Posted on 03/28/2013 7:45:32 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
...None other than the legislative haunt of Gov. Andrew “confiscation could be an option” Cuomo and loathsome nanny-state Mayor Bloomberg, of course. George Mason University's Mercatus Center just released the third edition of their comprehensive "Freedom in the Fifty States" study, ranking "the American states based on how their policies promote freedom in the fiscal, regulatory, and personal realms." The researchers calculated in factors ranging from the states’ levels of government spending and debt, tax burden, property rights protection, and health insurance freedom all the way to their policies on alcohol, tobacco, gambling, marriage, and firearms. North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, New Hampshire, and Oklahoma took the top five freedom spots, while Rhode Island, Hawaii, New Jersey, California, and New York came in 46th through last place.
Gotta’ love federalism, am I right?
Among the 10 fastest-growing metro areas last year were Raleigh, Austin, Las Vegas, Orlando, Charlotte, Phoenix, Houston, San Antonio and Dallas. All of these are in low-tax, business-friendly red states. Blue-state areas such as Cleveland, Detroit, Buffalo, Providence and Rochester were among the biggest population losers.
This migration isn’t accidental. Workers and business owners are responding to clear economic incentives. Red states in the Southeast and Sunbelt are following the Reagan model by reducing tax rates and easing regulations. They also offer right-to-work laws as an enticement for businesses to come and set up shop. Meanwhile, the blue states of the Northeast, joined by California, Minnesota and Illinois, are implementing the Obama model of raising taxes on businesses and the wealthy to fund government “investments” and union power.
Almost matches up with which states are losing population and which states are gaining population...
Hard to believe CO is #2. Let’s wait and see how they factor CO’s latest gun control nightmare.
RE: Hard to believe CO is #2. Let’s wait and see how they factor CO’s latest gun control nightmare.
Things have changed in CO since last year. COL is now ranked number 19. HUGE FREEDOM DROP FROM LAST YEAR !!!
See latest map:
http://freedominthe50states.org/
The freest states rejected Obama.
Yep, look at all those toilets at the bottom. Not a surprise among them.
Probably the biggest surprises to me are Virginia and Alaska - - you’d think they could almost be switched.
Colorado is No. 2 in freedom? In light of recent gun legislation, I find that hard to believe.
Your right, Colorado is using the California model now.
Wyoming is colored the wrong color on that map. What’s up with that? Wyoming, where fireworks are legal, you can still find a bar where you can smoke, and they passed a law allowing the arrest of Feds that try to enforce gun laws....
Hmmmmm.
those two aren’t the reason... the millions of sheep that voted for them are the reason.
Woo Hoo!
Tennessee is #3
Go Vols!
RE: The freest states rejected Obama.
New Hampshire went Obama. So did Virginia ( ranked #8 this year ).
I live in New York State. It really is becoming like the former East Germany, without the Stasi. One party rule. Gov’t involved in every decision and petty detail of the individual’s life. Confiscatory taxes. No local power, everything decided elsewhere. Industry has fled and those that remain are somehow beholden to Gov’t incentives. To find opportunity, young people must flee west.
Oops. I stand corrected.
They must have had high voter fraud.
Massachusetts is New Hampshire’s neighbor. Many who work in MA (or used to live there) have MOVED to NH and established residence there.
That ought to explain how NH went Obama.
Colorado is not nearly close enough to the bottom on that map. It’s one of the least free states in our country, although, yes, many would pay fortunes to publicize otherwise. The State is regulated far beyond all reason—especially some of the prettier counties.
These maps and surveys are useless. All of the states are losing their freedom under the thumb of the federal government. When the states capitulate to the feds under the threat of losing federal funds, that means that you have already lost. To the political class in the individual states, pork and status trump individual rights.
Wrong on Wyoming, too. It’s far freer than New-Yorkish Colorado.
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