This is kind of fun.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bQBAkhz_-A
Who’s ready to head to the 603 die or live free?
Of course New Hampshire would be number 1… Jason Sorens is the person who started the whole movement over there… Nevertheless, I do not see why people give credit to NH as being a pro-liberty state… their cops, judges and politicians are just as corrupt and irrational as other states
OK but I’d rather live in NH than in Mass, NY, Texas, Virginia or Michigan. It’s like if the executioner allowed you to choose how you were going to die: do you want a lot of pain or little pain before you finally end it all? In this case, it’s do I want the state extorting huge amounts of taxes from me or barely any taxes at all? That’s why I think anyone who cares about liberty should make an effort to at least VISIT NH and if you decide you enjoy the libertarian/anarcho-capitalist/voluntaryist atmosphere then sign up to move for good.
BTW, do you live in NH?
Getting taxed, does not matter how much, is not my vision of the “libertarian/anarcho-capitalist/voluntaryist” atmosphere you give to NH.
Also, just recently, a group of people held a protest at a police station over there and the majority of the people that got arrested was for ‘standing still on the sidewalk.’ because in NH, if one wants to protest in public, they have to keep in motion. And on top of that, many cameras were taken simply because the police said it was evidence… Yes, a very pro-liberty state indeed. Sure, NH can have less regulatory laws than other States but the government of NH still acts like every other government, it thinks it owns its people…
Being the freest US state is equivalent to being the biggest Mini Cooper in the parking lot.
Not really. I feel much freer in Arizona than when I am in California. The gun laws and environmental laws are really nazi-like in CA.
If you think AZ is so free, wait until you come to NH. I’m here now on vacation and I’ve been here plenty of times before and I can tell you the difference between NH and a state like Virginia or even Texas is nothing like you’ve ever felt. I can take my friend’s car and drive down to a farm and get raw milk any time I want w/o the state taxing me. I can buy anything I want w/o fearing the state. It’s a breath of fresh air after living in captivity for so long.
The only problem I can see in NH is the high number of movers from Boston and NY who have a habit of making housing prices go up and making NH more statist. But thank god we have free staters who are working on this problem (the statism, not the housing but in a truly free market housing will be more obtainable).
And to the other poster: yes there are corrupt cops and courts everywhere, but what makes you think you’re better off where you are now then if you were in NH?
NH also has a large liberty community already there, so if you DO have to deal with police/courts someone will be there to help you.
Well if you say this then, you are claiming a different premise than what you claim initallly about NH
I’m not doubting that cops and taxation are a huge problem. But it’s much better in NH than elsewhere in America.
For example, NH has ZERO income tax, ZERO sales tax, ZERO restrictions on things like raw milk, health food, fireworks and may very well legalize pot. Being here (albeit temporarily) is like breathing fresh air after a lifetime of breathing smog.
What makes you think the place you live now will get any more libertarian?
What makes you think the place you live now will get any more libertarian?
I never claimed such thing… but what makes you think NH is any more libertarian? State governments can have whatever laws, but at the end of the day, they still act like the same old government.
Top Reasons to Move to New Hampshire
With the lowest crime in the nation, the lowest taxes in the continental United States, and a part-time citizen legislature, the state of New Hampshire is the ideal place for libertarians and other freedom-lovers to relocate.
TAXES:
- New Hampshire has NO GENERAL INCOME TAX.
- It has NO GENERAL SALES TAX.
- It has NO CAPITAL GAINS TAX.
- New Hampshire offers the LOWEST TAXES as a percentage of gross income NATIONWIDE.
PROPERTY RIGHTS:
- The New Hampshire State Supreme Court has ruled that private property cannot be taken for private economic development. In addition, state legislation has been introduced into the 2006 legislative session prohibiting takings for private uses.
GUNS:
- New Hampshire offers some of the least restrictive gun laws in the nation. Open carry (no permit necessary) is allowed in all but courtrooms, and concealed carry permits are provided on a shall-issue basis – no fingerprints, photos, or special training required as is in other states.
JOBS:
- New Hampshire is ranked third in the nation for the having the highest percentage of high-tech jobs.
- For states with a population less than 1.5 million, it ranks second for new jobs growth, 2000-2010.
- The state’s unemployment rate (3.6%) is lower than the national average (4.8%). (November 2005)
BUSINESS-FRIENDLY:
- New Hampshire is ranked second in the nation as the state most tax-friendly to businesses.
- It has no inventory tax.
- It has no tax on machinery or equipment.
- New Hampshire is friendly to small businesses and nurturing of entrepreneurs. The state is frequently in the top 10 in nationwide listings for a business-friendly environment.
SMALL GOVERNMENT:
- New Hampshire offers a true citizen legislature, with 400 members – a government of the people.
- The $100 per year salary for legislators ensures that its representatives are motivated most strongly by a desire to serve the people.
- Its constitution is one of the few in the nation that does not mandate a public school system.
- New Hampshire towns vote on their budgets line-by-line, which holds politicians accountable and helps to avoid pork barrel spending.
STRONG SUPPORT FOR THE LIBERTY-MINDED:
- The Free State Project already has at least two members in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. FSP members have a head start on electing members to office to work within the political system to reduce the size and scope of government.
- Numerous members of the state House of Representatives and former Governor Craig Benson have publicly voiced support for the Free State Project and/or have established alliances with FSP members.
- New Hampshire citizens have already elected a large number of Libertarians to public office over the years. Presently, Libertarians hold 30 public offices.
- New Hampshire is well known for their first-in-the-nation Presidential primaries that will provide Free Staters with UNMATCHED leverage in the national debate.
QUALITY OF LIFE:
- New Hampshire cities have been ranked multiple times in Money magazine’s “The Best Places to Live in America.” The state offers easy access to the seacoast, lakes, rivers, mountains, forests, picturesque New England towns, and historical homes.
- Whether your ideal home is oceanside, lakefront, mountainside, or riverside, New Hampshire offers the ideal spot. Whether you desire a thriving metropolitan area, a quaint New England town, a large acreage homestead, or an isolated cabin deep in the forest, you will find it here.
- http://freestateproject.org/nhinfo/topreasons
It’s a question of lesser evils. Yes there are bad cops and courts in NH, but name me one place on earth that’s more liberty-friendly then NH.
As I said before, the state governments can create whatever law they want. To expand, they can make whatever law(s) they want to appear on paper… but at the end of the day, they act like every other government, and to expand, governments always break their own rules… This is not arguing for the lesser of the two evils, you are arguing for the same evil, except one looks better on paper than another.
NH loves the FSP for this… the State says, “look at our laws, they are less ‘evil’ than other states.” and the FSP says,“your laws are cool! ( or atleast better than other states) so in that case, we are going to encourage people to move to NH!” and the State says,“Awesome, more money for us! But not only do we get more money, but we know have this title of being a ‘libertarian’ state, even though we act like every other government.”
So your essentially saying that the FSP is a hoax/semi-hoax?
Where you are inside a state makes all the difference in the world. I was involved in a home defense situation in Klamath Falls, OR… the police didn’t even bat an eyelash at the fact I owned a firearm and didn’t hassle me a bit and the prosecutor was completely sympathetic to my position. I now live in the Portland metro area and the aura projected by the police is completely different… very militarized, very aggressive and pickayune. I had a cop request to search my vehicle for “illegal guns or drugs” after I was pulled over for driving at night with only my running lights on (I had just pulled out of a parking lot and I was just about to flip them on when he saw me). I’m a wimpy nerd, what the hell about my appearance or the appearance of my little Kia car could have possibly sent this guy into hyper-guns-and-drug-enforcer mode I have no idea. I can’t imagine how many legal problems I would have if I were forced to defend my home in this area.
Clayton -
I think the whole idea of FSP is unsound and liable to simply attract fanatics. There are plenty of places in the world much freer than anywhere in the United States - Doug Casey believes that Argentina is, all-in-all, the best place in the world to be at the moment. Jim Rogers is in Singapore (not exactly a model libertarian society, but at least a man can do business). The idea of building up a “critical mass” for the creation of a “libertarian society” is rather absurd. The world is what it is, people are what they are, political systems are simply symptoms of the underlying sickness.
Clayton -
no, I never claimed that. re-read what i said…
We need to think about the liberty movement strategically. The only way I can see it working out is if all liberty-minded people move to one state and campaign to privatize everything that the state has a monopoly on. How else can we achieve liberty? Once the other states see how well a free NH functions under anarcho-capitalism (or something like it) they’ll want to switch over to something similar.
Wow, you act like the individuals in government act like they have common sense… If only that were the case…
@Freedom4Me: But such a strategy implicitly assumes the use of said monopoly to achieve its eradication. You intend to use “social activism” and other means to lobby, push and pull the political system to be something other than it currently is without ever changing the root problem with the State: its dual law/morality. The legitimate hypocrisy (dual law/morality) which is the granite foundation on which all State power rests cannot be changed within the system of dual law/morality. A zillion crackpot strategies have been proposed to this end since at least the late 18th century, most of them are obviously wrong and the few that have been tried, despite their insanity (e.g. Marxism), have resulted in unprecedented human suffering. The “primitive” cultures of the American West, Somalia, Afghanistan or the pre-Islamic Bedu had it right… nobody but nobody has a right to wave a gun or sword around and order others to do their bidding. Anyone acting this way, no matter what uniform they’re wearing, no matter what badge they have on, no matter how many “votes” they have received, is just a criminal and liable to be taken out by anyone with an inclination to do so. Until there is a change in the culture of modernity away from our millenia-long faith in the central command model of society and toward a faith in the natural capacity of humans to cooperate with one another without central command, we are doomed to slavery and subjugation by the Elites.
If you really want to challenge the State, start with a moral reformation in your own life - refuse to accept the sanctioned aggression of the State as legitimate. Then tell others about what you have learned. Most will not listen. A few will. And don’t get wrapped up in evangelism, one man can’t change the world. Instead, focus on building your own wealth and securing your family and its legacy against the depradations of the Establishment.
Clayton -