Well, yes. Except for one thing: we aren't a bunch of hicks who can be bought, sold, or manipulated. That is the real reason why I, and most other Granite Staters, resent them choosing us. I don't think that's unreasonable. The whole idea that we are dumb and easily manipulated is patently offensive, and if you do some research into the movement they were looking for a rural state with a small population of people who were, in so many words, uninformed. How would you feel?
I think that the Libertarian party has alot of good qualities, and that these are the extremists. Hell, anybody who would pack up and move somewhere totally new on the basis of a political experiment has to be an extremist. I think that licensing from the government, despite a few drawbacks, is in place for a very good reason.
Hey everybody, let's all become Freestaters and give everybody, including the blind and illegal immigrants, drivers' licenses! Hmmm....
And you thought they drove bad in Mass!!!
I've read some of their material. It seemed to me that they were looking for a state with a relatively small population which already had a lot of libertarian leanings. The small population aspect was so that 20,000 political activists could come in and make a difference by evangelizing about how nifty freedom from government nannyism is.
"The whole idea that we are dumb and easily manipulated is patently offensive, and if you do some research into the movement they were looking for a rural state with a small population of people who were, in so many words, uninformed. How would you feel?"
As I mentioned before, I'm a southerner. I probably have more exposure to this sort of attitude than you realize. I'm also quite familiar with the Free State Project. I'd call myself a "small l" libertarian; I will vote for the Libertarian candidate if there is little potential consequence from doing so, and vote Republican when it really matters. The reason New Hampshire was chosen had nothing do to with a sense of disdain for NH natives; on the contrary, they believed and still believe that you have the most in common with them. That is a very important distinction... they respect you and your views and your style of governance, with a relative lack of government interference.
I've had to learn to accept that my hometown and county are going to change. It's not something that can easily be halted, no matter how much I might want it to be. Many, if not most, of the "outsiders" that I have to deal with really do believe that we natives are ignorant hicks. This is a belief that goes back centuries. The Free Stater "outsiders" you're having to deal with chose to come to your state because it was seen as the one place most hospitable to them, with people who came the closest to agreeing with their beliefs. I'd trade our arrogant yankees for your Free Staters in a heartbeat. Wanna swap?