Who controls who you are?

Every day we are bombarded by messages to "be your own person", "be who you are", "don't follow the crowd", whatever - and those messages are more on the spot than 99% of those who propagate them realize.

Almost all Americans are not in charge of their own identity, and haven't been since the day they were born. When they were born, they received a birth certificate - only then did they have a name; only then were they a person - their identity was given to them by the government. Also issued at that time was a Social Security number.

Later they got a passport and a driver's license. And when they die, they are issued a death certificate - only the government can create a person, and only the government can destroy them.

It may sound like I'm about to don a tinfoil hat, but think about it - when have you used a form of identification not issued by the government, except to get a government form of identification? You never have. You are a creation of the government, and can be destroyed by the government. You haven't owned yourself since you were a few hours old.

You aren't your own person yet, but you can get a lot closer - by voting Libertarian.