Where freedom goes to die: California and New York State

Would anyone be surprised to learn that in the category of “freedom” New York and California would be right at the bottom of the list of states? A new study released by the Mercatus Center of George Mason University found of the 50 states, the two states were last and second to last, respectively.

In the survey the school assessed the state’s financial issues and how it affects job prospects, tax rates, regulatory policies and personal freedoms; by those measures New York state ranks dead last.

When “it comes to overall freedom” and recent actions by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg such as banning the sale of sodas 16 ounces and larger, the state’s new highly restrictive gun laws, as well as a panoply of sin taxes, no other state is more anti-freedom than the state of New York.  In the last month New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, forced through the nation’s most restrictive gun control laws by exploiting the tragedy of Sandy Hook.

The problems in both New York and California are demonstrated by people fleeing from their states in staggering numbers. The study found that “New Yorkers are voting with their feet, with roughly 1.7 million leaving between 2000 and 2010” while Californians are fleeing the state to more business-friendly states because of the state’s high taxes and burdensome business and environmental regulations.

Wonder who sits on the other end of the spectrum? The five states with the most freedom are North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, New Hampshire and Oklahoma.

Not surprisingly, New York and California find themselves on the top of another list: the states with the highest state taxes. Oh yes, and they have had Democrat controlled legislatures for years; coincidental? I think not.

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