Kathleen
Libertarians who are involved with the Free State Project always seem incredibly optimistic that they can reform the legislative practices in New Hampshire within our lifetime.
To someone jaded by the political process in the northeast (like yours truly), this sounds naïve at best. Sure a liberty activist can move to New Hampshire, but they’ll swiftly be canceled out by some other BoSox fan being taxed to death in MA who can’t associate his leftist voting record and its practical consequences.
But once you start seeing resident leftists crying bloody murder about new changes, you know an orient towards liberty is on the rise. This insipid op-ed (at first I thought it was satire) from two ill-informed lefty New Hampshire residents is probably the best testament to the Free State Project’s success yet.
The misinformation presented in the piece is embarrassing. Even the “facts” are wrong. For instance, NH public employees who are retired or vested in their pensions will see no changes. What is more disconcerting, though, is their confusion between liberty and statism. Second amendment rights are translated as “[thinking] that any criminal from anywhere should be able to come to [NH] to buy a gun.” School choice is “[not thinking] that children should have to go to school.” So on and so forth.
I would recommend the Wilburs to move out of New Hampshire since the FSP is only gaining more momentum. (It sounds like their paradigm is relatively nearby anyway.)
Maybe they will make room for someone who can appreciate the progress made in the Granite State.
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Comments
Kathleen,
Great post. I live in NH and have seen the state take a turn for the worst over the last 10 years. MA residents have been moving to NH in droves to escape the high taxes and legislative insanity.
The part of this story that amazes me is that these idiots then vote to implement the same insanity in NH that has destroyed the great state of MA.
My comment to Mike and Anne Wilber is:
Don't let I-93 hit you in the ass on your way out of the Live Free or Die state. If you wish for the changes outlined in your post, then the nanny state of MA is the place for you. Good riddance!
freedm-fighter,
Exactly my point! Good luck to you in the coming years 🙂
You know, the idea intrigues me, but I moved south to NC from WI to escape winter and NH has winter… But good luck to you! I wish you success that can transplant to other (warmer) states!
Hi Kathleen,
I too live in NH, and I am very pleased with the progress made by the conservative majority since the election. What people seem to forget is that under Jean Shaheen and her horrendous 6 years the NH budget DOUBLED. Other than a brief slow-down during the farcical admin of Benson, we have continued that pace… until now. In fact, the "Draconian" cuts that are implicit in the budget being proposed by the Republicans merely take us back to 2008-ish levels of spending. If it was good enough for the Democrats in 2008 (and people were not being thrown into the street with their can of dog food and a can opener), why can't it be OK now?
Thanks for posting this. Keep in mind, the system of government in NH is closer to the people than any other type of government in the world that I have heard of. In small towns, the people vote on the budget line by line. There is a state representative for every 3300 people. The governor is elected every two years and shares power with an elected executive council. State reps and state senators only make $100 per year.
And as for legislative reforms. It is very possible in NH. I was at hearings for two pro-liberty bill today. Both bills already passed the house and are now in the senate. I was the only person that wasn't a state rep, personal representing a government agency, business, or special interest that testified on either bill. So with more people we could accomplish much, much more up here.
That said, things are going pretty well in NH compared to everywhere else, http://www.ronpaulforums.com/forumdisplay.php?253-New-Hampshire
Sorry, but the abuse of workers has no place in the free market. As a native New Hampshirite and an anti-statist, I'm disgusted by the bill and the fact that state employees will have to face all this crap. As I blogged about the other day, the public-sector unions are NOT what's being parasitical; the state is. Why not support the unions and push them to take over their workplaces themselves without the need for the state?