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July 21, 2011
The Ten States That Restrict Personal Freedom (And Those That Protect It) Read more: The Ten States That Restrict Personal Freedom (And Those That Protect It)
24/7 Wall St.
by Douglas A. McIntyre, Charles B. Stockdale, Michael B. Sauter
Can you guess the identity of the least-free of these United States?
- New York
> Fiscal freedom: -0.471 (lowest)
> Regulatory freedom: -0.90 (11th lowest)
> Personal freedom: -0.191 (3rd lowest)
> Net Migration (2000-2009): -8.9%New York is the least free state in the country. According to the report, this is because it has the lowest rated economic freedom and the third lowest rated personal freedom in the country. The state has the highest taxes in the nation, with above average property, selective sales, individual income, and corporate income tax rates. Government spending on “public welfare, hospitals, electric power, transit, and employee retirement” is all well above the national averages. The state also has the second greatest debt as a percentage of the state’s economy in the country, behind only Alaska. The state is not much better when it comes to personal liberty. New York has among the strictest gun laws in the country, motorists are highly regulated, home schools are highly regulated, and cigarette taxes are the highest in the country — currently $4.35 a pack. Eminent domain “abuse is rampant and unchecked,” such as last year’s case involving the expansion of Columbia University and the Atlantic Yards program in Brooklyn.
NoLandGrab: Don't get us wrong — we're all for gun control, regulating drivers and cigarette taxes. It's the land-grabbing we have a problem with.
Posted by eric at July 21, 2011 12:01 PM