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[NightmarePatrol]

Here's an interesting article where states are ranked by "freedom." 

Here's the Executive Sumary:

This study comprehensively ranks the American states on their public policies that affect individual freedoms in the economic, social, and personal spheres. It updates, expands, and improves upon our inaugural 2009 Freedom in the 50 States study. For this new edition, we have added more policy variables (such as bans on trans fats and the audio recording of police, Massachusetts’s individual health-insurance mandate, and mandated family leave), improved existing measures (such as those for fiscal policies, workers’ compensation regulations, and asset-forfeiture rules), and developed specific policy prescriptions for each of the 50 states based on our data and a survey of state policy experts. With a consistent time series, we are also able to discover for the first time which states have improved and worsened in regard to freedom recently.

[lifefeedsonlife]

Cool.

[Jayhawk]

"freedom" in this survey is quite a relative term.

I don't feel oppressed because any wacko can't just ride around with an unregistered gun in his car that he bought privately without a background check.  Or that we pay sales taxes on the things we do (though i oppose some of the proposed expansion). Or that you can't just open a private school or homeschool without some semblance of credentials. Or that bars must have nonsmoking sections.

And for N.Y., what does a recommendation that transit systems be privatized and rate-regulated have to do with freedom?

This whole study is just meaningless bullsh!t that has little to do with the everday definition of freedom.

[NightmarePatrol]

Freedom is generally use in it's relative context. Quite often it will be blurred with other terms becase what is free to some it objectionable to others. The states were compared fairly. I doubt any study where any subjectivity comes into play is going to be accepted by everyone. I just ran across and though it was interesting.

[Puffin]

Number 5.
 
Frankly, no matter where I lived I never felt there was a lot I couldn't do if I wanted to, within the law.
 
Those pesky home associations in Fla maybe.

[Zipper]

Number 5.
 
Frankly, no matter where I lived I never felt there was a lot I couldn't do if I wanted to, within the law.
 
Those pesky home associations in Fla maybe.

 
I have to agree with you.
We pretty much choose what we want to do in a day. Our freedoms are mainly dictated by the lifestyle we choose. If we choose to live extravagantly, then the financial burden becomes the thing that takes more personal freedoms away. Bigger house = bigger mortgage, bigger toys = bigger payments and upkeep, whether its in the form of fuel to run the toys, or insurance costs,  ...higher food bills to support our personal tastes. We become slaves to the lifestyle. Work more, buy more.
 
Here...
We went out one evening. I took about two hours to prepare for the night,  from shower, to exit out the front door. Hair, nails, make-up, shoes, clothes ironed, everything was polished and ready to go.
 
In other countries, women can't even show their faces in public.
We are extremely fortunate and still free.