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In short, I don't think it will hurt anything and it does stand a good chance of picking up a couple of smaller offices with right wing conservative and libertarian candidates if they consolidate - small town mayors, city councils, state legislators, county commissioners and the sort.

There is another thing to consider, low population states are generally low population for a reason: not too many jobs.

How many of these free staters would actually move when the time came? They would have to give up careers, friends, and location-dependant hobbies. I think many would reconsider when faced with making all these sacrifices all for the sake of some lower offices. To actually turn a state into a conservative bastion and make it worth their effort they'll need a hell of alot more than 20,000. See post #9

Official Totals for Wyoming: Gore 60,481 Bush 147,947.

20,000 is 1/10 of the total voters in the state.

The Free State Project's goal is NOT to create a 'conservative' bastion - you must misunderstand what liberty and freedom really mean if you equate these to conservatism. The only issues that conservatives might agree with are free market economics and deregulation, possibly 2nd Amendment rights also... Conservatives tend to abhor the possibility of actual civil freedoms like : no drug laws, legalized prostitution, gay-anything, and so on... I do not expect a whole lot of conservatives wanting to go anywhere near the Free State. The same can be said of Democrats: in their wildest nightmares could just the thought of abolishing public schools, welfare, Affirmative Action, and the host of other 'do-good' government programs they support. The thought of giving people their money back and letting charities and private organizations take care of the so-called 'poor' or indigent gives them the creeps - because then they don't have control of the funds to direct it to their pet programs...

BTW: The 20,000 are not exactly your 'normal' people - the idea is that these are activists who would discuss/debate... get publicity for... and show the reason and logic of libertarian ideas - by doing so they are expected to multiply the 'voting' libertarians...

There is another thing to consider, low population states are generally low population for a reason: not too many jobs.

You don't understand who these people are. They are Job Creators, Innovators, Entrepreneurs, Hard Workers and aparently well off enough to pick up and move confidently. Whichever state is chosen it will be very fortunate to recieve some of the best, brightest and most determined this country has to offer.

How many of these free staters would actually move when the time came? They would have to give up careers, friends, and location-dependant hobbies. I think many would reconsider when faced with making all these sacrifices all for the sake of some lower offices. To actually turn a state into a conservative bastion and make it worth their effort they'll need a hell of alot more than 20,000. See post #9

Perhaps you do not understand what a *pledged* porcupine is. I gave my word that I would do so, altering if not quite *giving up* career, friends and location dependent hobbies [and I HATE the idea that none of the viable choices were in the American South, but the numbers spoke for themselves. Someday....]

Neither am I teerribly happy about some of the Eastern locations, though events have turned my opinion around on two or three of the possible eastern choices, tythough I've made no secret that I favour a Western move, or possibly, Alaska, where I've previously resided, but where our initial effort will take longer.

So we shall see. But I gave my word and I'll keep it, and from what I've seen, most of my fellow porcupines are at least as serious about their intentions as I am.

-archy-/-

I hereby state my solemn intent to move to a state of the United States designated by vote of Free State Project (FSP) participants as specified in the Participation Guidelines of the FSP. Once this move occurs, I will exert the fullest practical effort toward the creation of a society in which the maximum role of civil government is the protection of life, liberty, and property. I have read and understood the Participation Guidelines of the FSP and agree to be bound by them.

It is not because of few jobs that NH has a low population but to the contrary, the jobs are plentiful for the educated and the hard working which directly causes the weak and the stupid from competing and moving here. NH is among the highest of mean family income in the union and is nearly the highest when it comes to education level. Take into consideration "old" money and the high value of property with all the lake front, mountain side, and sea shore homes and businesses one can figure it costs a lot to live here and folks are reasonably rich. We know liberals can't stand our values of hard work, personal organization (marrying right and staying out of trouble) education, and giving back to the community not in terms of taxes, so we do not vote for liberals. Liberals can feel and teach their feelings to others but they can not do, so I believe they show disdain for those of us who do and that act is to tax those of us who do to dis-incentiveize doing.

Please bring on the free state project.