March 23, 2009, - 11:46 am
How Free Are You? Depends on Your Home State
By Debbie Schlussel
Some states are freer than others. That obvious statement applies not just to some countries versus others, but some American States versus others. The Mercatus Center of George Mason University ranked each of the United States by lack or presence of restrictive laws. But the study is purely libertarian. For example, while I think that most gun ownership restrictions are objectionable, I don’t support lax marijuana laws or gay marriage and partner benefits statutes (which, in many cases, are statist and less free, in that they require companies to provide gays with benefits). This study takes a blind eye to all of these laws and weighs them equally.
In addition, even though we have a law permitting gun owners to obtain a license to conceal and carry a gun, the restrictions on where you can and can’t carry it would make your head spin, and I view them as VERY restrictive. This study doesn’t take that into account–and instead only makes a positive judgment because you can conceal and carry in Michigan.
Still, it’s interesting, and the obvious states, New Hampshire and New York, are the respective most and least free States.
The index of personal and economic freedom, developed by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University in Arlington, Va., is wide-ranging and comes from an individual-rights perspective.
The study, released late February, ranks New Hampshire, Colorado, South Dakota and Idaho as most free. New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island and California are ranked as the least free.
By the researchers’ measure, ordinances such as seat-belt laws and sobriety checkpoints “count as notable infringements on individual liberty.”
The index also issued freedom demerits for alcohol regulations, including taxes on beer, wine and spirits and “blue laws” that prohibit Sunday alcohol sales.
Laws that allow residents to carry concealed handguns are considered good. As are relatively lax marijuana laws.
The study also lists “paternalistic” government activities: bicycle and motorcycle helmet laws, regulations requiring motorists to carry personal injury insurance, home- and private-school regulations and campaign-finance rules and asset forfeiture laws that allow government to take property without a conviction of the owner. . . .
The researchers – political scientists William Ruger of Texas State University and Jason Sorens of the State University of New York-Buffalo – note that no one area of the country nor political party appears consistently to offer citizens more freedom. Much has to do with state politics and a state’s social attitudes.
For example:
* California, ranked 47th in overall freedom, is more lenient on marijuana and same-sex partner laws, but its laws are tougher on gun owners, motorists and smokers. Labor laws are also strict. The study cites California as one of five states that require short-term disability insurance.
* Mississippi, ranked 25th, has high taxes and “eminent domain abuse has not been curtailed,” the study says, but it is one of a few states without an open-container prohibition for car passengers, and regulation of home-schooling is minimal.
* Florida, ranked 22nd, does not have a personal income tax, but its property and general sales taxes are higher than average, the study finds.
* New Hampshire, ranked first, has among the most liberal gun laws in the USA, although a permit is required to carry a firearm in a car, the study says. The state lacks a motorcycle helmet law (though it has a bicycle helmet law) and is the only state without a seat-belt law for adults.
I was surprised to see that my own State of Michigan is the 14th most free state, since I thought my state would be on the less free side. That makes the states on the less free end of the list really sound like relative gulags.
We need to wait a few years – Obama and the Feds want to remake the country in the image of Illinois and New York. You ain’t seen nothin’ with American gulags yet. Coming to a state soon nearest you!
NormanF on March 23, 2009 at 1:49 pm