creation of ever more useful products and services to allow humans to maximize their time and improve living standards. The reverse is what we have now. You are being forced to work half your life for the "system." Is that not an encroachment?

Think about this for a minute. Let's assume the average person works for 40 years of their life and the average number of days worked per year is 220. If an average 8-hour workday is to be assumed, then a person spends approximetaly 70,400 hours of their life working. And the money power controlling the world's central banks who create money out of thin air by monetizing the State's ever increasing debt appetite expect you to pay them with 35,200 hours of your time/life!

Why put up with this life-tax? – Only to find out that all along, whatever paltry savings you've somehow been able to stash away are also being taxed by an even more insidious process of currency devaluation.

The system is rotten and thoroughly unfair. The Fed hands out trillions in bailouts – none of which loosens the pressure of your noose. Barack Obama and his puppet administration threaten more fear to cut off the social security checks to seniors, amongst other threats, if the debt ceiling isn't raised yet again. Can't you just see all of those unfortunate seniors squirming as they realize their lives have been stolen and the footboards are starting to creak?

It is very, very sad that America has come to this point – it is broke. To be more blunt, it was broken on purpose so that a global new world order can be hoisted – an international gallows, if you will.

Why not take your savings and future earnings and immediately transfer out of the dishonest monetary system and into honest money? You know, over the past three years alone, gold has risen in purchasing power approximately 50% against the US dollar. And this is all because the Internet Reformation is opening people's eyes and they do not like what they see. When they do, like you dear reader, many choose to live free from such a parasitic system and they employ human action by TRANSFERING OUT of the dishonest money and into honest money. It is happening all over the world – and this is one trend that is not based on greed so much as the justified fear and realization that the system is failing quickly and there is great danger of losing everything one owns.

So, much like tuning out the power elite's mainstream media machine, why not transfer out of their collapsing money game? It will greatly improve your oxygen flow.

Moving on to politics for a moment… Western democracy is an intellectually bankrupt concept in its current state. What we have today is regulatory democracy, an environment in which money power's corporate interests feed off the State and thus a mercantilist economy engulfs us all. Politicians are nothing more than talking mouthpieces for the elite. They are there to protect money power's interests – using force if necessary.

Let's perform the Maybury conscience check on arguably the world's leading political figure of our present day, Barack Obama. Believe me, this won't take long.

Barack Obama said he would introduce real change when he was campaigning for the presidency. He said he would improve America's relations around the world and steward a foreign policy that would usher in peace. America would be a beacon once again to all.

Sorry Barry, but on this one you get a major F. America's foreign policy has nothing to do with defending America's borders. It is offensive and imperialistic. Whether it is via above-board and visible conflicts or below board CIA tactical intrusions, America continues to act as the world's morality police – and all in the name of "democracy." Obama has done nothing he said he would do to improve America's relations around the world – not that we ever actually believed he could anyway; he is just an actor.

How about encroaching on people and their property? Well, here too Obama and his adminsitration, like George W. Bush's before, et al., fail miserably. Simply by inisting that Congress raise the debt ceiling once again he is destroying whatever value there is left in the US dollar and further eroding any possibility of the American economy moving forward in a healthy manner. Jobs will not be created, savings will be destroyed, familes will work more hours and generally give up more of their time/lives.

During the upcoming 2012 election cycle, it appears there is only one man deserving of an American "vote." That man, in my opinion, is the only truly honorable person in the race, Rep. Ron Paul.

Ron Paul, or "Dr. No" as he is often known, speaks the truth, which may not sound overly pleasant but is the truth nonetheless. Ron has been a lone voice amonsgt the tirade of propaganda, often being ridiculed by establishment politicians and media pundits. But time has proven that Dr. Paul has been right and that the ills of America cannot and will not be fixed simply by doing more of the same.

If for some reason Ron Paul doesn't win the Republican nomination, which the establishment will be working day and night to make sure doesn't happen, then perhaps he will run as an independent. If so, there is still hope for America, but only if people value their time enough to vote for someone who actually will bring about real change, not just talk about it.

Here is a recent speech, or should I say reality check, that Dr. Paul delivered to the "rest of the crowd" in Congress last week: Ron Paul, If Debt Is the Problem, Why Do You Want More of It?

The Internet Reformation is rolling forward – fueled by truth and understanding. People are waking up to the reality of a money elite controlled world and the gallows that have been erected to enslave them in misery, debt and taxation. People feel the oppressive tax burden that requires them to contribute 30 to 40 thousand hours of their life to a system that hands out trillions to bankers and corporate interests – both domestically and internationally.

It is up to each and every one of us to employ human action and realize that we are free, there are more of us than them and all we need to do is say "NO."

No more media manipulation. No more money magiacians. No more bought-and-paid-for establishment political parties. NO,NO, NO. And since the edifices errected by the elite to protect these holy grails of deceit are only given license to exist on the backs of you and me, it is up to us individually to realize that Maybury's two natural laws are being violated by evil and we should remain true to our knowledge of that. We can live free in an unfree world.