The big lie of the United States is "private property ownership." You may pay taxes on it. You may spend your life slaving away for the bankers to manufacture the illusion that you own it. But the reality is that big business and the government can take your home with the stroke of a pen. Which means you never did own it. For all the taxes and mortgages you are still just a tenant, albeit one with a gold star stuck to your lapel proclaiming your faith in the religion of the dollar for all to see.

But if you cannot say "no" when the government comes to take your home then you are a slave.

There is no freedom without the freedom to say "no."

As a side note, the Beau Rivage Restaurant is a fabulous place and I have many fond memories of it from when I lived and worked in Los Angeles.