Six years ago, my wife and I moved from Minnesota to Idaho. I tell people that we moved to escape the oppression of the Democrat Farm Labor party (Minnesota’s version of the Democrat party). While we were happy to leave the state of Governor “Communism is Just Being Neighborly,” a bigger factor in our decision was to be closer to our grandchildren. Other than the color of our state on the electoral maps, we didn’t expect things to feel much different – we’re all free Americans after all. We were wrong. We had been living in a socialist bubble for so long, that we didn’t realize what freedom actually is.
In Minnesota we were required to have our septic tank pumped out every three years … and provide proof to the county. If we failed to get it done, the county would impose penalties. When we moved to Idaho, I figured I better find out quickly what the rules are here. I called the county and asked about the septic tank maintenance rules. They replied, “We don’t care what you do with your own septic tank, but if you’re stupid it’ll get expensive.”
Idaho doesn’t require me to have a permit to carry my firearm in public. The state also doesn’t require any specialized training or demonstration of proficiency, as Minnesota did. So long as Idahoans are adults, and haven’t demonstrated prior reckless behavior (i.e., haven’t been stupid and broken the law), they are free to carry the tools of self-defense. However, the right to carry is not absolution from the law. Failure to use a firearm responsibly, comes with consequences. The state just leaves it up to us to figure out what we need to be responsible.
My wife and I live on a small acreage outside the city limits, and I wondered if I could build a pistol range on our property. I called the Sherrif’s office to see if that would be legal, and his response was: “As long as you don’t do anything stupid. But if a stray round breaks a neighbor’s window, I’ll arrest you for being a moron – using the applicable state laws of course.”
State guidance on ATVs is that they can be driven on any roads but federal and state highways. However, cities and towns may have different restrictions. We live a few miles away from a small but rapidly growing town (population 11,000). I called the town’s tiny police department to see if I could legally drive my ATV in town. The friendly officer referred me to the town’s website which contains all its laws and statutes. Then he added, that his people had no intention of bothering any ATV riders who were behaving responsibly (i.e, not being stupid).
Just for grins, I decided to go to the town’s website and peruse the laws. I had planned to spend an hour or so scanning the titles to get a sense of any laws that might apply to me. I wound up reading every statute the city council has passed, since the town’s founding, in under 15 minutes! Most of it dealt with zoning and speed limits. It turns out our town government maintains order by simply expecting responsible behavior (again, not being stupid).
Years ago, the Idaho state legislature realized that things that seem like good ideas today, often turn out to be stupid tomorrow – its an unintended consequences problem. The legislature decided to make every state regulation expire annually, unless reauthorized. In most years, the legislature simply does a blanket reauthorization of everything – allowing even the stupid stuff to continue.
But something remarkable happened in 2019, just a month after our arrival in the state. Most of our representatives in the capital said, “enough.” The reauthorization bill failed to pass, and 8,200 pages of regulations expired on July 1, 2019.
The folks in the statehouse gave the governor authority to continue enforcing regulations on an interim basis, but instructed him to provide a rationale for each regulation he wanted to reauthorize by January of 2020. Then on April 11, 2019, the legislators told Governor Little, “see ya next January,” and adjourned (Idaho still has a part time legislature).
When January of 2020 rolled around, the Governor’s cost/benefit analysis had shown that there were a lot of regulations on the books that were counterproductive (government speak for stupid). The state of Idaho slashed 75 percent of its rules in one year, becoming the least regulated – hence most free – state in the union. Idaho is also one of the fastest growing states in the union. Is that maybe not a coincidence?
After observing Idaho government operations for a few years, I realized that “Don’t be stupid” is sort of its guiding principle. It’s really just another way of saying “common sense,” but with more cowboy orneriness. Then I had an epiphany. There’s a lot of wisdom in “don’t be stupid.” Its derivatives of personal responsibility and accountability, are the foundation of freedom.
To be free of excessive government control (oppression) requires accepting responsibility for our lives and the consequences of our actions. When people accept responsibility, and act smartly, very little government control is needed to maintain social order.
The alternative is to let the government manage our lives, requiring no personal responsibility and expecting no thoughtful consideration of actions; just obedience.
Perhaps that’s why the socialist wannabes find an ever-expanding government comforting. It will tell them what to eat, where to live, what to buy, what to say, and how to worship. With compliance they carry no responsibility, face no accountability, and suffer no consequences. It allows them to extend the carefree life of childhood into adulthood. If they’re willing to sacrifice their freedom, they never have to grow up.
Author Bio: John Green is a retired engineer and political refugee from Minnesota, now residing in Idaho. He spent his career designing complex defense systems, developing high performance organizations, and doing corporate strategic planning. He is a contributor to American Thinker, The American Spectator, and the American Free News Network. He can be reached at greenjeg@gmail.com.
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