Homesteading against the state

I was reminded of how our little homestead relates to the government, when reading this blog post from an urban fellow recently relocated to the country.

He describes how his attitude towards states has changed, from one of quiet support to quiet dislike.

City dwellers know they need the state; there was no way I could commute by car to Manhattan and find parking at a reasonable time or cost. The government stepped in to help me with subsidized mass transit.

Out here [upstate NY], I want government to do its job and fix the roads, but otherwise stay out of my hair — and stop wasting my time and taking my money.

it’s harder to convince me that what government needs is more of my money — or more regulations and bureaucratic labyrinths to eat up my time.

Perhaps it's a question of living in a different state, but we haven't had a similar shift in our homesteading. Rather than resenting economic intrusion, we tend not to pay much attention to either state or federal government. We're trying to be self-reliant, so most of our time is given over to our two acres, and to working with our friends and neighbors.

It may also be a different model of car culture. Personally, I (Bryan) am not a car person. Never got into cars as a teenager, and tend to resent everything to do with them, especially their drain on time and money. I do rely on our single vehicle for basic necessities, though, given our distance from everything. Again, more of my attention is devoted to keeping that thing working, and less to governments.

This is all micro-level and attitudinal. Political ideology and larger practice - that's for other posts.