The Free State Project...opinions?

[d_goddard]

more with each passing day (and i'm not a member of the libertarian party).

A lot of people felt that was the case back in the early '80s, too.
See Milton Friedman's prefaces to both editions of _Free to Choose_ -- by the 2nd edition, he's breathless over how much Freedom is becoming popular in the USA.
Reagan was elected, and his first inaugural speech had that great line, "Government is not the solution to the problem; Government is the problem."

I know it may seem pessimistic, but I'm just using history as a guide.

 

[jblosser]

We've been in the Lion's back yard for 100 years now. We still have no income tax, no sales tax, no adult seat belt law, no helmet law, the smallest governemnt in the US, we have the lowest tax burden in the continental US, we're an open-carry state with must-issue CCW system, we have an Executive Council system which allows three people to overide ANY spending bill over $5000, I could keep going on.
What is it specifically that makes you so much freer in TX that you would give up that opportunity?

JM

Sorry, forgot to look for replies.

If I didn't have kids the things you list would probably be the most important to me, but the biggest issues to many families right now are the ones that have to do with parental freedom. Having the state in your face is always a problem, but when it involves them telling you how to raise your kids it's about as bad as it gets. The choice becomes either to let the state tell you how to raise your kids -- that is, let the state decide what tools they take into their future -- or go against the state and risk the beast that is CPS if you have a nosy neighbor or someone who gets a wild hair and makes "that" phone call and turns the eye of sauron in your direction. Seat belt laws don't compare.

With that in mind, if I compare TX and NH on some common parental freedom issues, I find TX is currently better. One major example, home schooling. Compare
http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp?State=TX with http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp?State=NH

Note all those "none" entries for requirements in TX. Those aren't omissions -- TX does not regulate either private schools or home schools (which under the law are private schools). In comparison note that NH has mandatory record keeping and testing. These may seem minor but time after time in our history these minor things are used to extert control. It's the entire reason the "shall issue" you cited becomes such an issue for CCW licenses. For lack of a better term, TX is a "shall issue" state when it comes to homeschooling. NH is not. As one example where this is relevant consider the common "socialization" attack against home schoolers. While it is mostly bunk, it is something parents have to work at, and many states make it harder by limiting how much groups of home schooling families can interact with each other without tripping an even more onerous set of "private school" regulations and reporting requirements. In TX it just isn't an issue; we're already a private school by defaut and we can do all the cooperative teaching and shared lessons we want. (Note, I don't know the specific status of coop teaching in NH right now; it could be perfectly fine, the point is that the kinds of regulations they have right now have often led to local abuse and further overregulating.)

 

[RedLightning]

How is NH on gun rights? Are there any permits needed to buy certain firearms?

 

[d_goddard]

How is NH on gun rights? Are there any permits needed to buy certain firearms?

Partial answers below. More details at this NH Gun FAQ:
http://freestateblogs.net/nhgunfaq

Q: What do I have to do to buy a gun in New Hampshire?
A: Go to a gun store, a gun show, or a private party selling a gun, and give them money.

Q: How do I get a license or a permit to buy a gun?
A: You don’t.

Q: How do I register my guns?
A: You don't.

Lastly, see the background description and ESPECIALLY the videos of what happens when one elected gun-grabber tries to pass even a small dose of gun legislation (hint: we packed HUNDREDS of people into the hall, they had no choice but kill the bill!)

http://freestateblogs.net/sb44

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8047016128665007678&hl=en

 

[SeekLiberty]

I just wanted to know what people thought about this. I really think it's a great way to make political change, and now that Dr. Paul is in the spotlight, it can be talked about to his supporters seriously.

They are awesome. Free State Wyoming and Free State New Hampshire are great examples.

- SL

 

[jgmaynard]

NH ROCKS on gun rights, and our homeschooling laws are gettting better, thanks to the Free State Project. One of our members was responsible for writing the bill and pushing it through to take away most regulations that were there.
We'll take a second pass by that one soon enough. I'm sure there are people working on it now.

JM

 

[paulpwns]

I'm moving after I graduate