Freedom Dissertation, Part 2

[Ed note: This entry ended up becoming a continuation of a discussion that began with this post. Similar themes have been discussed in this blog, namely, these recent entries: One, Two, and Three.]

While I was slugging it away at the office this afternoon, I was paid a visit by the gentleman who works in the office next door. He has subcontracted the company I work for to do some environmental work on a property he owns, and he popped his head into our office with the intent of asking my boss a few questions with respect to environmental logistics, as it related to the property in question.

The reason why he came into our office is irrelevant to my entry; my boss was out in the field, and he ended up talking with me instead.

WM is a local entrepreneur. He has interests in an undisclosed number of businesses, plus he owns numerous properties in my city. He is worth millions. It would be difficult to speculate on his net worth, but I estimate it would likely be somewhere between ten and fifty million.

I enjoy speaking with him on occasion, as it is obvious that he is a successful businessman, and any free advice you can get out of a successful businessman is priceless. He ended up talking about a few of his business experiences, and I listened intently.

He said something that struck a real chord with me. It's likely related to something I have written a long time ago; it is definitely something I have given considerable thought to.

We were discussing how the scales of impartial law are often tipped by big money. For example, it's almost impossible to get a judge rule in your favor if you decide to go head-to-head and sue a major corporation. These mega-corporations are able to hire the best lawyers, and drag trials on for years. The "little guy" cannot compete with this, as their resources will likely be drained in the short term.

WM then spoke about an acquaintance of his (who happened to be a millionaire) who was arrested for murder. This sounded awfully like the infamous OJ Simpson case, but I will give him the benefit of the doubt, as it could have been any millionaire. This man claimed his innocence, and used his resources to hire the best defense he could afford. WM explained this murder suspect invested nearly a million dollars into his case, and eventually was able to prove, beyond any reasonable doubt, that he was not the murderer. The exonerated suspect then told WM that if he were poor, he would have been spending his life behind bars.

As I was listening to this tale, a sense of irony overcame me. We then discussed one of the most infamous criminal cases in Canadian Law History - the exoneration of David Milgaard. David served 22 years in prison, before he was able to prove via DNA evidence that he was not guilty in the rape and stabbing death of Gail Miller. Milgaard then filed a lawsuit against the Canadian Judicial System for his wrongful conviction and was awarded $10 million in restitution.

So the rich guy has to pay a million dollars to prove his innocence, while the poor guy does 22 years and then wins the lottery. It amazes me, in the strange ways the world works.

This got WM talking about the correctional system. "You hear them all [convicts] talking about freedom this, and freedom that. The freedom to do what you want to do; the freedom to go places, or to make choices," he began, "I don't know what these guys are complaining about, they get three square meals a day; they get exercise; the get to read, write, get an education or watch a bit to television."

By this time I knew exactly where he was going. "I've been running my businesses for thirty years," he continued, "I'm not free; I work seven days a week. The phone is ringing non-stop; I have meetings and emergencies to deal with on a daily basis. I don't get to do anything I want."

He left our office shortly thereafter, but I sensed a lot of truth in his words. When I examined my schedule, it amazed me that I had next to no free time; and when I did have a few spare hours, I was usually too tired to do much more than sleep.

I am working three jobs so I can make a living wage. I am trying to save whatever monies I can, just so one day I might be able to have a short, semi-comfortable retirement. Unfortunately, investing sixty to eighty hours per week in your job(s) will undoubtedly suck every ounce of enjoyment out of your life.

As long as we have to work our fingers to the bone in order to survive, we will never be free.