Posted on 05/31/2009 9:00:05 AM PDT by jessduntno
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William P. Ruger - assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at Texas State University. He is currently on military leave, serving in the U.S. Navy in Afghanistan. Ruger earned his PhD in politics from Brandeis University and an AB from the College of William and Mary. Jason Sorens - assistant professor of Political Science at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. He received his doctorate in political science in 2003 from Yale University, and his research focuses on secessionism, ethnic politics, and comparative federalism. His work has also appeared in Regional and Federal Studies, Comparative Political Studies, Nationalism and Ethnic Politics, and State Politics and Policy Quarterly. By summing the economic freedom and personal freedom scores, we obtain the overall freedom index, presented below. New Hampshire comes out on top as the freest state in the United States. It achieved this ranking due to its excellent fiscal policies and moderate levels of regulation and paternalism. However, as with all of the states, even New Hampshire has room for improvement, and post-2006 political changes in that state may mean that its ranking in this study will fall the next time we update the data and rankings. Colorado, South Dakota, Idaho, and Texas round out the top five. The first three states in the rankings are clumped tightly together, and thus citizens of all three states should be pleased to live in the freest states in the Union. On the other hand, many states perform quite poorly in providing a liberty-friendly environment for their citizens. New York is the least free by a considerable margin. This will surprise few residents of the Empire state. In order from the bottom, New York is followed by New Jersey, Rhode Island, California, and Maryland. Unfortunately, these states make up a substantial portion of the total American population. Moreover, these bottom five states have considerable ground to make up even to move off this ignoble list, let alone into a creditable position in the rankings. Individual state profiles below provide more information about these ten states as well as the others in between. |
New Hampshire - Live Free or Die! Until enough Massholes move in to spoil it for everyone else...
I think there must be a mistake in the listing. If you live in NC, you know that it belongs much closer to the bottom.
I think there must be a mistake in the listing. If you live in NC, you know that it belongs much closer to the bottom.
A lot of people in NH will say the same...rapid shifts in demographics? I wasn’t all that surprised by the list, but if you follow the link, I think they make a pretty good case for their findings. I thought it was interesting...not endorsing it, but not enough travel lately to judge it...wondered what people thought of their own state rankings...I’m in the Peoples Republic of Kalleeforneeah (and not the Conservative Part) and lived in NY and MA, so it looks about right to me...have a son north of Charlotte, and really liked it there...
Someting’s not right - Alaska is in the middle of the list (with a negative rating) and Texas is near the top.
We freeze our butts off all winter long paying extraordinary heat bills and then the minute the weather gets better, the New York City thieves come up and take our lakes away from us.
Also, they are making new laws now to ban anyone from smoking a cigarette in any park. All the cops do all day is to chase people around about their inspection stickers, seat belts, smoking, insurance, license plates, working signal lights, pollution monitors, child safety seats, public intoxication, cell phone use while driving, recycling, bike helmets etc. I have claustrophobia living in NY.
I wonder too...could be the whole thing is off, but there are a lot more of things to think about. I found this kind of depressing;
“New York is the least free by a considerable margin. This will surprise few residents of the Empire state. In order from the bottom, New York is followed by New Jersey, Rhode Island, California, and Maryland. Unfortunately, these states make up a substantial portion of the total American population.”
I read that as there is such little freedon in some states, it drags the curve down and the infection is spreading faster than we think...
“..Also, they are making new laws now to ban anyone from smoking a cigarette in any park. All the cops do all day is to chase people around about their inspection stickers, seat belts, smoking, insurance, license plates, working signal lights, pollution monitors, child safety seats, public intoxication, cell phone use while driving, recycling, bike helmets etc. I have claustrophobia living in NY...”
AMEN! NY seems to be one constant, soft-communist political movement. Like the Cultural Revolution without the show-trials and executions. The airwaves are 2/3 filled with ads for political groups (mainly unions) seeking some benefit, and trial lawyers looking to sue any business that remains.
Exactly. Look at what happened to Vermont when all the Upper East Side Manhattan vermin moved to Vermont after totally destroying New York.
The same phenomenon is happening in New Hampshire. Stand up to these monsters!
“Socialism. Chains you can believe in.”
Love that line...
“Someting’s not right - Alaska is in the middle of the list (with a negative rating) and Texas is near the top.”
Ahhhhh...part of what they were doing was weighing it on a “Nanny State” scale and the gubmint money coming back to the individuals, even though it is a rebate, weighs it down...adds to the “dependence” of the citizens...not defending it, just that that was the author’s interpretation, I think...
If you look at the composition of this ranking, a state can become more "free" by cutting taxes — but not spending. It could also do the opposite. It could cut spending, but not taxes and move up the list. How does that work? You become more free when the government takes your money and just keeps it than if it takes it and spends it, or even just gives it back to you.
This ranking is pretty bogus.
Iowa is #16? You have got to be kidding me. This ranking is rank! Iowa has become the Massachusetts of the Midwest!
THE AUDACITY OF TRUTH ABOUT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA
BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA IN HIS OWN WORDS
NOW WE KNOW WHAT A COMMUNITY ORGANIZER DOES
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THE AUDACITY OF TRUTH ABOUT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA'S UPBRINGING
“Iowa is #16? You have got to be kidding me. This ranking is rank! Iowa has become the Massachusetts of the Midwest!”
Maybe Iowa (like many states) has a blue core in the cities and universtity towns? If you look at voting maps, it is shocking how controlled we are by one or two counties in even larger states? Is there gerrymandering?
Also, the poll was measuring a number of metrics, not just politics...
“How does that work? You become more free when the government takes your money and just keeps it than if it takes it and spends it, or even just gives it back to you.”
Wellllll...yes...the level of taxation does not directly relate to the level of interference in your life...this is a “nanny State” measurement...but then, I guess you would know more than I do, what with being Mr. Know It All... ;^)
“Which is about the way the election broke.”
If this is a (somewhat) accurate guide of the level of Nanny Statism, as I think it purports, then it would make sense that the people in the more afflicted, because of their dependence, would support Bammy...and whatever poll tampering and ACORN maneuvering would be encouraged, too...
America's Freest States (and Least Free States)
Freedom in the 50 States: An Index of Personal and Economic Freedom
Freedom in the 50 States - A Study from George Mason University (How free is your state?)
And, to re-post the comment I made the first time I saw this article:
This is a ridiculous study. It was created by Jason Sorens, founder of the Free State Project, which had a weird vote (complete with various irregularities as I dimily recall) among members to select a state which they would all move to.
The criteria were manipulated in such a way that New Hampshire finished #1. I’ve spent plenty of time in New Hampshire, and while it is a nice state in no way is it as free as many states finishing further down the list.
Washington, which finishes far down the list near the bottom has “shall carry” gun laws, no income tax and $40 car registration which you can complete at the local hardware store. To even imagine that it is less free than say, Connecticut is absurd.
This is nothing more than advocacy scholarship (and old scholarship at that, the Free State Project vote was about six years ago).
I do have nothing but good wishes to all of the participants who have moved to New Hampshire as part of the FSP. Unfortunately they have failed to meet their goals in terms of membership, thus releasing early joiners from the pledges made to the project.
In a situation similar to the original vote itself the acknowledgment of this failure was very grudgingly made and full of weird attempts at manipulation.
One small realization that I got was that Jason Sorens was not someone I would trust or work with.
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