Free Republic

Today we’ve released The Human Freedom Index, a new report that presents a broad measure of personal, civil, and economic freedom around the world. It is co-published by the Cato Institute, the Fraser Institute (Canada) and the Liberales Institut (Germany), and is the most comprehensive index on freedom yet created for a globally meaningful set of countries.My co-author Tanja Porcnik and I look at 76 indicators in 152 countries to capture the degree to which people are free to engage in voluntary exchange and enjoy major liberties such as freedom of speech, religion, and association. We also include measures...

The Freedom Index: A Congressional Scorecard Based on the U.S. Constitution rates congressmen based on their adherence to constitutional principles of limited government, fiscal responsibility, national sovereignty, and a traditional foreign policy of avoiding foreign entanglements. The percentages below are cumulative scores are based on key votes from 1999 through 2013. Click on a senator's or representative's name to get a detailed breakdown of his or her voting record. Senators: Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky - 93%Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas - 90%Sen. Mike Lee, Utah - 90%Sen. Ron Johnson, Wisconsin - 86%Sen. James Risch, Idaho - 84%Sen. Jeff Flake, Arizona...

We’re No. 9! America has slipped one spot since last year — from earth’s eighth-freest economy in 2010, according to the 2011 Index of Economic Freedom. This 17th annual report, jointly published by the Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal, sifts through the wreckage caused by government’s turbocharged acceleration during the Bush-Obama years. America’s slump in the rankings (we’re down from No. 5 in 2008) confirms the urgent need for Washington to revitalize free markets and restrain government intervention. Among the 179 countries examined in the Index, Hong Kong is ranked first, followed by Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland,...

Some say we live in a “free society.” Others say we are marching toward communism. How free are you really? In a study from the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, political science professors William P. Ruger and Jason Sorens decided to find out. “Freedom In The 50 States: An Index of Personal and Economic Freedom” measures a number of variables beyond the usual economic measures, including, “measures of social and personal freedoms such as peaceable citizens’ rights to educate their own children, own and carry firearms, and be free from unreasonable search and seizure.” And why did the authors...

Pacific Research Institute ranks the 50 States. 1. Kan. 11. Ariz. 21. Mont. 31. Wash. 41. Mass. 2. Colo. 12. Nev. 22. Fla. 32. W. Va. 42. N.J. 3. Va. 13. S.C. 23. Ark. 33. Alaska 43. Ohio 4. Idaho 14. Ind. 24. N.C. 34. Mich. 44. Minn. 5. Utah 15. S.D. 25. Ala 35. Hawaii 45. Penn. 6. Okla. 16. Iowa 26. Tenn 36. Vt. 46. Ill. 7. N.H. 17. Texas 27. Md. 37. N.M. 47. R.I. 8. Del. 18. N.D. 28. Miss. 38. Wisc. 48. Conn. 9. Wy. 19. Ga. 29. Ore. 39. Ky. 49. Calif. 10. Mo....

Retiring to the sofa after turkey dinner tomorrow, most Americans may feel they have little in common with the Pilgrims of Plymouth Rock. But one defining feature of 17th-century Americans remains: We still migrate for freedom. American mobility is legendary and the notion that it is driven by a desire for liberty is the basis for the methodology behind the Pacific Research Institute's U.S. Economic Freedom Index released last week. Kansas is America's freest state while New York -- home of the Statue of Liberty -- ranks at the bottom. The Index uses five categories -- fiscal, regulatory, judicial, government...

<p>In the 2003 Index of Economic Freedom, released today by the Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal, the big story is Europe. Six of the 10 freest economies in the Index are in North America or Europe and half of all "free" economies are in Europe. European politicians may cling to the rhetoric of socialism, but on much of that continent, economic liberty is gaining ground.</p>