Why You Should Stop Trusting the Government to Protect Your Property Rights

Hello, Earnest Mann here! In today’s episode, I’m unpacking a real-life conversation at my local watering hole about property rights, government accountability, and the illusion of representation. A frustrated neighbor couldn’t get help with someone dumping on his land, and I told him straight: the problem isn’t just the government’s inaction — government itself is the problem.

The Broken Social Contract: You’re Not a Citizen, You’re a Consumer

I lay out how we've transitioned from being citizens to consumers, and how corporate interests have replaced your voice in government. If you're still expecting your elected representatives to act in your favor, you're living in a fantasy that ended back in the Eisenhower administration. I use the famous JFK quote — in reverse — to show how our expectations have been flipped. Your senator doesn’t serve you; they serve whoever paid for their campaign. Usually, that's corporate lobbyists, not people like you or me.

Cold Truths from the Bar Stool: Politics, Power, and Brand Worship

I get real about how Americans defend corporate brands more fiercely than their own freedoms. Politicians are just middlemen for the highest bidder, and the idea that they’ll prioritize your family over corporate interests is laughable. This episode is your wake-up call — stop expecting the system to change for you when it's designed to profit off you.

I would like to meet - both online and in person - individuals interested in discussing ideas on what really needs to be changed, to improve the quality of our lives.

So if you have a suggestion for an episode topic, or simply want to reach out to me for help, you can reach me via my website's contact page - https://theearnestmannshow.com/aboutcontact - and I will get back to you ASAP.

I'm not promising miracles, but my advice is often a hell of a lot better - and certainly cheaper - than a therapist!.

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© 2020 - 26 The Earnest Mann Show

[0:00] I was at my local watering hole the

[0:02] other day having a beer and a guy

[0:04] sitting next to me asked, "What can you

[0:06] tell me about property rights?" "What's

[0:08] the issue?" I said, "The issue is my

[0:11] [ __ ] neighbor is dumping on my

[0:14] property and the government won't do

[0:16] anything about it." I said, "That's

[0:18] because the problem isn't that the

[0:19] government won't do anything about it.

[0:22] It's that government is the problem." He

[0:25] responded with, "Oh, so you're decided

[0:28] to be an [ __ ] by making fun of my

[0:31] situation."

[0:33] No, sir. Hadn't decided that at all. I

[0:36] was just quoting Ronald Reagan.

[0:48] Hello folks, my name is Ernest. Thank

[0:50] you for being here. You wouldn't believe

[0:54] how much I hear of this kind of thing,

[0:57] especially from people at my local

[1:00] watering hole because they know about my

[1:03] show and I have the unofficial title of

[1:06] Mr. Knowit All.

[1:09] They're joking, of course, but every now

[1:12] and then someone unfamiliar reaches out

[1:14] to me and will strike up a conversation

[1:17] about government, namely their

[1:20] dissatisfaction with it.

[1:22] Now, if you don't know this, perhaps you

[1:26] haven't listened to very many of my

[1:28] episodes, or perhaps you're tuning in

[1:31] for the first time. I'm not exactly what

[1:34] you might call the shy or withdrawn

[1:37] introverted type. If you show up

[1:40] knocking on my door unexpected, for

[1:42] example, especially if you wake me out

[1:46] of a sound sleep, I will spring open the

[1:49] door and ask you who you are and what

[1:52] the [ __ ] do you want? And that's when

[1:55] I'm being pleasant.

[1:58] On the other hand, you will typically

[2:00] see a much better side of me when I'm in

[2:04] my element at my local watering hole

[2:07] drinking beer and engaging in

[2:10] interesting conversation, which I could

[2:13] do a lot more of if some of you stingy

[2:17] bastards out there would actually go to

[2:20] my website and buy one of my damn tote

[2:23] bags.

[2:25] Because I happen to agree with the late

[2:27] great poet and writer Charles Bukowski

[2:30] that the best cheap booze in the world

[2:34] is the booze that someone else pays for.

[2:38] Just a brief message, if you've already

[2:40] subscribed, I very much thank you. And

[2:43] if you haven't, please consider doing so

[2:45] because if you're enjoying this episode

[2:48] by clicking on the subscribe button as

[2:51] well as the notification bell is how the

[2:54] channel grows. And do feel free to

[2:57] comment because I'm an actual person. No

[3:01] AI. I read, respond, and appreciate all.

[3:05] Now, back to the episode.

[3:08] So, getting back to the often nauseating

[3:12] topic of government, it really does

[3:14] amaze me how anyone in America in the

[3:19] actually has any expectation whatsoever

[3:23] that the government is in any way, shape

[3:26] or form here to actually do anything for

[3:30] them in any real caring capacity

[3:33] whatsoever.

[3:35] Going to the government hat in hand, for

[3:38] those of you old enough to know what

[3:40] that phrase means, is the equivalent of

[3:43] asking a longgone ex to [ __ ] you because

[3:48] you're extremely lonely just for old

[3:51] times sake.

[3:54] Actually, I admit I did totally do that

[3:57] once and it did actually work.

[4:01] But in all seriousness, if you are

[4:04] expecting any real functionality from

[4:07] the government, that [ __ ] basically

[4:09] ended in the Eisenhower administration.

[4:13] So you are very late for that party.

[4:16] Allow me to introduce you to the current

[4:20] reality.

[4:22] To put this as succinctly as I believe

[4:25] is possible,

[4:27] just take John F. Kennedy's famous

[4:35] and put it in reverse.

[4:38] The energy, the faith, the devotion

[4:41] which we bring to this endeavor, a light

[4:44] our country and all who serve it and the

[4:47] glow from that fire can truly light the

[4:50] world. And so, my fellow Americans, ask

[4:55] not what you can do for your country,

[4:58] but ask what your country can do for

[5:01] you.

[5:04] I simply cannot understand how so many

[5:07] people in America don't understand the

[5:10] current social contract between

[5:12] themselves and their representatives in

[5:16] the US government. I don't understand,

[5:19] for example, why the vast majority of

[5:22] folks out there still actually expect

[5:25] the senator or congressman they voted

[5:28] for and subsequently put into office to

[5:32] represent their interest in the issues

[5:35] that affect their life the most. when

[5:38] there is a multitude of much more

[5:42] important issues that corporate

[5:44] lobbyists have paid a tremendous amount

[5:48] of money for that obviously need to be

[5:52] addressed first. There is the undeniable

[5:55] fact that the vast majority of

[5:58] consumers,

[5:59] sorry, but I have to be technically

[6:02] correct. America has not really had

[6:06] citizens since the Eisenhower

[6:09] administration.

[6:11] totally identify not only with corporate

[6:14] branding, but will defend that brand at

[6:17] all cost and the government andor any

[6:22] other outdated social representation

[6:26] of individual rights and/or freedoms is

[6:30] not only inherently wrong, but should be

[6:34] avoided at all cost.

[6:37] I'd like to wrap this up. So, I'll just

[6:40] say this.

[6:42] I simply cannot understand why in any

[6:45] way, shape, or form after senators

[6:48] and/or congressmen are elected that

[6:51] there is any expectation whatsoever that

[6:54] they would act in the best interest of

[6:57] the population that elected them and not

[7:01] instead do what is completely

[7:03] predictable. act in the best interest of

[7:06] the corporations and the corporate

[7:09] lobbyists that bankrolled their election

[7:12] in the first place.

[7:15] Yep. I just can't wrap my head around

[7:17] that. I can't understand why you simply

[7:22] won't keep acting and voting against

[7:25] your own and famil family's best

[7:28] interest.

[7:30] All you have to do is keep your favorite

[7:33] politicians elected and on the corporate

[7:36] payroll. Is that so much to ask?

[7:41] In all humility, I simply ask, would you

[7:45] please stop expecting the government and

[7:48] your representatives to actually do

[7:52] anything in your interest whatsoever?

[7:57] Please,

[7:59] please.

[8:04] Until next time, this is Ernest and

[8:07] that's all I've got for today.