50 States Ranked By Personal And Economic Freedom

George Mason University's Mercatus Center has issued a report ranking the 50 states by levels of personal and economic freedom.

Before you continue reading, can you guess the bottom 5 states?

POST WHAT YOU THINK THE BOTTOM 5 ARE BEFORE READING!

It will be fun to see how peoples perceptions line up with the report - mine were very, very close. Two of them should be obvious.

Read the full report here.

Article and abstract here.

This paper presents the first-ever comprehensive ranking of the American states on their public policies affecting individual freedoms in the economic, social, and personal spheres. We develop and justify our ratings and aggregation procedure on explicitly normative criteria, defining individual freedom as the ability to dispose of one’s own life, liberty, and justly acquired property however one sees fit, so long as one does not coercively infringe on another individual’s ability to do the same.

This is an annual report and the ranking dont change too much year after year.

The bottom states are always big blues like NY, CA, MA, NJ, RI, CT and always HI because of it's massive welfare population.

Any of those are in the five. Perhaps all of them.

NH is always number 1. Another reason we were out in front of the state building this afternoon armed and angry about their little backroom and unconstitutional deal.

My bottom 5 in no particular order:

California

New Jersey

Maryland

New York

Massachusetts

Now lets see how I did...

reply to post by mnemeth1


Bottom five, in no particular order:

Massachusetts
California
New York
Florida
Maryland

No real reason for picking any of these besides Massachusetts because I used to live there.

reply to post by mnemeth1


A free market think-tank telling us states with economic regulations aren't "free"? You don't say.

Alaska and South Dakota seem to do very well in these rankings. surely these must be the economic superpowers where everyone lives to enjoy the freedom surplus, right? ...Right? Hello?

Originally posted by TheWalkingFox
reply to post by mnemeth1

 

A free market think-tank telling us states with economic regulations aren't "free"? You don't say.

Alaska and South Dakota seem to do very well in these rankings. surely these must be the economic superpowers where everyone lives to enjoy the freedom surplus, right? ...Right? Hello?

Money doesn't always equal freedom.

Edit to add: Often the opposite is the reality.

[edit on 23-12-2009 by FortAnthem]

I think the bottom far are liberal states... Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, California

Least freedoms-

1 New York
2 California
3 Michigan
4 New Jersey
5 Cannot think of another offhand

Most Freedoms-

1 New Hampshire-due to free state movement
2 Wyoming-due to state declaring FU to the Fed about guns
3 Texas-due to its very theory of isolationism
4 unknown
5 unknown


I will now read the report and see how I did.

Just have to say, FREEDOM, keep the Hell out of my life!

West Virginia
Louisiana(I live here...it sucks)
Mississippi
South Dakota
Georgia

Originally posted by TheWalkingFox
reply to post by mnemeth1

 

A free market think-tank telling us states with economic regulations aren't "free"? You don't say.

Alaska and South Dakota seem to do very well in these rankings. surely these must be the economic superpowers where everyone lives to enjoy the freedom surplus, right? ...Right? Hello?

It must gall you that the word "free" is in "free market". The statist tyrants haven't found a way to vilify the word "free" yet, but they have successfully vilified the word "market".

That aside, each state is ranked in 3 areas, personal, economic, and regulatory freedoms; then given an overall score.

The overall is what I'm asking for, but the liberal wonderlands score the lowest on all three.

Hooray my state is one of the lowest. (NJ)

I wasn't surprised at all. usually liberal/blue states are less free than the red states out west.

Anyone looking for a roommate in Alaska, North Dakota, or Colorado?

Fiscal and regulatory freedom.

I will not comment to allow the others to see their own perceptions.

Freedom is perceptual.

If a man lives in a prison, and does not know he lives in a prison does he still live in a prison?

Freedom no longer exists!

Originally posted by ugie1028
Hooray my state is one of the lowest. (NJ)

I wasn't surprised at all. usually liberal/blue states are less free than the red states out west.

Anyone looking for a roommate in Alaska, North Dakota, or Colorado?

Yeah, my state isn't far behind.

I find it humorous that liberals equate freedom to authoritarian regulatory government. I honestly don't understand how people can actually want so much government control over their life.

reply to post by endisnighe


Excellent thought provoking little quip my friend. It makes me think of another: walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage.

I would say that no if one does not believe they are in prison they are not. To be imprisoned is to feel imprisoned I would imagine. The only perception that matters is the individual.

Excellent little though provoker

Cheers

Without looking:
New Jersey
Massachusetts
Connecticut
New York
Virginia

Dang, I meant to put California in there, flipped Virginia/Maryland (DC Area), and missed Rhode Island for MA/CT.
I knew New Jersey/New York would be there though, I just left 22 years of New Jersey behind me.

[edit on 23-12-2009 by Dogdish]

didn't even have to read the list to know my state ranks well.

we are really big on our personal freedoms up here.

I will never move out of this state.

i personally believe it to be one of the best places to live in the world.

altho some remote part of new zealand might be better

posting what I think are the bottom 5

California

New York

Maryland since thats where the political heads gather

hmmm lets see Im stumped after that because I live a rather sheltered life so i will take wild guesses

Texas
...

Michigan

Ohio

thats six... oh well this is pretty fun cant wait to read the results XD

reply to post by thebulldog


Perception IS the reality.

If you BELIEVE you are free, you are FREE. That is unquestionable.

If you believe you will ultimately derive freedom, that, is reality.

I am free, once they try to institute me to a prison, I will walk with angels.

To envision your own persecution, by the very insipid values of our government, is the very prison I speak of.

Release your chains and say NEY, I will not submit, to you tyrannical ways. Then, at that time, you are free. No matter if you exist in the prison, or out of it! For you know you are free.

I will except prison or death for my beliefs, can they say the same?!