No I do not believe I life in fear. Actually I read ahead and know how the ending unfolds so no reason for fear. 

You are correct if they do not want us moving around there are many ways to make that happen. I just do not believe in helping them do that by giving them any control of what I drive. Why should I need for anyone to know where I am at any given moment? Cell phone is a basic flip phone. Things such as location setting are turned off. Now I have no idea if off is really off but I do not worry about it either.

You must not follow the advice of people in the know like Dave Ramsey. Cut up the credit cards and stay out of trouble. However, if they have simplified your life and they work for you GREAT more power to you.

Have no knowledge of what VPN stands for or even does, so help me out on that one if you would.

Wife and I have about a months worth of food on hand as we only go to town about once a month to shop. We put our trust in things that moths, rust, or a lack of electricity can not destroy.

I personally like to invest in things where I can get a good return on investment. I am guessing your Tesla is not worth near as much now as when you bought it. That is fine if it works for you. Several of the cars/trucks that I have are gaining in value at this point. What is that worth if you do not wish to sell them which I do not. Point is they are certainly not losing in value. Can you make that claim about your Tesla?

Was reading that it now can cost 5K to fix the taillights on a newer F150 when they get water in them. Makes a $2.00 1157 bulb and a $10.00 socket look pretty good and the rest of the money fits very nicely in my pocket. For the driver following me all that matters is the light is on, I doubt they care if it is powered old school or by a CAN network. Last time a tail light failed for me it did not have any effect on the HVAC or radio system. Apparently the newer F150 lost the HVAC and radio systems because they were all tied into the CAN network which was being shorted out by the taillamps due to water. 

If you feel you have freedom when others are able to track you or stop you in your tracks if they desire than again more power to you. That is not where I find my freedom nor do I find it in material things.

You and I are both old enough that we both probably used slide rules in school. Would a 18 year old today even know what one was let alone know how to use one? So what will they do when the computer crashes or the power goes out. Most I see do not even know how to make change when it is given to them at the till. Can they move forward when the technology dies or does it stop them in their tracks?

Read a discussion on a HVAC system on a newer combine, of course controlled by a computer. Was interesting the issues they had. Makes my early 80's vintage machine look pretty good. Twist the knob and let the human computer give feed back on how the cabin temp is. Very simple and pretty much trouble free. I admit if I want heat I do have to turn off the temp control for AC and open up the water valve for heat. Still think I am very capable of doing such a manual task. Why do we need computers doing those sorts of things for us? Can you explain the advantages as you see it.

Ed not trying to pick a fight with you and if the glitter of this new stuff floats your boat more power to you. It mostly sinks my ship.

You are more than welcome to your world. I am just passing through and this world certainly is not my home.