How Economically Free is Your State?

[Jericho9mm]

Here is a study done by the Wall Street Journal among other research groups that looked for factors of economic freedom by state. some of the factors they looked at were fiscal viability, regulatory, welfare spending, government size, and judicial interference. Based on these factors they came up with the top ten states that are the most economically free and the bottom ten which are economically unfree.

would you adjust the rankings? or do you agree with about where they put your state?

here is the top/bottom ten
here is the complete list

 

[johnbt]

#3, down from #2. I feel sorry for the rest of you.

Who wants to pay my $3186 real estate tax bill?

John

 

[Musketeer]

johnbt said:

#3, down from #2. I feel sorry for the rest of you.

Who wants to pay my $3186 real estate tax bill?

John

I'll trade with you if you want. Move on up here to Long Island and I'll go to VA.

 

[Abndoc]

# 49? Must suck to live in New York.

 

[GoSlash27]

Iowa. Went from average to above-average under Vilsack and a Dem-controlled state Senate.

 

[GoSlash27]

As an aside, what does 'judicial interference' have to do with economic freedom?
Also, I have a serious problem with using "church attendance" as a substitute for "work ethic".

 

[carbiner]

Minnesota's in the ten worst. We have help the pimps though, it's hard for those folks to make it. Taxes are freakin high here, as are most of the welfare recipients and politicians we're forced to pay for

 

[Eghad]

Who wants to pay my $3186 real estate tax bill?

wowzer here in Texas mine come to about $ 800.00 this year.

On my 13.92 acres that I own in Alabama they were a whopping $115.00 I let some guy cut hay off the land and that pays the tax bill....

 

[TonyM1]

Florida moved up 8 spots from '99 to '04, hmm....wonder what impact Jeb & W had on that?

More interesting is the rating of countries...Honkong and Singapore top the list ahead of the U.S

http://www.heritage.org/research/features/index/countries.cfm

 

[Chaingunner]

I'm in CA, and am not surprised to see it close to the very bottom of the list.

Gas is 3.35/gal, if anyone's curious.. (and that's the CHEAP stuff!)

 

[carbiner]

chaingunner, any idea as to what your paying per gallon for taxs?

 

[Sindawe]

Its a little old, but this site is a start on how much taxes are paid for gasoline in each state: http://www.energy.ca.gov/gasoline/statistics/gas_taxes_by_state_2002.html

WOO_HOO!!! Colorado was only beaten by Kansas in economic freedom per the OP's link.

 

[Cowman]

#46. no suprise there.

Hey, don't judge all of us IL people. This crap all comes out of Cook Co(Chicago).
Some day I might move, but I hate being driven away from where I grew up because of liberal foolishness up north.

 

[invention_45]

I suppose you can find statistics to argue most anything.

In Broward County FL, there's apparently a percentage cap on property assessment, which makes me pretty happy. It's the difference between paying about $1500 and about $3500 per year in property tax.

Also, (ask OJ Simpson) your homesteaded house down here is virtually judgment-proof. I think the bank and the IRS and asset forfeiture can take it from you, but nobody else. Not only that, if you get sued, you can take any assets that are NOT your house and use them to improve your house, and those assets can then not be attached either.

For the average joe homeowner, I'd call that nice economic freedom. And all without an income tax.