Here's something you probably haven't heard about. It's called "The Free State Project". The plan is for 20,000 people who favor individual rights and smaller government to move to a specific state in the U.S. The following is taken from the web site: What can activists for liberty do in a single state? A great deal. They could repeal state taxes and wasteful state government programs. They could end collaboration between state and federal law enforcement officials in enforcing unconstitutional laws. They could roll back gun control and drug prohibition. They could end asset forfeiture and abuses of eminent domain. They could privatize utilities and end inefficient regulations and monopolies. Then they could use their political leverage to negotiate appropriate political autonomy for our state. That last part just refers to the 10th Amendment. This is not a cult, commune, secessionist or militia group. It's just a group of people who will move and vote. After the move, the group would most likely form a non-partisan league to unite and co-ordinate with various political parties to promote candidates who share their views(basically issue a voter guide). Most of the group leans libertarian, but they don't want to get tied to any one political party. So far, about 2600 people have signed on as members. When the group reaches 5000 members, the state will be chosen. The candidate states are Alaska, Delaware, Idaho, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming. These ten were chosen primarily because of low population and low population growth. Obviously, the group will have more of an impact in a state with less people. The best chances for success seem to be with Vermont or Wyoming. The web site has discussion forums, but you should read the FAQ on the main page first. You don't have to sign the letter of intent to read or post on the forums. The site and forums are pretty interesting, although the idea probably won't go over too well with the left wing types. Any thoughts, comments? Here's the link: www.freestateproject.org Snake
that is a good concept, but they will NEVER be able to gain the critical mass of people needed to make it work. surfer
This one may be worth watching...I don't think I would sign up or move, but it shows the level of frustration beginning to build in our country...
Won't work. Problem is, wherever you go......there you are. Anyone who studied American history knows how difficult it was for the 13 Colonies to come to resolution....and that was a group of extremely brilliant individuals, who were galvanized against King George. No way you are ever going to get a bunch of Libertarians together and get them to agree to a common cause, make the necessary compromises, etc. Just look at the history of the Libertarian party today, and see how screwed up they are, and all the infighting that goes on. Never happen, never. Libertarians have some good ideas, but most of them are wackos personally.
I think the move will happen, it's just a question of how many they will get. They may never get the 20,000, but they definitely will get the 5,000, probably by summer. Even if half of them "chicken out", that's still 2,500 activists. That's quite a large number of activists moving into a small state like Vermont or Wyoming. Optional777 isn't kidding about the infighting, Libertarians argue over everything, and yes , some are very eccentric. The very nature of libertarianism(and third parties in general) is bound to attract free thinkers. However, not all of the FSP membership are "hardcore" libertarians. Many are disgruntled Republicans and Independents. The whole point of the FSP is just to get them to move to one state. There is no plan to have just one major organization. Different groups for different causes will form in the chosen state(although they would co-ordinate as best they can). Of course, some of these groups already exist in the states. Vermont, for example, has groups supporting property tax reform, marijuana decrim, etc... They would welcome more support to their causes. Hopefully , on election day, the individuals who made the move will all generally vote "pro-freedom". They will certainly not be able to march in and "take over" the state. There will always be opposition parties, so I agree that they will not be able to create some purist libertarian state, but I think they could still have a major impact. I'll join them, but my expectations are realistic. When you sign up, you can opt out of states you won't move to, so there's no risk. I would move to Vermont or Wyoming anyway, and as a remote trader, I can easily do so. www.freestateproject.org Snake
its a cool idea. Basically the problem is getting critical mass and then having a snowball effect. You can't say it will never happen, you can only say its difficult. Personally I am too entrenched to pick up and move, but I would cheer them on, and I would feel better knowing that i had a place to run if things got ugly where I live. The free state to the liberty minded would be like israel is to the jews, most will never live there but its a sort of homeland that makes everyone feel better.