Yeoman Farmers

Kevin Williamson makes a point I agree with, though he credits it to Hayek instead of Jefferson.

Independent contractor? Quelle horreur!

F. A. Hayek worried (presciently, as it turns out) that the two faces of dependency—as public ward or as hireling—would encourage certain undesirable mental and political habits, a kind of deep-set servility born of the delegation of basic responsibilities from the individual and the family to large bureaucracies, public or private. The Company Man and the Obamaphone Lady have more in common than you’d think.

It's best to own one's own means of production. That way, you have the maximum ability to live with genuine liberty.