I was fortunate to take my family on a cruise for the first time. We had a blast. Not having internet access for a solid week made me a little nervous for reasons of work, and keeping up with the blog, but I was soon left to the relaxing reality of being disconnected. With my eyes up from a screen, I mingled (to the best of my introverted abilities), I listened, and observed.
Something that was continuously mentioned with much fanfare from seaward staff and vacationer alike, was the lack of taxes and regulation every US citizen has been surrounded by since birth. Every purchase being tax free on the boat or the cruise ship ports, and 24/7 gambling, were the initial topics that brought smiles to everyone’s face. However, paying just a little closer attention, the liberty we felt on the seas was much broader.
The Excitement begins
First off, the ship we sailed on was named The Liberty of The Seas. It was very fitting for our family, and we had a lot of laughs. Before we “set sail”, I headed to the pub on board and was a little dismayed that all the good beer and scotch was locked away in a cabinet, and the only thing available was 3 or 4 common light lagers. So, I asked the bartender about the IPAs and single malt select cask offerings behind him. Were they only for display? He let me know that as soon as we hit international waters later that day, all would be available. It made sense immediately. Being familiar with the crony and arbitrary TABC laws, I recognized labels that I’d only seen in journals and online reviews.
As I walked from the pub, I saw the Casino downstairs. Again, all of it is available to passengers as soon as we cross an imaginary line. Not having a sensitivity to the gambling bug’s bite, I wasn’t too concerned. However, it only furthered my already staunch feelings of US laws and the value of dirt (or water) on either side of these magical borders.
Over the next few days and ports, I was present for quite a few comments from other passengers. The glee, surprise, and sudden realization that “tax free” made sense, was all around me. It isn’t surprising that most Americans on board were supportive of taxation prior to the ship, but as we departed a week later, I couldn’t help but think, “Why won’t they take what they learned with them?”
Rather than make this a braggadocios article about the trip, I want to go over a few specific thoughts that I had while at sea and on the Caribbean Islands. First, what was it about the sea that brings this freedom? And Second, does tax free work for anything other than a perk for people on a cruise?
The Deep Blue
What was it about the sea that brings this freedom? As I looked out over the vast ocean, I kept thinking about podcasts I’d heard over the last few years on seasteading. It finally made sense. I could understand how this appealed to liberty seekers. The philosophy of property rights seems capable of being fully recognized on your boat, docked somewhere over the deep blue. Sailors love the salty air and the freedom of the water; and I felt that this week.
Muh Roads?!
Does tax free work for anything other than a perk for people on a cruise? This question isn’t any different from the typical conversation that’s had when you proclaim taxation is theft, and it’s met with comments of its necessity. The humorous reality was experienced while I was on a bus in George Town, Grand Cayman. Biggs, our driver, announced that there were no taxes. The wide-eyed silent surprise, and softly rhetorically asked, “Whaaaat?” was instant. And guess what: THEY HAD ROADS! It’s incredible, but we had an example right there, that hundreds of vacationers a month experience. But where is the stateside support from the decades of tourism to that island?
Privatize all the things
Additionally, I learned from Biggs that 41% of the island was owned by one man, Kenneth Dart. Mr. Dart is/was an American that was fed up with the IRS and moved his business to Georgetown. Through later research I could only confirm his company owning 20 – 25%, but it was an older article.
Regardless, his beneficial involvement on the island was easily apparent. Biggs pointed out Dart’s commercial buildings and beautification projects. Just like the taxes, I wondered if anyone would associate this information, and real time non-theoretical living proof, to their questions against free markets and privatization. Unfortunately, the short and confined vacation experience may only help to add to the mythology of Liberty.
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