New Hampshire wins 'free state' vote

World Net Daily ^ | 01 October 2003 | WND staff

[archy]

New Hampshire wins 'free state' vote

Thousands of libertarians to move to state, work for more liberty

Posted: October 1, 2003
5:00 p.m. Eastern

© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com

A group of 4,500 libertarians who all agreed to move to one state to work toward restoring certain personal liberties and limited government has voted to choose the state of New Hampshire as a new home.

The Free State Project, which has been collecting commitments from members to move to the winning state for two years, announced the results of its balloting this morning. Ten states were under consideration, with New Hampshire prevailing over Montana, Wyoming, Delaware, Vermont, Maine, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota and Alaska.

Leaders of the Free State Project now hope to recruit another 15,500 people to migrate to New Hampshire, hoping to "reinforce and enhance the 'sphere of individual liberty' in the Live Free or Die state," said a statement by the group. It is the participants' goal to "preserve one bastion of freedom in the age of intrusive government."

As WorldNetDaily reported, Jan Helfield, a Falls Creek, Va.-based attorney and Libertarian Party activist, is one of the group's leaders.

"The Free State Project proposes to identify the easiest state in the union to free, and then relocate 20,000 people to implement the liberation," he wrote last year. "The people interested in moving will sign up with FSP and vote on the state selected to be freed."

The 20,000 newly relocated activists "would permit Libertarians to register large numbers of new voters to vote Libertarian, a factor that could easily make the difference and lead to a Libertarian victory," Helfield said.

"We could end state redistribution of wealth, repealing state taxes and wasteful government programs. We could privatize education and utilities. We could repeal laws regulating guns, drugs and other victimless crimes. We could abolish asset forfeiture, abuses of eminent domain, inefficient regulations and state monopolies."

The group's statement said organizers expect the first wave of movers to migrate to New Hampshire by year's end.

The runner-up state was Wyoming.

"New Hampshire is clearly the consensus choice of Free Staters," commented FSP president and Yale political science professor Jason Sorens on the group's website. "New Hampshire won a plurality of first-preference votes from every region of the country except the West."

"It's not difficult to see the reasons for New Hampshire's victory," said FSP Vice President Elizabeth McKinstry, who is originally from New England. "The state boasts the lowest state and local tax burden in the continental U.S., the leanest state government in the country in terms of government spending and employment, a citizen legislature, a healthy job market, and perhaps most important, local support for our movement."

According to the group, New Hampshire Gov. Craig Benson pledged to support the aims of the FSP, and several members of the legislature have signed up as members.

The group says if current recruitment trends continue, organizers expect to reach 20,000 commitments by 2006, after which point members would have five years in which to move to New Hampshire.

Noted Tim Condon, FSP director of member services, "The member survey shows that 53 percent of members plan to move within three years, not waiting for the 20,000-member benchmark. Early movers should help recruitment by building a record of success."

Not all in New Hampshire were thrilled with the prospect of thousands of libertarians moving in.

"I like to be left alone by the government. But I need my trash picked up. I need police protection," Dennis Pizzimenti, a lawyer in Concord, told the Associated Press.

The news service reported Kathy Sullivan, state Democratic Party chairwoman, said project members "can best be described as anarchists."

Previous story:

'Free State Project' seeks to restore liberty

[archy]

WorldNetDaily FSP PorcuPing!

-archy-/-

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[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

New Hampshire ping.

[Chad Fairbanks]

SAw this this morning - wonder how well the Swamp Yankees will take to the new folks movin' in... should be interesting ;0)

[bc2]

bump to the top... traveling to New Hampshire for a scouting trip before October is through!

I'll be bringing my father, I wonder how many spouses, sons, daughters, wives, husbands, etc will be coming along with FSP members?

[bc2]

"spouses, sons, daughters, wives, husbands"

Ministry of Redundancy Department of Repatition calling...

[GeronL]

OK, which state is next?

[Ford Fairlane]

hopefully upper michigan - i'm not moving to new hampshire, but i will move to the UP

[GeronL]

probably states with low populations like Wyoming and South Dakota

[Ford Fairlane]

Either of those would do nicely - NH is too small for me - too few acres per person

[Drango]

... project members "can best be described as anarchists stoners."

[dcwusmc]

Thanks for the ping. My wife knows NH and likes it a great deal. Perhaps we WILL end up there. Surely there are WORSE places (like Californicate is becoming and will continue to become under BustaSchwartzer...).

[Moonman62]

Shouldn't the title read, "New Hampshire Loses the Free State Vote"?

[Lunatic Fringe]

Q. Who is welcome to participate?

A. Anyone who can agree to the clause in the Statement of Intent which says that you should support the creation of a society in which the maximum role of civil government is the protection of citizens' rights to life, liberty, and property.

Q. What kind of people are not welcome as members of the Free State Project?

A. Anyone who promotes violence, racial hatred, or bigotry is not welcome.

[ETERNAL WARMING]

From the WND poll:

Would you consider moving to New Hampshire or another state to enhance your personal freedom?
Yes, it's the only hope for restoring freedom in America 21.69% (18)


Yes 20.48% (17)


No, these people are a bunch of anarchists 14.46% (12)


Yes, if enough people relocate, I might consider it 9.64% (8)


No, sounds like a good idea but not worth pulling up stakes 8.43% (7)


No 8.43% (7)


No, a few thousand people won't have significant impact on policy 6.02% (5)


Other 6.02% (5)


No, can't afford to move 3.61% (3)


Yes, I'm packing my bags right now 1.20% (1)

[Howlin]

An "I bet they are thrilled" ping.

[Howlin]

I wonder if we can vote to "send" some people of our choice there.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

LOL

[shekkian]

Libertarians are a strange bunch. I think they are a little too anarchistic for my taste. Legalized marijuana and prostitution? No thanks.

[Howlin]

Hey, can I ask you a question?

What was the name of the bump list this past summer about "yellow cake?"

[Lefty-NiceGuy]

Awww, man did they have to pick a state with actual people in it?

Couldn't they have just taken some corner of Iraq or Afganistan or something?

Did property values drop in NH when this was announced?

[MrLeRoy]

Legalized marijuana and prostitution? No thanks.

What demonstrable good has crimnalizing them done?

[jmc813]

Spoken like a true Arnold supporting gun-grabber.

[jmc813]

Y'all realize that the Republican governor of NH is welcoming the FSP, and it is the state RATS that are spouting the rhetoric you guys are?

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/993406/posts

[Moonman62]

I've been for this project for a long time, although I think they should start from scratch, rather than try to ruin a state that's already been made good by non-Libertarians. It's the first time the Libertarians have attempted to actually do something, rather than complain and whine about the other guys.

[archy]

OK, which state is next?

A twofer, adjoining states project, with a Canadian border also involved.

Wyoming and Montana. Details at the links. The *WesternFSP list*> is also progressing, whether as an official FSP backup or seperately compartmentalized parallel effort yet to be determined.

-archy-/-

[archy]

It's the first time the Libertarians have attempted to actually do something, rather than complain and whine about the other guys.

It's far from JUST Libertarians involved in the FSP, of course, though I figure the Libbies will make better neighbors than a lot of the Democrats and at least some of the Republicans.

-archy-/-

[archy]

... project members "can best be described as anarchists stoners."

Sorta sounds like the Republican reelection strategy of Bush I, which put Clinton in the White House for eight years.

Well, maybe if he hadn't cut those deals with Noriega when he was running the CIA, he wouldn't have had his *little problems.*

-archy-/-

[dcwusmc]

Maybe if Bush I had not shafted gun owners and lied about raising taxes....

[dcwusmc]

I guess it's that pesky old Constitution that keeps getting in their way... the one that some of us, who swore an oath to protect and defend it, feel should not be used to wipe their nasty a$$es with... Do you suppose THAT could figure into it some kinda way????

[archy]

Maybe if Bush I had not shafted gun owners and lied about raising taxes....

You reckon the 10 million or so votes he drove away would have made a difference?

I Wonder if Bush II will make the same mistake.

-archy-/-

[RightWhale]

Just kind of wondering. Will the Project buy up some farmland and subdivide?

[archy]

I guess it's that pesky old Constitution that keeps getting in their way... the one that some of us, who swore an oath to protect and defend it, feel should not be used to wipe their nasty a$$es with... Do you suppose THAT could figure into it some kinda way????

Just a little. Neither would it surprise me if the final words of some minor functionary about to dangle from a rope will be but we never thought anyone would take the Constitution seriously....

And the similar echoing bleat from the socialist liberals about to join them nearby will no doubt be but, but...we were doing it for the children....

-archy-/-

[archy]

Awww, man did they have to pick a state with actual people in it?

Couldn't they have just taken some corner of Iraq or Afganistan or something? There are a few former [maybe still present!] L-5 Society members hoping for a somewhat thinner atmosphere than found in either Afghanistan or Iraq.s highest mountain crags.

Did property values drop in NH when this was announced?

Nope, there seems to have been cheers of joy and dancing, at least among a few NH realtors who've been paying attention and developing a new clientele. But there's weeping and gnashing of teeth among the Democrats in NH....

-archy-/-

[archy]

Just kind of wondering. Will the Project buy up some farmland and subdivide?

Not directly. The FSP as an organization collects no dues, so has no particularly large coffers to fund such projects, [donations cheerfully accepted, though, I'll gladly put anyone so inclined with the right contact.]

But it has served as a *dating service* to refer some so inclined to each other, and I had a 640-acre tract of land in Wyoming that was available for something along those lines had that state been picked. We even found an entire town for sale at a pretty acceptable price in Montana- and those opportunities are'nt discarded to the winds, only carefully set aside and retained for future possible use.

The idea, though is NOT for us to set up our own enclaves or communities, but to fit in with and find common cause with those similarly inclined. But I bet some cooperative or group porcupine ventures take place, and I know of a couple of guys looking for the right deal on a trailer park/campground. And there are single Porcupines who may find something in the new location they hadn't quite expected; there are going to be some good, heartwarming stories come out of that.

-archy-/-

[jmc813]

Actually, they oppose the move, perhaps because they just want to score points against Benson, or perhaps because see Libertarian Party platforms as appealing to their own core RAT voters.

First off, you're crazy if you think Democrats are attracted to small government. Second of all, this is not a Libertarian Party effort.

[Chemist_Geek]

hopefully upper michigan - i'm not moving to new hampshire, but i will move to the UP

Too many trolls (living under da Bridge) in Michigan to make it feasible for the FSP... And, besides, we fought a WAR to get the UP! (Okay, it was only agaisnt Ohio, and there was only one casualty in a tavern brawl, but it was a WAR!)

[Little Bill]

Not well, they suspect that every outsider is a potental rat voter, who wants to spend their money. I am a swamper from Mass, a life long Conservitive Small Government Republican, and I still get strange looks.

[Chad Fairbanks]

And that's how it should be ;0)

[Little Bill]

It may be because I am a terror at town meetings or then again it might be because my daughter is a libertarian, no accounting for taste.

[Chad Fairbanks]

I don't know. I was pretty darned outspoken when I lived there - but then, so was everyone else ;0)

[Little Bill]

I know where you are coming from. I lived in an open town meeting town in Mass years ago. You need a 101 voters for a quorum, 12 of us blocked a Junior HS for years, we had a Regional School system, and the imports from South of Boston didn't want Brandy and Jason spending an extra 15 minuits on a bus.

[Chad Fairbanks]

LOL...