Are you not satisfied with the amount of freedom where you live? Maybe it is your state that is not doing enough to satisfy your patriotic thirst for liberty. This week, the Cato Institute released their latest edition of “Freedom in the 50 States,” which ranks all 50 states in personal and economic freedoms.
To determine the most and least free states, the Cato Institute took more than 230 different variables of local and state governments into consideration. Data ranged on a number of topics from taxation, regulations, rent control, health insurance, franchising, incarceration, firearm, same-sex marriage, educational choice, alcohol and drugs, asset forfeiture, and travel freedoms.
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Florida was proclaimed to be the most free state in the U.S. according to the study. A major key to that factor is that Florida has no personal income tax and it recognizes same-sex marriage. Florida was ranked #1 in fiscal policy, 22nd in regulatory policy, and 11th in personal freedom. New Hampshire, Indiana, Colorado, and Nevada round out the top five freest states.
New York was named as the state with the least freedoms according to the research. The CATO Institute has ranked New York state as the worst for personal and economic freedoms every year since 2000.
“Debt is the highest in the country at 31.2 percent of income, and liquid assets are less than half that, at 14.2 percent of income,” the study says. “Economic freedom is the most significant weakness, but the state has not kept up with the rest of the country on personal freedom either.”
Hawaii, California, New Jersey, and Vermont round out the worst five states for freedom.
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