See how well your state ranks in freedom: http://mercatus.org/sites/default/files/publication/Freedom_in_the_50_States.pdf (page 18 has overall ranking).
Interesting and a bit surprising. Thanks for sharing.
We find that the freest states in the country are New Hampshire, Colorado, and South
Dakota, which together achieve a virtual tie for first place. All three states feature low
taxes and government spending and middling levels of regulation and paternalism.
I am surprised because we are surely sliding in the wrong direction, but apparently everyone else is sliding too.
http://www.freetheworld.com/efna2010/Complete-Publication-CA.pdf
This is for Canada and the US. We all need to move to Alberta.
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS A CARTEL AGREEMENT BETWEEN STATES SO THEY CAN COLLUDE AND RAISE PRICES >:U
Tru dat.
How do they measure this? I would be interested to know.
I’ve always thought that South Dakota has some of the most restrictive measures on social issues like abortion. Then again I could be wrong.
#1. Reppin’ the Granite State. Hope y’all move up here like I did some day. Keene and Manchester have to be the highest in per capita anarcho capitalist cities in the world. Heck we might even be up there in terms of gross numbers.
Do you figure that New Hampshire’s rating has any correlation with the Free State Project? Seems plausible.
Also, for anyone wondering about the provinces here in Canada. Provinces != states.
Provinces are only granted jurisdiction over matters that are explicitly set out. The Harper government has been moving towards more decentralization, but somehow I doubt with a minority government that anything will really get done.
Seems like economic freedom = nothing is going on.
New York and California have the biggest economies. But the most regulation and restrictions.
It depends a lot on density. Most larger cities in Texas have booming economies.
We all need to move to Alberta.
Seeing how Alberta was only ranked third, I have to ask this: why not Texas or Delaware?
Colorado doesn’t surprise me; it has the largest amount of registered libertarians as a percentage of population in the US.
Damn, I didn’t expect Michigan to score that highly in the regulation subject and in fiscal policy. Our state has been overrun by Democratic-Union zealots. At least in mid-Michigan where we used to have an auto-industry
They made a mistake in stating that Michigan has no minimum wage. A minimum hourly wage of $7.40 is actually enforced in the state. I feel like it’s too obvious an error, so maybe I’m missing something.
Their treatment of my state, NJ, was spot on.
I should know 7.40 is the minimum wage. That’s what I make (but I’m only in college ). The interesting thing is that the operation that I work at is having real financial issues and they’d probably be helped if they paid people slightly fewer in wages. There’s a possibility that the entire operation may have to go under, and probably wouldn’t have to worry about it if the government wasn’t so busy “regulating.”
I’m from Arizona and I agree with what it said.
Jan Brewer may be stupid, but I do love her gun laws. I don’t think we need a concealed permit anymore.
True.
Correct. Non-felons can carry concealed weapons without a permit.
The original design was for the US states to have more power than the federal government, and the opposite in Canada. And sure enough, the situations were flipped in both countries, with Canadian provinces enjoying more federalism than American states have had for some time.
I think you hit on something interesting. The explicit powers tend to be interpreted liberally over time, which set precedents for implicit powers in the future. This might explain why the Canadian provinces and the US federal government both have outgrown their original design.
Do you figure that New Hampshire’s rating has any correlation with the Free State Project?
I’m FSP mover #103, and I got here over 5 years ago. (Just giving some creds)
I would say the FSP probably hasn’t had that much impact yet that it would seriously change the rating. Right now I personally know of 4 Free Staters in the state house, and they’ve done some good work; but the culture here just seems more free already. We’re hopeful that we can at least double and possibly triple the number of Free Stater reps this election, but it will still take years before the impact is that big.
But with every person that moves, things get a little better. Come join the fun! Gain the early mover advantage, and be a liberty leader. I feel the love every day, and being an early mover means I am friends with hundreds of movers and shakers.
Massachusetts is #43. Yikes.