If you don’t like the way the world works right now, don’t forget the difference just one person can make. Think of all the solo heroes who have changed the world and changed the way we live.

I’ve decided to make some changes in the way that I live so that my actions conform to my values. Supporting local businesses is high on that list, including banking with local banks not associated with the “too big to fail” banks. Jamestown has a few good credit unions to choose from with all the amenities of a national bank and insurance to back up deposits.

Another choice I’m making is to use cash as much as possible. Many government-run entities in New York State no longer accept cash: the Buffalo Niagara Airport, for one, and concession stands at parks, as I recently encountered at Niagara Falls State Park a few weeks ago.

The goal is to make the United States a cashless society, and authorities are claiming it will cut down on fraud and make life easier for people. But this transition from a mostly cash to nearly cashless society didn’t happen overnight. Cash is being replaced over time as technology produces alternatives.

The problem with a cashless society is the government’s ability to control individual commerce. We’ve seen many people who disagreed with certain entities and have had their accounts shut down by their banks. People who are against vaccine mandates, for example, may wake up to find their bank will no longer do business with them. This is a part of “cancel culture,” whereby one person finds it difficult to function in the world because a group or a corporation decides they don’t like their opinions. Many hundreds of people across the country have had their bank accounts closed for expressing thoughts or ideas that challenge the accepted narrative. Just recently, PayPal began fining people for unpopular opinions expressed on social media at $2,500 a pop. That ended my relationship with PayPal. Since when does PayPal have a right to censor people? Or tell us how or what to think?

Or, imagine you pay the kid who mows your lawn $50 in cash. He may not report that money on his taxes. He might just run to the store and shop for dinner and forget about the cash by April when he files his taxes. In a cashless society, each and every transaction will be digitally visible and the government will decide what is taxable.

I don’t relish that kind of control over my life.

I’ve also decided to turn off the mainstream news, since much of what they peddle is fear. Small publishers are doing a great job giving unbiased and fair reporting to their readers. The Epoch Times is one such online newspaper.

In fact, I turned off mainstream news ten years ago—all of it: morning shows, news hours, cable news, magazine programs like 60 Minutes–I turned it all off. I get my news from alternative sites that don’t seem to have an agenda or a desire to have me think a certain way.

Also, I’m trying to support small businesses rather than corporate-owned stores. I realize that is hard to do in a city like Jamestown but it’s not impossible. There are locally-owned restaurants, and venues for entertainment. I do nearly all of my weekly food shopping at Peterson’s Farm Market. I love that I’m helping to support a local family and I’m supporting other local farms who sell their produce at Peterson’s..

I no longer do business with corporations that cancel people for their beliefs, so I said goodbye to Bed, Bath and Beyond and others like them. They stopped stocking pillows from a selller whom they disagreed with. If a store wants my business, they must respect mine and others’ First Amendment rights.

We are not powerless to the sweeping changes we are subject to day after day, year after year. For some, the world seems unrecognizable.

So, create a world for yourself that you can live comfortably in–one that respects the rights of others, one that gives you a choice over how you want to pay for things, and one that has you spending your money at places that honor your business and your right to think for yourself. Read news that strives to inform and not persuade.

Honor your freedom as an American and make decisions that ensures it survives for generations to come.