Freedom?

Once I got home from the gym this morning I decided to surf the web for a motorcycle. I've put several hundred thousand miles on bikes since I got my first little KD100 dirt bike when I was about 12year old. I sold my last bike about 3 years ago, a nice 2002 GL1800ABS and have had this itch for a couple years now.
So back to the web, I found a beautiful 1998 HD Springer Softail. Oh man what memories came flooding through my mind. Young guy with a ratty bike some cash in my pocket and nothing to lose. Suddenly I had that leaky tent strapped to the back, bugs in the teeth. YES I'm FREE, FREEDOM.......really?

Oh wait I'm in North Dakota and that little square sticker on the little rectangular piece of sheet metal embossed with some numbers on the back of my bike is about to expire. The thugs demanding payment are a 1000 miles behind me. And I just know there is a local revenue collector with his gun in the next town. If he forces me to stop then demands to see that I've paid tribute to the thugs back east and I don't have them it's jail time for me or at the very least my only mode of transport will be my two feet.

Yep Freedom is just an illusion. I'm free to ride my bike only if I have paid all the taxes(called registration, excise fee, title fee, license fee, insurance fee, inspection fee) and have the little stickers and pieces of paper in the "proper" place.

Janis sang "Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose". In a way that's very true because if you defy the thugs and don't pay tribute you'll soon find out you don't really own much of anything.

Even my house, my castle, I can't just say NO I WILL NOT, JUST LEAVE ME ALONE! Because before long there will be a revenue collector with his gun standing before "my" home and selling(renting really because there is no ownership) it to some stranger.