We love our freedom in America. And our freedom of speech.
If you've read our blog, subscribe to our newsletter, or are a member of EVG, you've probably noticed that we like to exercise that freedom, too.
Hey, it’s the American way.
But because we occasionally voice our disagreement with some of the economic and privacy policies of our government, a few people have wondered if we have an anti-government bent.
One EVG member put it this way:
I recently became an EVG member and I love your financial information. But I was surprised at some of your critical emails about the government. Did I miss something? Does EVG have an anti-government bias?
-Lois M.
Thanks for the email, Lois.
We’re thrilled that you love the financial information in the EVG membership site. We believe it’s one-of-a-kind information you won’t get anywhere else. (Click here to see what EVG is all about)
And one of the things that makes us unique is that we aren’t focused solely on the financial side of life. We ultimately believe in freedom…
Freedom to make money … freedom to spend money … freedom to start businesses … freedom to invest the way you like … freedom to live where you want … freedom to protect yourself and your assets.
So to answer your question, Lois:
No, we aren’t anti-government. Instead…
We Like to Think of
Ourselves as Pro-Freedom
EVG is based in America. The land of the free. The home of the brave.
We love America. And we love the freedoms we have here.
But when you love something enough, you earn the right to be critical.
Picture it this way…
Think about the person you love most in this world. Let’s say it’s your mother, or sister or daughter.
Now imagine that she’s abusing alcohol or drugs. In fact, it’s ruining her life.
What do you do?
You don’t stand by and watch her self-destruct. Not if you love her.
You try to help. And that means saying something. Something critical.
It means pointing out the problems, exposing the lies and the coverups.
It’s what you do when you are motivated by love.
Now imagine I tell you about my friend who is an alcoholic.
I can give you his name and his family details and how badly he’s ruining his life. But guess what?
It still won’t affect you emotionally. You can shake your head and feel sorry, but you don’t expend much energy. You’ll likely just shrug your shoulders. “It’s too bad,” you might say.
This “psychology of love” is why a lot of Americans shrug their shoulders at the Euro zone crisis.
What happens in Greece doesn’t affect them … and they have no heart strings tied to Greece.
But if you’re a Greek citizen, it matters a lot … and you will be more likely to voice your concerns. Publicly, even.
The Global Connection
Here’s why all this matters: We are living in an increasingly globally-interconnected world.
What happens in Europe…or Asia…or Australia … or Africa … or the Americas has ripple effects on the global economy.
In fact, there is an alarming trend that has developed in the global financial markets.
One of the experts in the EVG membership site shows our members how all the world stock markets are now in sync.
Meaning there is no longer any safe-haven country where you can flee for financial sanctuary.
Instead, you have to prepare for the coming financial disaster with every available resource. And with a new model.
The old ways of protecting … and growing assets won’t help you anymore.
The Elevation Group strategies for protecting … and growing your hard-earned wealth will work in any economy and in any location on planet earth.
But still, EVG is based in the US, so we tend to focus on US problems … and US-based solutions.
And sometimes those solutions involve speaking out.
Listen, we love the US and want to see the lifestyle, freedoms and ability to pursue happiness continue.
So when we see trends that threaten those virtues, we get upset. And we say something about it.
Call it “tough love” if you want. But when you love something as dearly as we love our country and our freedoms, it’s the only thing to do.
But it goes even deeper than that.
You see, we Americans also have the right to be critical. It’s guaranteed in a document called the Bill of Rights.
And the First Amendment in that Bill of Rights gives us the right to voice our opinion, even if it disagrees with our government’s position or policy.
Supreme Court Decisions
That Sealed the Deal
No serious challengers attacked first amendment rights during the 19th century.
But during the 20th century, those rights were severely tested … and clearly defined.
In the last 50 years, the high court of the United States has defended individual free-speech rights that might make some of the most patriotic Americans blush in shame. Or flush with anger.
But even if you don’t agree with what the people were doing, the fact that they have the right … and the freedom… to voice their opinions is what makes America great.
For example, the Supreme court has ruled that it is okay to disseminate literature critical of the U.S. government. You can even call the leaders crooks and thieves.
The only restriction is that you cannot incite lawless action.
So in 1964, in the midst of the civil rights movement in America, with racial tensions on red alert, the state of Ohio arrested a man who had reporters follow him to a KKK rally.
At that meeting, he had spouted off his white supremacist garbage and told his followers that the President, the Congress and the Supreme Court were evil. Then he urged them to join in a march on Washington, DC on July 4th.
But the Supreme Court ruled that even though the man had possibly advocated hatred against his country, he hadn’t incited violence. And it was his right to speak his mind.
A similar thing happened four years later when a 19 year-old hippie strode into the LA County courthouse donning a jacket proclaiming “F**k the Draft.”
Los Angeles County officials didn’t think it was funny and threw him in jail. The Supreme Court disagreed and ruled that even though his actions were rude, crude and immature, he had the right to publicly oppose the Viet Nam war and the government’s draft.
All of these rights to free speech – whether at the federal, state or local level – assure Americans that we can speak our mind about important issues… without the fear of censure, harassment or imprisonment.
You may not agree with what the Ku Klux Klanner did. Or the prank the anti-war punk pulled off. We sure don’t.
But you should be happy for their freedom to express their views. Because it’s the same freedom that allows you to speak your mind.
The rationale for allowing these distasteful freedoms of speech originates in the “marketplace of ideas” that our founding fathers first envisioned.
Just as a free-market economy helps weed out unethical and inefficient businesses, so the free marketplace of ideas allows diverse opinions to be accepted … or rejected by the people.
The theory is that the public will abandon ideas that are unproductive or detrimental to the common good. Ideas that promote justice and freedom should ultimately prevail.
So that’s why we freely disagree at times with our government.
Like we said before. We’re not anti-government. We’re just pro-freedom.
Exercising Your Freedom
We don’t expect that you’ll agree with everything we say. In fact, it would be a little weird if you did.
So if you have a different opinion about anything we write, be sure to let us know. We love hearing from you.
But when it comes to our investment information, it’s not really our opinion.
Remember, we simply show you what the ultra-wealthy are doing with their money.
We share the methods they use to protect and grow their income, even in times of crisis.
That’s not opinion. It’s simply reporting the facts. And since these successful investors and businessmen didn’t get wealthy by accident, we’re happy to follow their lead.
But when it comes to freedom and quality of life, and even government interference into that freedom, you can count on us saying something. Hey, it’s our right!
We love our country … and our fellow earthlings too much to stand by idly and watch as your freedom and prosperity are ripped away.
We’d love to have you join our little movement to help protect life, liberty and the pursuit of financial freedom.
Your personal pursuit of happiness could start right here …
Watch The Elevation Group Webinar today
P.S. Freedom isn't free, unfortunately. That’s why we proudly salute all the men and women worldwide who serve in the armed forces to promote peace and stability. We thank them for preserving the freedoms we cherish!