July 2006

A Visit To The Free State

By Glenn Nielsen

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I just returned from ten days in the Free State of New Hampshire where I attended the Free State Project Porcupine Freedom Festival, the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance Dinner and toured the state researching where I would like to put down my roots when I move to New Hampshire.

What is the Free State Project?

The Free State Project is an effort to recruit 20,000 liberty-loving people to move to New Hampshire. Once there, they will exert the fullest practical effort toward the creation of a society in which the maximum role of civil government is the protection of life, liberty, and property.

The Free State Project is not affiliated with any political party, is not a political action organization, does not endorse or fund candidates for elective office or endorse legislation. Its sole purpose is to concentrate enough liberty-loving people in New Hampshire to not only stop further growth of government and encroachments on our liberty, but even reverse the trend and reduce the size of government and restore lost liberties.

Over 7000 people have committed to move to New Hampshire with more signing up every day. In Missouri, 127 people have signed up. Many have decided that they can't wait and have already moved to New Hampshire or are planning to move in the next few years as part of the The First 1000. Over 400 "Free Staters" are in New Hampshire and they are already having a big impact. Here is An Open Letter to All Libertarian Party Members from Shuvom Ghose on why he moved from North Carolina to the Free State of New Hampshire.

What convinced me I should move to the Free State?

I had known about the Free State Project for several years. This year, events in New Hampshire and here in Missouri convinced me the Free State Project can work. In March of 2006 I signed up and made a committment to move to New Hampshire.

For the last year and a half, I along with several other local libertarians have organized opposition to a proposed smoking ban in Columbia, Missouri. We created the Boone Liberty Coalition to be an advocate for personal liberty, economic freedom and property rights in Boone County Missouri.

We have been super-activists on this one issue and have had a great deal of success. We were able to build relationships with the media and get more coverage than we ever dreamed of getting in elective politics. We built relationships with local bars, restaurants, hotels and the organizations which represent them. We are viewed as a local grassroots organization which is a major player on this issue.

Although it looks like we will stop the proposed smoking ban in Columbia, it has taken all our energy to fight just this one issue. In the meantime, the inexorable march towards more government and infringements on our liberties continues in the small "progressive" midwestern university city where I reside. We just don't have enough activists to fight the battle for liberty on more than one issue at a time.

Then I noticed how early movers to the Free State along with native New Hampshire residents have been able to do the same thing in the last year. Not just on local issues -- but winning issues at the state level. And not just one issue but dozens of issues.

In Missouri we have been able to win a few battles for liberty but are losing the war. I decided I wanted to live in a state where there are enough liberty-loving super-activists to do more than just win a few battles -- but which can fight on multiple fronts at the same time with a real chance of winning the war.

Random observations from my visit to the Free State

The sales tax in Columbia is over 8%. You don't realize how conditioned you have become to pay these taxes until you actually shop at a store in a state where there is no sales tax. When I went to a store in New Hampshire to purchase two items, one cost $3.00 and the other $6.00, the clerk rang up a total of $9.00. I had already been reaching in my pocket for the necessary change to pay the sales tax!

There were over 300 people at the Porcupine Freedom Festival. I had a great time meeting new friends, learning more about New Hampshire and all the great work Free Staters are doing for liberty. I didn't get much sleep the first weekend of the festival. The smell of freedom in the air was so energizing I didn't notice the lack of sleep.

For those of you who are strong defenders of the second amendment, I noticed quite a few people openly carrying handguns. This of course is guaranteed by the New Hampshire state constitution.

The Republican candidate for Governor made a campaign stop at the Porcupine Freedom Festival. A festival of over 300 liberty-loving people where most of those attending consider themselves libertarians and the Republican candidate for Governor makes a campaign stop. What an eye opener! This alone shows how the Free State Project is having a big impact on New Hampshire politics.

New Hampshire is a beautiful state with mountains, lakes, rivers, trees, moose, and winding hilly roads.

I have to park across the street from where I work. There is a crosswalk posted with a yield to pedestrians but its a 50-50 chance whether a car will stop for you when you use the crosswalk. In New Hampshire the drivers are very courteous. It seemed like every driver would stop at a cross walk at the slightest hint someone wanted to cross the street.

Over 100 people attended the annual New Hampshire Liberty Alliance Dinner. Dozens of candidates for office were in attendance. Libertarians, Republicans and even a couple of Democrats. The publisher of the Manchester Union Leader was the keynote speaker. The Manchester Union Leader is privately owned and is the largest newspaper in New Hampshire. Here is the publisher of the largest newspaper in New Hampshire speaking to a political action committee founded by and organized by libertarians. Most of his remarks on issues were in defense of liberty and freedom!

My trip to New Hampshire not only validated my earlier decision to sign up for the Free State Project but convinced me I need to work hard to find a way to move to New Hampshire as soon as possible so that I can work with others towards "More Liberty In My Lifetime".