Posted on 07/01/2009 9:30:20 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Compiled by the Mercatus Center, a nonprofit public policy research center affiliated with George Mason University, using a wide swath of comparative data to determine personal freedoms, including alcohol and drug laws, asset-forfeiture rules, and education regulations.
1. Maryland
2. Illinois
3. New York
4. Rhode Island
5. Ohio
6. New Jersey
7. Massachusetts
8. Alabama
9. Georgia
10. South Carolina
Gov O’Malley award bump
relieved not to see California on there. But we all know that is coming down the pike with all the environmental restrictions on cars etc. Unless the train gets derailed.
I’m surprised that NH, the “Live free or die” state with no income tax is not on the list of best states for personal freedom.
Good point. States have ridiculous and draconian restrictions on various things depending on the local political culture (e.g. Alabama has absurd sex-toy laws, Massachusetts has absurd gun laws, etc).
Though I fully expected New Jersey to be on this list, it may be the best state to home-school your child. Virtually no regulations. I’m so grateful for the strong home-school lobby in this state.
Ping
Actually, the weighting is about right — a government threat to jail you for unapproved conduct weighs much more heavily than a mere demand to write a check.
I’m not seeing it — the study defines anti-big-government standards fairly consistently across the board and weighting them by intrusiveness (with petty inconvenience, financial cost, and actual threats of imprisonment more or less in that order).
But....but....Maryland is the “free state”! How can this be?
It doesn’t matter anyway. Didn’t you hear that Michael Jackson just died?
Two southern politicians, bubba and joe bob, decided to go into business together selling watermellons. They scraped together some money and bought a truck and 100 mellons for a dollar a piece. They drove to Atlanta and sold the mellons on a street corner for a dollar a piece. At the end of the day bubba counted up the money and told joe bob “we didn’t make any money.” Joe bob replied, “I told you we needed a bigger truck.”
/johnny
Were they selling them in Washington DC? That may have been their problem.
Me2
Looking at the ten best and worst, it is clear the the people pitting the list together are smoking something.
A lot of this is based on the leftwing libertarian “personal freedom” agenda, gay power, dope, hookers, etc.
Quite impressive.
One author has a PhD and is currently serving in the US Navy in Afghanistan. Godspeed, sir.
Ping for later
No way is Maine second in line for personal freedom.
How can this be? In Maryland we have the best government officials money can buy!
Yep. Had to leave.
Amazing << Hear this. Feel this, and tell me that this isn't music.
Oh, dear...
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