New York least free state. (Red Hook, Holland: insurance, credit, homes)
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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.
Now you know why those who have lived or are currently living in [URL="http://mercatus.org/freedom-50-states-2011/VA"]one of the top 10 most free[/URL] states think New York has issues. I daresay that is why people in New York are so negative. There's a lot of "can't, won't, don't, no" here.
However, you should keep in mind that this study was done by a libertarian think tank--who, by the way, says that New York would have scored higher if it recognized gay marriage.
Still, it fits with [URL="http://www.newser.com/story/76523/least-happy-state-new-york.html"]New York being the least happy state[/URL], too. That, I can believe.
It's interesting. The problem with anything like this (rating a place) comes from the biases and subjectivity of the authors. Many things can't be counted and those that can carry a different weight with different people (not just the number of people impacted).
I'm not sure if the report confuses personal freedom with corporate freedom. It might. I suspect the authors focused on "freedom to" to the detriment of "freedom from". Though they did say people should be free to do what they want as long as it doesn't negatively impact anyone else.
This might include inter-racial/homosexual marriage & adoption, drug use, pornography, public nudity (at least at the beaches, or while bike riding, rollerblading, or gardening), painting one's home as many different colors as one pleased, carrying a concealed weapon...everywhere, never mowing one's lawn, displaying a satanic symbol on one's mailbox, etc.
The Analysis section on New York is not real pretty. I didn't even know this:
"Eminent domain abuse is rampant and unchecked."
I don't recall seeing any stories on its abuse in New York.
Seriously? Eminent Domain abuse has been a BIG problem in NY since the Dutch and the Indians first got into it. You only have to look at what happened to Red Hook, Brooklyn and so many other neighborhoods when it was decided to run the BQE (or the LIE, or the Brooklyn Bridge, or the Holland Tunnel, or tracks for the LIRR, etc.) along a particular route.
With regard to recent cases, you have the Atlantic Yards in Flatbush, Columbia University and their expansion plans in Harlem (and wasn't NYU also looking to expand which was causing a back lash?), Willets Point and their proposed traffic ramps, and the list goes on.
To be honest, I'm not really surprised that NY scores so low in this regard. I would say that it's probably a trait we share with any of the other top, largely urbanized, big population states.
I think it's AWFUL that we rank at 50th on the list. We have Bloomberg to thank for a good portion of that. I would have thought California would have had us beat to be honest.
I posted this earlier under the NY forum as this is a statewide issue. The forum members who have commented would like to cut downstate loose from NY. They tend to feel we are the cause of this.
Seriously? Eminent Domain abuse has been a BIG problem in NY since the Dutch and the Indians first got into it. You only have to look at what happened to Red Hook, Brooklyn and so many other neighborhoods when it was decided to run the BQE (or the LIE, or the Brooklyn Bridge, or the Holland Tunnel, or tracks for the LIRR, etc.) along a particular route.
With regard to recent cases, you have the Atlantic Yards in Flatbush, Columbia University and their expansion plans in Harlem (and wasn't NYU also looking to expand which was causing a back lash?), Willets Point and their proposed traffic ramps, and the list goes on.
To be honest, I'm not really surprised that NY scores so low in this regard. I would say that it's probably a trait we share with any of the other top, largely urbanized, big population states.
I think it's AWFUL that we rank at 50th on the list. We have Bloomberg to thank for a good portion of that. I would have thought California would have had us beat to be honest.
Oh. lol. Well to give myself a little defense, I'm not from the city so these things never really touched my life in any way. Are there any Long Island examples?
It's interesting. The problem with anything like this (rating a place) comes from the biases and subjectivity of the authors. Many things can't be counted and those that can carry a different weight with different people (not just the number of people impacted).
I'm not sure if the report confuses personal freedom with corporate freedom. It might. I suspect the authors focused on "freedom to" to the detriment of "freedom from". Though they did say people should be free to do what they want as long as it doesn't negatively impact anyone else.
This might include inter-racial/homosexual marriage & adoption, drug use, pornography, public nudity (at least at the beaches, or while bike riding, rollerblading, or gardening), painting one's home as many different colors as one pleased, carrying a concealed weapon...everywhere, never mowing one's lawn, displaying a satanic symbol on one's mailbox, etc.
Click the link... it was done by George Mason University. You'll find that reading about the index will answer your questions. Like specifically:
This project develops an index of economic and personal freedom in the American states. Specifically, it examines state and local government intervention across a wide range of public policies, from income taxation to gun control, from homeschooling regulation to drug policy.
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Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
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