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New Hampshire - Libertarian Utopia?

From the Nashua (N.H.)Telegraph via Buck at The Conservatarian's Guide to the Galaxy:

"The Free State Project – a group that hopes to make a U.S. state into a free society – claims it now has about 4,440 members, and expects to reach the 5,000-member mark by next month.

Hitting that goal would realize a dream for many Free State members. At that point, members would choose one of 10 states from a list that includes New Hampshire, aiming to find a state that would make an ideal home for a “sphere of liberty.�"

Now I'm not a libertarian: I agree with them on many issues, especially fiscal matters, but my core beliefs are a bit different I think: we've reached many of the same principles and positions, but have taken different paths to get here.

Nonetheless I support the Free State Project: if it succeeds, I would definitely consider relocating there. I think it'd be great to see some more diversity among state governments in the US. Other than the requirement to be a republican form of government and provide constitutional rights to its citizens, I don't believe the Constitution prescribes many requirements to the states. There are other models beside the semi-socialist one all 50 states currently have in more-or-less virulent forms. What if there were 5 or 6 different models? What if California became a hard-left socialist parlimentary democracy and New Hampshire went minimalist/libertarian and (say) Michigan devolved power to metropolitan areas? The US would be a free marketplace of governments, with citizens and corporations free to relocate where the government best suited them. Wouldn't that be cool?

Posted by Tim at July 26, 2003 02:40 PM