Made the Top Ten

[VBshooter]

VA made it to the Top Ten in a study of freedom conducted on various elements of life there... We did OK here in VA and a lot of the others were no surprise,,,,

http://mercatus.org/freedom-50-states-2011

State Freedom Rankings
1. New Hampshire
2. South Dakota
3. Indiana
4. Idaho
5. Missouri
6. Nevada
7. Colorado
8. Oregon
9. Virginia
10. North Dakota
11. Florida
12. Oklahoma
13. Iowa
14. Texas
15. Georgia
16. Tennessee
17. Kansas
18. North Carolina
19. Alabama
20. Utah
21. Wyoming
22. Arizona
23. Nebraska
24. Mississippi
25. Wisconsin
26. South Carolina
27. Michigan
28. Arkansas
29. Montana
30. Vermont
31. Pennsylvania
32. Kentucky
33. Maine
34. Minnesota
35. Louisiana
36. West Virginia
37. New Mexico
38. Connecticut
39. Delaware
40. Washington
41. Illinois
42. Ohio
43. Maryland
44. Alaska
45. Rhode Island
46. Massachusetts
47. Hawaii
48. California
49. New Jersey
50. New York

[Pumbaa]

Well, I certainly made the right move 2 summers ago! NY to VA!!!! HHHooooAAAAHH!!!!

[zephyp]

If you click the link and glance at the map it closely resembles an election map....liberal states = slave states...

[Pumbaa]

Funny, I was going to post the same thing and a map. NH is an interesting study, I think the elections get tilted to liberal there because of the number of Massholes that move right over the border, and they commute to Boston. It's the rest of the state that is really free, much like western NY. You go out there and people ride around with guns in the window of their pick-ups! Look at a NY election map and other than downstate, Buffalo and I think Syracuse that shifts lib. All other portions of NY vote conservative.

[VBshooter]

I haven't heard the term Massholes in years,,, I worked at Seabrook Nucelar Plant and that's what they were called then.

Also noted other New Englanders were known as...........

Maine = Maniac
New Hampshire = Bubbas (Local term for Seabrook residents)
Connecticut = Conmen
Vermont = Vermin
Rhode Island = Rhodies

All of us from the South were just addressed as Damn Rebels and that was easy to live with, Could have been worse..

[Pumbaa]

From friend Dennis work Seabrook many years ago too. I grew up there from 2nd grade until right after college. Stayed in the North East until I got smart enough to move my butt out!

[gatlingun6]

I wonder who funds this group.

[allingeneral]

NH is an interesting study, I think the elections get tilted to liberal there because of the number of Massholes that move right over the border, and they commute to Boston. It's the rest of the state that is really free, much like western NY. You go out there and people ride around with guns in the window of their pick-ups! Look at a NY election map and other than downstate, Buffalo and I think Syracuse that shifts lib. All other portions of NY vote conservative.

Illinois is the same way. Most of the state is conservative - except for Chicago, which ruins the rest of it.

[VBshooter]

I,ve spent a lot of time in RI working and at one time it was pretty much a wide open state.When the influx of MA money moved into RI as a suburb to Boston and a very large amount of ocean realty became available the state slowly became the little Californiesque craphole it is now.

[CCFan]

I wonder who funds this group.

Tell you what. Find a report that lists them in the exact opposite order of this report, then I'll take the bait.



<-- me waiting......

The Mercatus Center at George Mason University is a 501(c)3 not for profit organization and is supported by foundations (58%), individuals (40%), and businesses (2%) from across the country. Mercatus does not receive financial support from George Mason University or any federal, state, or local government.

Oh, and

Mercatus scholars do not do directed research or research for hire. Researchers select their own projects and are committed to the highest standards of academic quality and credibility for our research procedures and products.

We ensure our standards through rigorous internal review, peer review, and a transparent process for selecting and undertaking research projects.

While the credibility of the research any organization produces should stand on the quality and reliability of that research alone, more is often necessary. Mercatus strictly adheres to a stated Policy Regarding Independence of Research.

(http://mercatus.org/about)

Happy?

[Palladin]

If you click the link and glance at the map it closely resembles an election map....liberal states = slave states...

Yup!

[Palladin]

@ CCFan -


Propaganda is funded, the Truth stands on its own two feet.

[gatlingun6]

I wonder who funds this group.

Tell you what. Find a report that lists them in the exact opposite order of this report, then I'll take the bait.



<-- me waiting......

The Mercatus Center at George Mason University is a 501(c)3 not for profit organization and is supported by foundations (58%), individuals (40%), and businesses (2%) from across the country. Mercatus does not receive financial support from George Mason University or any federal, state, or local government.

Oh, and

Mercatus scholars do not do directed research or research for hire. Researchers select their own projects and are committed to the highest standards of academic quality and credibility for our research procedures and products.

We ensure our standards through rigorous internal review, peer review, and a transparent process for selecting and undertaking research projects.

While the credibility of the research any organization produces should stand on the quality and reliability of that research alone, more is often necessary. Mercatus strictly adheres to a stated Policy Regarding Independence of Research.

(http://mercatus.org/about)

Happy?

****************************************************************************************************************
Actually no, my original question was WHO funds this organization not WHAT funds the organization. So the question remains unanswered. You see I could do research to show that a pig is a prince based on what I select to include, and how I weight each part of the study. Interesting that someone would call so-called liberal states slaves state. Wall Street has to be laughing at that. Look they say, they are crowing about how free they are, while we are making most of the money and when we crash they make up our losses, such a deal.

Gat6

[CCFan]

Actually no, my original question was WHO funds this organization not WHAT funds the organization. So the question remains unanswered. You see I could do research to show that a pig is a prince based on what I select to include, and how I weight each part of the study.
Gat6

And I could do research on people who can't do research and conclude they must be liberals. Your point? You and I aren't "Peer reviewed", the organization cannot do hired research (which you are implying that this study is) and I could prove that Mother Theresa was the largest donor to the recipient of this research and you wouldn't be happy if God Himself spoke through a burning bush to you verifying Mother Theresa did in fact fund them...

[Tweaker]

I wonder why AK is so low on this list?

[zephyp]

Interesting that someone would call so-called liberal states slaves state. Wall Street has to be laughing at that. Look they say, they are crowing about how free they are, while we are making most of the money and when we crash they make up our losses, such a deal.

Gat6

The fact that WS is in NYC and its is a police state is mere coincidence...WS is ran by those bloated with greed which consists of ill mannered people from all walks of political beliefs...and I dont think the elite rich suffer loses when the market experiences a so called crash...too many smart folks there move their money around as often as they do their twitching grins...my honest guess is that most of them get even richer when the market crashes...they dont particularly get our money from that...we just end up with less which makes their already insanely huge pile seem even larger...

[wylde007]

Colorado - where it is ILLEGAL to harvest your own rainwater - ranked above Virginia!?

Astounding.

[Palladin]

Ah, the three W's that wars are fought over, Water, Wittles(victuals) and Wimmen!

[gatlingun6]

Interesting that someone would call so-called liberal states slaves state. Wall Street has to be laughing at that. Look they say, they are crowing about how free they are, while we are making most of the money and when we crash they make up our losses, such a deal.

Gat6

The fact that WS is in NYC and its is a police state is mere coincidence...WS is ran by those bloated with greed which consists of ill mannered people from all walks of political beliefs...and I dont think the elite rich suffer loses when the market experiences a so called crash...too many smart folks there move their money around as often as they do their twitching grins...my honest guess is that most of them get even richer when the market crashes...they dont particularly get our money from that...we just end up with less which makes their already insanely huge pile seem even larger...

***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Mr Z No one could say you minced any words. Seemingly, however, this leaves you with a bit of a problem. Neither party is completely on the side of Main Street VS Wall Street. Democrats believe in a more regulated Wall Street, where as Republicans astonishingly, want less to no regulation of Wall Street. I say astonishingly because the disaster that befell us came in that part of the market that developed into a $1 trillion business but was totally and completely unregulated.

Even modest changes by President Obama were opposed by Republicans. Such as not permitting banks to raise credit interest rates without warning, and the swipe fee controversy that found retailers, and the President on one side, and the banks and Republicans on the other side.

I don't know what political party you claim, if any, but looks like you might have a problem.

Gat7

[zephyp]

@Gat6 - as I have stated before I do not claim allegiance to the republican or democrat party...and as a matter of fact that goes for all parties. I pull the lever for the person who I think will do the right thing. Regarding affiliation I align closest with the Constitutionalists...

IMHO there are probably about a dozen politicians in congress who are honestly working towards keeping their oath of office. Most of them IMHO are corrupt and/or are pursuing selfish or specific interest goals...most IMHO are also wafflers, liars, cheats, or whatever other label you would apply to an undesirable.

I blame the election system than panders to a good ole boys network that tries to let no outsider in and a congress allowed to police themselves and a great number of voters who try to vote themselves money and benefits...

I offer no solution as IMHO there is no easy one...I see few alternatives left to get our country back on track where we have a congress truly interested in abiding by their oath and truly driving a "non-partisan" agenda focused on preserving rights stipulated in the Constitution for us and future generations....yes, there are a few other things they need to do...like reading the Constitution and deciding to color within the lines of the enumerated powers...