Now that the House has passed the health care bill, though it still needs Obama's signature to become law, it seems like the time to review what to do about it. We are fairly far down the road to serfdom, one we have been walking for over a century. It's not like state control of our lives is a new thing. People are not going to suddenly get better because the government runs everything (as opposed to just regulating it...), nor are they going to magically get sick and die. For most of us, the changes will come slowly and without notice. So option number one is:

Do Nothing
Bureaucracy being as ineffective as it is, it will take time to implement any of the legislation, accompanying regulations, agencies, and enforcement. It might be years before everyone finally figures out what it all means and how to comply with it, and it will happen slowly, giving people time to adjust. That's not intentional, but bureaucracy retards progress, and people are used to bureaucracies doing stupid things anyways, so a new set of random regulations and procedures aren't going to phase anybody.

Most of us will simply accept things as they are, and keep our heads down, hoping that we never become the target of the government's ire. It's a very practical mentality. The government is extremely powerful and not required to play by its own rules. Challenging it on your own is a loosing strategy. Most people will assume it's not that bad, and hope and wait for sanity and common sense to return to D.C.

Only we've been slowly shedding our freedoms for several generations now. Something most people haven't really noticed because we've been gaining material wealth much faster. But we've reached the point where our material wealth is going to stop growing and start shrinking. And then we'll realize we have neither the freedom nor the power to go create all that wealth. All the while some faceless government bureaucracy adds more and more regulations and laws on how we work, and play, and build, and consume. So we could always:

Switch Sides
The best place to be in a statist regime is high up in the government apparatus. The laws don't apply, you get more of the wealth, such people will generally see no change at all in their lives due to the all consuming power of the state. The point of taking over everything is reap the benefits of controlling everything.

In America at least, media elites also fall in this category, being more an informal branch of government than an independent organization (the Department of Propaganda, to be specific).

Of course, for us on the right, we wouldn't be able to maintain our principles. Or reason. Or common sense. So if we don't want to sell our souls, we could:

Fight
Open rebellion is an option. One that our founding fathers ultimately picked against British (and for much less cause). I've not heard anybody seriously advocate revolt, but at this point, I think an armed revolt that completely replaces our current government is the only way to regain our liberties. I wonder how much trouble I'll get in for saying that?

The problem with this approach is that if you loose, you die. And you cause all kinds of hell for everybody else on your way out. And give the government a solid excuse for taking away more of our freedoms.

A little insurrection looses. To beat something as powerful as the US government, you'd need a sizable portion of the population willing to fight and die for their freedom. More and better people than those willing to fight and kill to maintain the current regime. Nothing I've heard from the Tea Parties or the right wing blogosphere indicates that people are willing to fight and die for their beliefs. They're still trying to work within the system, all nice and legal. I've not even heard any serious calls for civil disobedience.

So if fighting is not an option, that leaves:

Flight
Our last option is simply to run away. Leave America and it's state run nightmare and go...somewhere. The list of places better than America is really short. I haven't put any entries on the list yet.

America's influence spreads across the world, but that influence is weakening, and it will get weaker, as socialism slowly eats up all our resources. So there should be places out there that don't have to follow America's lead.

Ideally, such a place would be strong and growing in Christianity. Christian morals and values are the foundation of liberty. From Christianity we get such ideals as hard work, taking responsibility for yourself, honesty, generosity.

Such a country should have the resources and industry to provide for it's people, to be self sufficient in the event of a global economic collapse. Basically have everything going for it that America had going for it for most of its history. Such a country may exist, but I don't know where it is, which makes it difficult to run away to it.

None of these options are very good. Perhaps instead of asking 'what should I do,' I should be asking a different question:

Why
Why do I need freedom? Not in the abstract sense, not in the 'what's best for society' sense. In the very personal sense, why do I need freedom? And I realize that I need freedom so I can choose to follow God. Or not. Everything hinges on that choice. I choose to follow God, and His son, Jesus. That is not a choice anybody can make for me, and it is not a choice anybody can prevent me from making. At best, they can hide that the choice needs to be made.

But having already made my decision, having already declared my faith in the LORD, what can any power on earth do? Persecute me? Imprison me? Kill me? Such things are hard to stand, but they are nothing compared to eternal life with the Father.

But now I am truly free. It does not matter if our government takes over every aspect of our lives. It does not matter if I am a citizen or a serf. I have the freedom to follow God, to try and live a righteous life. I can be honest, though it cost me. I can be generous, though I have nothing. I can love, though I am hated for it. What freedom I need no force can take away. The real question is will I exercise that freedom, even unto death, or will I cower and submit, and take the easy way out?

I do not need to flee what my country is becoming. I do not need to rebel against the government. I do not need to give in to progressivism. I need to be the best man I can be. That is an option that is infinitely more difficult than any of the others. But if I can do that, then I have done all I can to fight for freedom.