billcoe Posted June 12, 2011 Posted June 12, 2011 http://mercatus.org/freedom-50-states-2011 Somewhat subjective. Quote
stevetimetravlr Posted June 12, 2011 Posted June 12, 2011 None of us are free anymore Bill. Freedom died with George Bush and Martin Luther King, the Kennedys, and Lynrd Skynyrd....... Quote
el jefe Posted June 12, 2011 Posted June 12, 2011 mercatus center is a propaganda machine for the koch bros. leave it to billcoe to promote the values of the super-rich. Quote
Off_White Posted June 12, 2011 Posted June 12, 2011 (edited) I missed the part where they counted surveillance cameras and the number of innocent people freed from death row on overturned convictions. On the other hand, I think it would be great if a bunch of people moved from oppressive WA state to be free in South Dakota. Edited June 12, 2011 by Off_White Quote
AlpineK Posted June 13, 2011 Posted June 13, 2011 On the other hand, I think it would be great if a bunch of people moved from oppressive WA state to be free in South Dakota. I'd help put on a party for freedom seeking residents leaving the state. Quote
Crux Posted June 13, 2011 Posted June 13, 2011 I'm in a deranged state. More guns, please. And Kochs too. I want some more Koch brothers too. Quote
bstach Posted June 13, 2011 Posted June 13, 2011 USA is the Land of the Free...it says so right in your hockey song. Quote
G-spotter Posted June 13, 2011 Posted June 13, 2011 You guys should do like the other USA, the Union of South Africa. Orange Free State has "Free State" right in its name. Washington could become "Apple Maggot Free State" Quote
billcoe Posted June 14, 2011 Author Posted June 14, 2011 Coming in last: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/slaves_of_new_york_yO0DTfKbiTExNWFBYd3oeL "Slaves of New York State is dead last in liberties By CARL CAMPANILE Last Updated: 10:32 AM, June 14, 2011 New York's notoriously high taxes and public spending, combined with restrictive "nanny" policies, make it the "least free" state in the country, a new study has found. The Empire State ranked 50th in George Mason University's biannual "Freedom in the States" rankings. "New York has by far the highest taxes in the country," the study reads, citing steep levies on property, income and corporations compared to other states. The high taxes, in turn, fuel massive spending, according to the analysis by George Mason's Mercatus Center, a libertarian think tank. "Spending on public welfare, hospitals, electric power, transit, employee retirement . . . are well above national norms," concludes the report, which covers the 2007-through-2009 period. Ranking worst in the categories of economic freedom and fiscal policy, New York also landed near the bottom for the categories of personal freedom (48th) and regulatory policy (40th). The study cites New York's restrictive gun-control and anti-smoking laws and sky-high cigarette taxes and the Big Apple's ban on trans fats. The researchers also slam New York's "excessive" home-schooling regulations and its strictest-in-the-nation health-insurance rules. The authors rap New York for curbing the rights of individual property owners. "Eminent domain abuse," the report says, "is rampant and unchecked." On the plus side, the report praises New York for relaxing its marijuana laws. Co-author Jason Sorens said New York has the opportunity to improve its freedom rating, thanks to actions taken this year by Gov. Cuomo and the state Legislature. "Cuomo insisted on balancing the budget through spending cuts rather than tax increases. It will help New York's rating down the road," said Sorens, a political-science professor at the University of Buffalo. Sorens also said New York could move out of the cellar with across-the-board tax cuts and additional trims in spending and by reining in home-school regulations. And he said New York will score significant points if Albany passes a law to legalize gay marriage, which he considers an advancement of personal freedoms. "The most liberal state in the country can surely find the political will to legalize same-sex partnerships of some kind," he said. But for now, Sorens said, New York is a "nanny state" and "the least free state" Joining New York near the bottom of the list are Massachusetts, Hawaii, California, and New Jersey. The top five "freedom" states are New Hampshire, whose motto is fittingly "Live Free or Die," South Carolina, Indiana, Idaho and Missouri. Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/slaves_of_new_york_yO0DTfKbiTExNWFBYd3oeL#ixzz1PH7HpvaS" Quote
j_b Posted June 14, 2011 Posted June 14, 2011 After the Koch Bros propaganda, it's Rupert Murdock's propaganda via the New York Post. FREEDUMB! Quote
prole Posted June 14, 2011 Posted June 14, 2011 CIGARETTE TAXES AND TRANS-FATS BANS TODAY, TOMORROW THE DEATH CAMPS!! Quote
prole Posted June 14, 2011 Posted June 14, 2011 ...brought to you by the Partnership Against Financial Regulation. Quote
rob Posted June 14, 2011 Posted June 14, 2011 Dude, it's not just cigarette taxes. IT'S GUN-CONTROL!!!!!! What would Paul Revere think????????????!!!!?!?!?! Quote
rob Posted June 14, 2011 Posted June 14, 2011 Yay, #2 in Freedumb! LOL, nice. BTW, this, apparently, is the face of a free american. "KILL 'EM!!!" Quote
j_b Posted June 14, 2011 Posted June 14, 2011 interesting how the ranking of the freedumb list is almost opposite that of median household income: Household Median Income by State The wingnuts really try hard to make "slavery is freedom" ever more actual. Quote
AlpineK Posted June 14, 2011 Posted June 14, 2011 You're only free if everybody has guns and actively defends their freedoms with guns. "Honey can you pick up a few cases of bullets on the way home from work. I'm starting to run low on messages of freedom." Quote
JayB Posted June 14, 2011 Posted June 14, 2011 Only major surprise there was that Oregon scored so high on the list. Wonder what bits of policy made that happen. Quote
JayB Posted June 14, 2011 Posted June 14, 2011 Answer: "This issue of Mercatus on Policy focuses specifically on Oregon and how it compares to other states in its fiscal, regulatory, economic, and personal freedom. Oregon shows the greatest improvement by any state over the previous version of this index, leaping up 14 places to become the 8th most free state in the country overall and the freest state in the Pacific Northwest. This gain is due mostly to a big improvement in the quality of the state’s court system, a substantial decline in tax collections (from 9.7 to 8.8 percent of personal income), and the enactment of same-sex civil unions. Policy makers from other states seeking to make their states more free would do well to learn from Oregon’s example." Quote
G-spotter Posted June 14, 2011 Posted June 14, 2011 Look how oppressed they are in Montana. Montana was the state Jared Diamond used as an American example in "Collapse". Quote
rob Posted June 14, 2011 Posted June 14, 2011 Answer: "This issue of Mercatus on Policy focuses specifically on Oregon and how it compares to other states in its fiscal, regulatory, economic, and personal freedom. Oregon shows the greatest improvement by any state over the previous version of this index, leaping up 14 places to become the 8th most free state in the country overall and the freest state in the Pacific Northwest. This gain is due mostly to a big improvement in the quality of the state’s court system, a substantial decline in tax collections (from 9.7 to 8.8 percent of personal income), and the enactment of same-sex civil unions. Policy makers from other states seeking to make their states more free would do well to learn from Oregon’s example." Just put a bird on it. Quote
j_b Posted June 14, 2011 Posted June 14, 2011 in other words, taxation is slavery but a non-living wage is liberty. Freedumb now! Quote
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