Everyone seems to ask for:

• Social Security numbers
• Phone numbers
• Email addresses
• Home addresses
• Photo identification

Gone are the days of anomynimity . . . now we are:

• Taxed
• Tracked
• Monitored

George Orwell had it right . . .

However, as I said, many of us can live in both worlds. How?

• Avoid technology from time to time
• Be aware of how you are watched
• Pay with cash
• Refuse requests for information
• Do more for yourself
• Keep quiet about your activities and possessions
• Think before you do

That last one is powerful-- Here is one of my favorite ideas to ponder . . . it flies in the face of the economic man theory you may have learned in college: Should I work some overtime and pay someone to paint my house or work my normal hours and paint my house in my spare time? Here is the dilemma-- I have to pay taxes on those additional hours of earned income, as opposed to doing it myself and not paying taxes on my time and effort.