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The Free State Project in the Washington Post
The Free State Project's "Porc Fest"
gets written up by Associated Press
in the as printed in the
Washington Post. Some excerpts on how this attempt to
centralize libertarians in one state (New Hampshire) in order to
more swiftly move it in a libertarian direction is handled by
AP. the
Post:
The group now has 9,400 participants. About 450 have moved to New Hampshire, joining 250 already there.
The small band of Free Staters in New Hampshire has been trying both conventional and more novel strategies to curtail it government's role.
A number have run for office. Four have won seats in the 400-member state House of Representatives, the largest in the country. Free State activists have campaigned furiously against measures perceived as emblematic of excessive government, like a mandatory seatbelt bill and budget hikes.
Meanwhile, a group of mostly younger Free Staters have decided the best way to keep government in its place is to needle it.
One Free Stater spent 58 days in jail after filming in a courthouse lobby and refusing to give police his name. Behind bars, he preached the message of less government to fellow inmates.
Others have organized a crew to pick up garbage around a Manchester playground with handguns strapped to their hips, to test the right to bear arms. They've filmed police officers on patrol and judges on the bench.
They've even filed each other's nails on a public sidewalk, defying state requirements that manicurists be licensed, their cuticles defying the heavy hand of government.
The piece ends with a deadpan bit that seems to me clearly
designed to make the typical American newspaper
reader Post reader a
little nervous about Free Staters, though reasonable folk I suppose
could disagree:
Down to her last target, shooter Alicia Lekas nails it, although she seems an unlikely citizen soldier. Lekas makes a living teaching Scottish folk dancing. Her America is embodied in a story of the time a tree fell on a friend's house near Concord and, instead of waiting for government, neighbors responded with their own chain saws.
She says she can't imagine shooting a living creature, but she'll do it if the need arises.
"A bad guy might be the individual crook," the new rifleman says, "Or it might be somebody who's taken over government."
Either way, she's ready.
My December 2004 Reason magazine feature on the Free State Project.
UPDATED to reflect that it was not copy unique to the Post, but an AP story the Post ran.
Ecolibertarian|7.27.09 @ 6:59PM|#
The Fox News version of the AP story was quite a bit more skewed, with this fair & balanced title: "Free Staters Go Camping in New Hampshire -- With Rifles, Swords and Defiance." They also describe the event's location, a campground, as a "tent colony."
24AheadDotCom|7.27.09 @ 7:11PM|#
I agree in principle with the idea of centralizing libruhtarians
in one state, but I do have a minor quibble: N.E. is almost as good
as the S.W. While I generally rank the states there ME, VT, and
then NH, NH is still good despite being last.
How about AR or TN? Hey, even better: FL! It's sunny there, and
libruhtarians would fit right in. Plus, the alligators would... oh,
sorry, said too much.
Keith|7.27.09 @ 7:20PM|#
An AP reporter wrote the long article. It was published in
around 200 different places including the front page of Yahoo News,
FoxNews and MSNBC.com.
About Why NH was selected. The ten freest states with a low
population were looked at. When the FSP reached 5000 participants,
a vote was taken. NH was selected by the vote.
NH is the freest state in the nation. It's interesting that
24AheadDotCom mentioned AR and TN. I used to live on the TN/AR
border and moved to NH for greater freedom. NH is far more free
than AR, has a lower population, and a much more direct form of
government.
Try these on for size:
101 Reasons to Move to NH
http://www.freestateproject.org/101Reasons
Why NH? http://whynewhampshire.org/
The Freest state, NH
http://www.mercatus.org/PublicationDetails.aspx?id=26154
</|7.27.09 @ 7:28PM|#
Her America is embodied in a story of the time a tree fell
on a friend's house near Concord and, instead of waiting for
government, neighbors responded with their own chain
saws.
The government will remove trees for you?
And here I am using the private sector like a sucker.
24AheadDotCom|7.27.09 @ 7:44PM|#
Yes, but AR and TN are much, much better states. You
libruhtarians would like it better there. They're both fine states;
one was even the birth place of a recent president! No, really,
you'd like AR or TN much better.
OT: here's a video of
Howard Kurtz misleading the CNN audience.
The Angry Optimist|7.27.09 @ 7:47PM|#
you should talk: you rail against Mexicans and live in Southern California, lonewacko.
Other Matt|7.27.09 @ 8:07PM|#
"designed to make the typical Post reader a little nervous about Free Staters, though reasonable folk I suppose could disagree"-The two do seem mutually exclusive, don't they?
|7.27.09 @ 8:26PM|#
What is hurting the Free State Project is an issue near and dear
to Lonewacko:
Immigration. Too many Massholes have moved to NH.
|7.27.09 @ 9:28PM|#
OK I give up. You keep referring to some "Lonewacko" and I don't see any commenter with that name. Who the heck is Lonewacko...
Elemenope|7.27.09 @ 9:55PM|#
OK I give up. You keep referring to some "Lonewacko" and I
don't see any commenter with that name. Who the heck is
Lonewacko...
LoneWacko is the old handle of the current "24AheadDotCom", though
it has gone through many permutations between then and now. But to
us, he will always be LoneWacko (the capital W is important there).
Whenever he changes his handle, he is nonetheless easy to recognize
because of his claims to being the last true defender of liberty
against the encroachments of IllegalMexicanImmigrants,
ForeignPowersAndPrincipalities, and apparently, against the humble
spacebar. He hates us all, but most of all the Reason staff, who he
believes is in the tank for these nefarious forces.
Elemenope|7.27.09 @ 9:57PM|#
FWIW, my fiancee's father lives in Southern NH, and is sympathetic to the *goals* of the FSP, and he thinks they are fucking nuts. They are apparently locally very unloved; something about being, essentially, carpetbaggers.
Cal Lipigian|7.27.09 @ 9:59PM|#
They are apparently locally very unloved; something about
being, essentially, carpetbaggers.
Everybody has a little LoneWacko in them, I guess.
Elemenope|7.27.09 @ 11:20PM|#
Everybody has a little LoneWacko in them, I
guess.
The difference being that illegal immigrants usually come to the US
in search of a job with a decent wage. In contrast, the FSP people
are moving to NH with the explicit intention of upturning the
existing political order. It's not paranoia if they flat out tell
you that's what they're up to, no?
|7.27.09 @ 11:26PM|#
I don't think I will be a true Reason poster until I get in the honorary "shut the fuck up LoneWacko."
|7.27.09 @ 11:32PM|#
While I generally rank the states there ME, VT, and then NH,
NH is still good despite being last.
What the hell are you talking about, LoneDipwad? Maine is not a
particularly free state; it's just that its size and low population
density makes it seem "free". NH has vicious property taxes to
compensate for no income tax. And VT, while being quite beautiful,
has a lot of restrictions to keep things beautiful.
qwerty|7.27.09 @ 11:38PM|#
What is hurting the Free State Project is an issue near and
dear to Lonewacko:
Immigration. Too many Massholes have moved to NH.
This is a real problem. New Hampshire is becoming a suburb of
Boston, which is part of the reason why it has turned left over the
years. Wyoming would be a better choice. It has the lowest
population in the US, and little immigration from people who like
taxes and government.
|7.27.09 @ 11:43PM|#
Episiarch,
The property taxes weren't particularly bad until a state supreme
court decision redefined the meaning of the word "cherish" in the
state constitution and decided that it meant "fund" in regards to
education. Once the legislature passes some better language things
will be golden... hopefully...
The Angry Optimist|7.28.09 @ 1:07AM|#
FWIW, Milton Friedman endorsed the Georgian (Henry George) notion that real property should be the only thing taxed. Looks like NH followed that - it's not antilibertarian. It's anti-anarchist, but not all libertarians ascribe to that particular piece of fantasy.
Keith|7.28.09 @ 4:35AM|#
While many of the folks from MA drive aggressively, the movers
from MA to NH tend to be more likely to vote for small government
candidates than the average person in NH. Many of the NH/MA border
towns are the most Republicans places in NH.
Research shows that because of NH's great economy (compared to the
rest of the Northeast), many people from the Northeast are moving
to NH. These people tend to be like a lot of other people in the
Northeast and vote for big government candidates. But even not all
of them are bad.
About locals not liking FSP movers, I haven't personally
experienced anything negative (though lots of positives) but I know
other movers that have. Most folks I've met in NH seem to be glad
that I'm working to keep taxes very low (compared to most states),
work to legalize medical marijuana, help keep people from being
fined for not wearing a seat belt (as is the law in the other 49
states) and volunteer in my local community.
+ |7.28.09 @ 7:02AM|#
Choey | July 27, 2009, 9:28pm | #
OK I give up. You keep referring to some "Lonewacko" and I don't
see any commenter with that name. Who the heck is
Lonewacko...
The shorter answer: Reason-libs' obsession, a cliché.
|7.28.09 @ 7:36AM|#
I can't and won't speak for anybody else, but my family and I moved to NH for the Free State Project and have been absolutely thrilled with the state, the geography, the economic opportunity, and the people we have met here. Nobody is promising a rose garden, but if you're interested in living free and keeping the fruits of your labor, you should at least consider NH and the FSP as an option.
robc|7.28.09 @ 9:50AM|#
TAO,
A georgist property tax would tax the undeveloped land, not any of
the developments.
So, if you and I each owned an equivalent acre next door to each
other and I had a 800 sq ft shack and you had a 3000 sq ft mansion,
we would both pay the same Georgist property tax.
That isnt exactly how NH does it.
Zeb|7.28.09 @ 10:00AM|#
"That isnt exactly how NH does it."
That is very far from how NH does it. Developments are most
definitely taxed. Tax assessment is based on a supposed market
value which includes land and buildings (I assume that this is how
it is in most places). If you have a large piece of land which is
undeveloped, you can generally pay almost no taxes on it. You can
also do well with taxes if you find a cheap house in a rich
town.
I am curious, what property tax rates do people pay in other
states? I have always been told that our property taxes are high,
but I have never seen a direct comparison to other states.
|7.28.09 @ 10:10AM|#
I can't quote the millage rate but I do know that here in Alabama, property is taxed on 10% of the assessed value. I know a person with 3 acres of land. He has a 2400 sq ft doublewide mobile home. There is a pond, a 1000 sq foot shop, and an in ground pool. He pays less than 200 dollars a YEAR in property tax.
robc|7.28.09 @ 10:21AM|#
I am curious, what property tax rates do people pay in other
states?
I happen to have my car registration renewal notice on me, and it
breaks down the property tax I owe on my car:
State 0.4500
County 0.1660
Co School 0.5850
Fire Dist 0.1000
------
Total 1.3010%
I think my house is the same - however, my 2nd city taxes my house
(I live in two cities, the primary one is listed about as
"county"), but not my car.
Big Cat Kahuna|7.28.09 @ 10:32AM|#
The government will remove trees for you?
Indeed they do, and in my experience, fine you for not being
sufficiently prepared treewise to avoid the issue.
I think that is considered to be akin to the practice in Tucson of
charging citizens for emergency rescue if you drive into a wash.
Betty Blue|7.28.09 @ 10:43AM|#
" I'm working to...legalize medical marijuana"
If you really believe in freedom, you wouldn't condition MJ use on
a medical need.
Betty Blue|7.28.09 @ 10:45AM|#
"I am curious, what property tax rates do people pay in other
states? I have always been told that our property taxes are high,
but I have never seen a direct comparison to other states."
About $2K/year on an average home in Minnesota.
Joel|7.28.09 @ 12:16PM|#
Elemenope | July 27, 2009, 11:20pm | #
...the FSP people are moving to NH with the explicit intention of
upturning the existing political order. It's not paranoia if they
flat out tell you that's what they're up to, no?
Indeed, and that's what finally decided me about the FSP. Well,
that and the whole New Hampshire thing; who the hell would move to
a small NE state and really expect to change anything?
But my big objection was the presumptuous goal of gathering in one
place in sufficient numbers to overwhelm the current population and
then proceed to shimmy the political process to please themselves.
Why, one wonders, would the current residents object to
that? For that matter, what's even slightly libertarian
about that? Isn't that essentially using the coercion of the state
to force residents to be more free, or something?
The biggest single reason I don't self-identify as a Libertarian is
their stubborn faith in the political system. But no matter my
affiliation, if I were a NH native I'd fricking hate the
FSP. Go home, carpetbaggers.
|7.28.09 @ 12:48PM|#
"Isn't that essentially using the coercion of the state to force
residents to be more free, or something?"
So you understand why democracy is a sham, then? As it is, it is a
particular tool that is legally available to this group of people,
and by god they're going to use it if it will help them enjoy a
freer life in their lifetime. Besides, anybody can do this. Why not
have an opposing group of people move to NH in response to balance
the state? At least this isn't a violent coercion like would
normally be necessary to radically change the government.
|7.28.09 @ 1:38PM|#
Huh??
"Lekas makes a living teaching Scottish folk dancing."
I'm picturing the American type of folk dance named 'Clogging',
minus the rhythm, precision footwork, and coordination.
|7.28.09 @ 2:08PM|#
Isn't that essentially using the coercion of the state to
force residents to be more free, or something?
Removing coercive instruments from the arsenal of the state via
democratic action isn't forcing anyone to be anything.
robc|7.28.09 @ 2:53PM|#
The New Hampshire Motto is "Live Free or Die". So, in theory, the State of New Hampshire is already forcing resident to be free, under penalty of death.
|7.28.09 @ 3:17PM|#
I am far more interested in the Free Lunch Program.
http://www.freelunchproject.com/
Keith|7.28.09 @ 3:38PM|#
This doesn't explain a whole bunch of stuff but is a very simple
explanation of how property taxes work in NH.
The property taxes are made up of very low state (for schools) and
county taxes (roads, courts, sheriffs).
Additionally there is a local school portion of property taxes. The
local voters decide how much the school taxes will be but there are
lots of mandates from the state so they only have so much
leeway.
Finally, around 30 to 50% of property taxes are voted on by the
voters in town hall meetings and on ballots. The voters can set
this rate at just about any rate they want. In some towns the
voters decided to make the rates so that the overall average
property taxes for a household is around $4000 per year, while
other towns have decided on an average tax bill which ends up
meaning around $1800 in overall taxes.
As you can see, property taxes vary widely in NH. This isn't always
along party lines, either. In some towns highly dominated by
Republicans the average household pays around $3200 per year, while
it's a third less or so in some towns dominated by Democrats.
In the cities, the voters don't get to vote on the budget line by
line in town hall meetings (this does happen in most of the towns),
so the voters have less control over property taxes.
In the cities, the voters elect city councils which help decide the
property taxes. However, cities are allowed to have spending caps
which limit spending to around the increase of the CPI. Some
cities, even Democrat dominated ones, have voted to have a spending
cap.
wow|7.28.09 @ 5:42PM|#
I think it is funny that people are anti FSP on the reason
board.
@Betty Blue.. the total decrim bill failed this year.. so they are
going after medical mj first.
Many NH people don't like certain things that some FSPers do.. but
that is life. I met someone in an anti tax group that was railing
against how the FSPers are ruining NH... then I told them I was one
they said oh not your kind others.
Not all FSPers are the same.
oh and no income tax or sales tax.
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