jakethesnake
guy who cried about wrestling being real
Joined: 03 Feb 2006
Posts: 6245
Location: airstrip one |
| How Free is your state? |
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NH #1. Live free or die baby! Perhaps with somewhat subjective and arbitrary "rules" but nevertheless here it is:
http://mercatus.org/freedom-50-states-2011 |
Tue Jun 07, 2011 10:52 am |
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Confidential
Joined: 23 Jan 2004
Posts: 2041
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CA- least free according to their anti-tax, anti-labor, neoliberal definition of "personal freedom." |
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Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:13 am |
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jakethesnake
guy who cried about wrestling being real
Joined: 03 Feb 2006
Posts: 6245
Location: airstrip one |
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Confidential wrote:
CA- least free according to their anti-tax, anti-labor, neoliberal definition of "personal freedom."
Do you disagree? CA passed, then revoked, a bill for allowing same-sex marriage. CA is regressive.
Just because you can walk down the street smoking a blunt and get a slap on the wrist doesn't give the state a free pass. Like I said the definitions seem to be subjective, but are fairly assessed.
Quote:
Contrary to popular perception, California not only taxes and regulates its economy more than most other states, it also aggressively interferes in the personal lives of its citizens. California simply needs to cut government spending. The budgetary categories most out of line with the rest of the country are administration, social services, environment and housing, and “other.” Labor laws are extremely strict, of course; for instance, California is one of only five states to mandate short-term disability insurance. Health-insurance coverage mandates add about 49 percent to the cost of premiums in the state. Eminent-domain reform has been cosmetic, and the state’s liability system almost reaches the abysmal quality of the Deep South’s. On personal freedoms, California does well on same-sex partnerships and marijuana, but it also has the most restrictive gun laws in the country, a highly restrictive policy regime for motorists, and smoking bans. The state’s civil asset-forfeiture regime is arguably the best in the country, apart from North Carolina’s, which has only criminal forfeiture.
Policy Recommendations
Repeal some health-insurance mandated coverages, such as acupuncture, orthotics, IVF, home health care, dental anesthesia, and bone-mass measurement.
Cut state spending in the categories in which spending is well above national averages.
Relax labor laws to boost employment, such as repealing short-term disability and paid family leave mandates.
Simply put, CA has far more laws, regulations, and taxes than most states. |
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Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:17 am |
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redball
Joined: 12 May 2006
Posts: 6849
Location: Northern New Jersey |
#49 on the list and probably the only place I'd move would be to #50. Freedom means different things and I am very much unencumbered by this survey's findings of a lack of freedom. |
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Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:57 am |
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Confidential
Joined: 23 Jan 2004
Posts: 2041
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jakethesnake wrote:
Confidential wrote:
CA- least free according to their anti-tax, anti-labor, neoliberal definition of "personal freedom."
Do you disagree? CA passed, then revoked, a bill for allowing same-sex marriage. CA is regressive.
Just because you can walk down the street smoking a blunt and get a slap on the wrist doesn't give the state a free pass. Like I said the definitions seem to be subjective, but are fairly assessed.
Quote:
Contrary to popular perception, California not only taxes and regulates its economy more than most other states, it also aggressively interferes in the personal lives of its citizens. California simply needs to cut government spending. The budgetary categories most out of line with the rest of the country are administration, social services, environment and housing, and “other.” Labor laws are extremely strict, of course; for instance, California is one of only five states to mandate short-term disability insurance. Health-insurance coverage mandates add about 49 percent to the cost of premiums in the state. Eminent-domain reform has been cosmetic, and the state’s liability system almost reaches the abysmal quality of the Deep South’s. On personal freedoms, California does well on same-sex partnerships and marijuana, but it also has the most restrictive gun laws in the country, a highly restrictive policy regime for motorists, and smoking bans. The state’s civil asset-forfeiture regime is arguably the best in the country, apart from North Carolina’s, which has only criminal forfeiture.
Policy Recommendations
Repeal some health-insurance mandated coverages, such as acupuncture, orthotics, IVF, home health care, dental anesthesia, and bone-mass measurement.
Cut state spending in the categories in which spending is well above national averages.
Relax labor laws to boost employment, such as repealing short-term disability and paid family leave mandates.
Simply put, CA has far more laws, regulations, and taxes than most states.
Do I disagree that we aren't free? probably not. I was commenting on the political motivations of this survey; clearly business class interests. |
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Tue Jun 07, 2011 12:27 pm |
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jakethesnake
guy who cried about wrestling being real
Joined: 03 Feb 2006
Posts: 6245
Location: airstrip one |
I guess I'm not following. What business benefits from this? Whose political motivations? |
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Tue Jun 07, 2011 12:34 pm |
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Confidential
Joined: 23 Jan 2004
Posts: 2041
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The quote that you posted is recommends repealing labor laws, lowering taxes, cutting spending. These are all pro-business mantras. To the working class, this means cutting university funding, firing teachers, raising tuition, cutting medical and cal-works. It isn't hard to find the libertarian agenda motivating this survey - "you can smoke pot and gays should get married just don't tax the wealthy corporations or provide health care for poor people."
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Tue Jun 07, 2011 12:49 pm |
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jakethesnake
guy who cried about wrestling being real
Joined: 03 Feb 2006
Posts: 6245
Location: airstrip one |
It definitely has a libertarian twist, that's obvious. New Hampshire has such a high rank because of 0 income and 0 sales tax though, and things like a lack of seatbelt laws, eminent domain laws, cigarett bans, etc. These are liberties that everyone in the state is afforded. Not because we give businesses tax cuts.
Governator Arnold fucked California over (including his mistresses), whether you get the data from Libertarians or not, you can't deny this. If I were you I'd look at this data and be pissed.
edit: and are you trying to say that George Mason university isn't a valid source? You listed a former attorney general and a nobel prize winner on the board of directors. Did you look at it first?
You are forced pay for someone else's In-vitro fertilizations. What is your idea of freedom anyway? |
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Tue Jun 07, 2011 1:22 pm |
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AdamBomb
Joined: 05 Mar 2004
Posts: 3136
Location: Louisiana |
Louisiana is among the least free? Where else has a city where bars are open all night and you can carry your drink from bar to bar. Drive through daquiri stands? There's gotta be a few bonus points in there, cmon. |
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Tue Jun 07, 2011 2:17 pm |
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anomaly
Loserface
Joined: 22 May 2008
Posts: 2399
Location: DFW, TX |
I couldn't help but think of this....
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Tue Jun 07, 2011 2:53 pm |
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redball
Joined: 12 May 2006
Posts: 6849
Location: Northern New Jersey |
jakethesnake wrote:
You are forced pay for someone else's In-vitro fertilizations. What is your idea of freedom anyway?
My idea of freedom is having the option to make decisions about my family without an insurance company telling me that it's too expensive. It allows a level playing field where not only the rich are able to afford to have a child if they have fertility issues. |
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Tue Jun 07, 2011 2:56 pm |
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AdamBomb
Joined: 05 Mar 2004
Posts: 3136
Location: Louisiana |
redball wrote:
jakethesnake wrote:
You are forced pay for someone else's In-vitro fertilizations. What is your idea of freedom anyway?
My idea of freedom is having the option to make decisions about my family without an insurance company telling me that it's too expensive. It allows a level playing field where not only the rich are able to afford to have a child if they have fertility issues.
I don't think insurance normally covers this anyway, no? Everyone I know who has had invitro had to shell out some serious $$$ |
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Tue Jun 07, 2011 3:16 pm |
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jakethesnake
guy who cried about wrestling being real
Joined: 03 Feb 2006
Posts: 6245
Location: airstrip one |
redball wrote:
jakethesnake wrote:
You are forced pay for someone else's In-vitro fertilizations. What is your idea of freedom anyway?
My idea of freedom is having the option to make decisions about my family without an insurance company telling me that it's too expensive. It allows a level playing field where not only the rich are able to afford to have a child if they have fertility issues.
Ok, fair enough. What about the right to pump your own gas?
edit: and yes Adambomb most states don't require it to be covered. Hence, in part, why Louisiana is "more free" than New Jersey, based on the assessment. |
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Tue Jun 07, 2011 3:18 pm |
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crash
Joined: 07 Aug 2003
Posts: 5441
Location: the chocolate city with a marshmallow center and a graham cracker crust of corruption |
so if they did this same analysis for the world, somalia would top the list, no? |
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Tue Jun 07, 2011 3:22 pm |
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phataccino
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 4767
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"The right to pump your own gas"? That's really your fall-back? I live in one of only two (I think) states that have laws mandating that gas station employees pump gas instead of motorists. I have never once felt my rights infringed by not being able to pump my own gas. I have, however, found it to be a slight nuisance at times and a great convenience at others. |
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Tue Jun 07, 2011 3:25 pm |
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