Freedom in the States (Townhall.com) April 15, 2013

As lots of wealthy business leaders depart California for Texas, Florida, Nevada and elsewhere, everyone assumes it’s because of high state taxes, and in part it is.

But a new study from the Mercatus Institute on freedom in the 50 states reminds us that there is more to state government than just taxes, there is also regulation versus individual liberty.

Can you guess the freest states? In order: The Dakotas, Tennessee, “live free or die” New Hampshire, and Oklahoma.

And the least free—“we’ll tell you what size soda to drink” New York and “we can overregulate everything” California. Is it any coincidence that business owners and investors are rushing to leave California and that New York has lost 9 percent of its population in the last two years? I think not.

Individual liberty still matters.

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