LaxMom Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 maryland's impositions on personal freedom include the second-strictest gun laws in the country, fairly harsh marijuana laws (except that the first offense of high-level possession is a misdemeanor, and there is a weak medical-marijuana law), extensive auto and road regulations, tight gambling laws, a law allowing police to take DNA from certain felony arrestees, burdensome homeschooling laws (curricula must be approved by the government), high drug-arrest rates, and lack of same-sex partnerships. ] Um... Yeah. Not. Vehicle inspections are required at the point of sale, only. Emissions testing only applies to those in metro areas. I know plenty of other states that are more stringent on those. I don't know what road laws they looked at, but we follow the same traffic laws as everyone else. You can buy a gun in a Walmart... And the state absolutely DOES NOT approve curriculum, plus individual school systems are explicitly prohibited from adding any requirements to the oversight laws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 I agree. We have to cover certain subjects and put them on the paperwork, but the district has no say regarding how we do that. I could conceivably tell them I plan to teach literature through reading cereal boxes and they can't legally object. So it's all really just some busy work formality rather than having any stifling affect on our homeschooling freedoms. Same here. I've also found that keeping a portfolio each year has made applying to colleges tons easier as the information is already compiled for me. I'm thankful we had that "law" otherwise I doubt I'd have kept much from 9th grade for my oldest. Regarding other PA "things to improve" according to the website: Liberalize homeschooling by eliminating teacher qualifications and reducing burdensome testing, recordkeeping, and notification requirements. Eliminate private-school teacher licensing and prior approval for opening. Some good gun-law reforms would include allowing guns to be carried in a car without a permit, ending nonpowder gun regulations, ending dealer licensing, ending the background-check requirement for private sales, and ending the trigger-lock requirement. Start rolling back a host of minor taxes that are relatively high by national standards: utility, selective sales, and sin taxes especially. I'm ok with keeping all of them. I guess that means I'm pretty much ok in a #31 state when it comes to free living. We rank #33 in most livable state and I'm quite happy here. Maybe I'm just easy to please? (Other states I've lived in are NY, FL, RI, and VA for comparison. I prefer our area of PA to them all.) With regards to those other lists, I couldn't get the crime stats link to work. The rest seemed pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 Nevada comes in #6. No homeschool regulations here either, other than to file an Intent one time when you start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimm Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 Missouri has a "freedom ranking" of 5. It's light blue. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delaney Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 Well there ya go! Do you see why after moving to Virginia I loathe NY? Life is so much better here.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 I enjoy the freedom of breathing clean air. If these ideologues want to give "freedom" points to States that allow people to pollute the common indoor air supply with toxic cigarette smoke and in the process destroy the freedom of others to breath unpolluted air, then I will reject their ideas about what is (and is not) freedom. One is not "free" to do other people harm. The Koch Foundation believes otherwise, and they put their money were their beliefs are. But they try to stay very quiet. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 I enjoy the freedom of breathing clean air. If these ideologues want to give "freedom" points to States that allow people to pollute the common indoor air supply with toxic cigarette smoke and in the process destroy the freedom of others to breath unpolluted air, then I will reject their ideas about what is (and is not) freedom. One is not "free" to do other people harm. The Koch Foundation believes otherwise, and they put their money were their beliefs are. But they try to stay very quiet. Bill So a woman was walking down the sidewalk in front of my house yesterday, smoking. I was headed out to check the mail. In my own driveway, I crossed paths w/ her stinking air & thought how ironic. It feels like vandalism of my lungs, & I'm pretty annoyed to have to cross it to get into a store, but my own house??? Gobsmacked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sputterduck Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 http://mercatus.org/freedom-50-states-2011 The state I come from, California, is "least free" on that map, and I certainly felt that way. Although, homeschooling is super easy there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 No kidding. It is the output from an institute funded by the Koch Foundation Shenanigans in today's news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 If you look at this list of quality-of-life state rankings, the results don't seem to be related to how "free" a state is by this group's criteria. In fact, several of the least free states, according to this, are rated as being the most livable and having the highest quality of life for residents. http://www.morganquitno.com/sr07mlrnk.htm This ranking doesn't surprise me at all. It matches up with the way I would rated the states I have lived in. I think the authors of the freedom map have totally lost sight of one important fact: many laws and regulations preserve and protect our freedom, and the mere existence of a law does NOT imply that the people living there are less free than those without that law. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn in OH Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 I just found this for Ohio: Homeschooling regulations are unreasonable, including teacher licensure and mandatory state approval of homeschool curricula What? the homeschooling regulations are NOT unreasonable. Teacher licensure? What is this? You just need a high school diploma (or equivalent, I believe) to homeschool. There is no state approval of curricula. Someone clearly doesn't know what they are talking about. Ok folks, if this information can be wrong, there may be plenty of other information about other state's that is way off base, too. "Ohio performs poorly in nearly every conceptual area. Spending and taxation are higher than average, with administration, education, and social-service spending especially high as a percentage of personal income. On the plus side, government debt is below average." Well sure the government debt is below average, taxation is higher than average. They've got more money to play with. Ohio is ranked as number 42. New Hampshire looks good. I probably wouldn't like the weather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 It is an opinion poll skewed conservative Yeah. My state is #11 unless you are gay or want reproductive freedom. :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 I did. I found a great deal of speculation, conspiracy theories, and a little hysteria - lots of assertions, but no hard evidence for such a claim. Oh, well. mother jones http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/02/heirs-john-birch-society The actual John Birch Society https://www.jbs.org/component/content/article/1009-commentary/6381-the-jbs-in-1958-forerunner-of-the-tea-party-movement New Yorker http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/10/18/101018fa_fact_wilentz http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/08/30/100830fa_fact_mayer cbs http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20035343-503544.html NPR http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129425186 Scientific American http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=another-big-win-for-koch-tea-party-2011-02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoxcell Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 This is strange because my state was ranked number 8 so according to them very free, but we have very strict smoking laws here. No smoking in any public building(including privately own businesses if they are open to the public), no smoking within 10 feet of a door, no smoking at any public park, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 If you look at the bottom three, these states also have very large urban areas. That might have a bearing on the number of laws and regulations. Life in large cities is not like life in the country. There are a whole host of things that come up when people are packed in like sardines. Laws get made as a result of some issue in NYC that make no sense to me since I don't live there, but NYC has a large population and large representation in the state. Maybe that factors in? I think you are on to something here, a few thoughts: In small towns/communities there is a lot of social pressure to do the right thing. Also, most of them have grown up with the same idea of what right looks like. If a couple people out of 500 in a city of a couple of thousand don't do the right thing, it's not going to mess things up that much. In big cities there is less social pressure to do the right thing because people don't know all of their neighbors, etc. There is a less uniform idea about what the "right" thing is. If a couple people out of 500 in a city of over 22 million don't do the right thing, things are going to get jacked up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 I just now looked at their evaluation and recommendations for my state, and I have to say, this is complete and utter crap. homeschool regulation is tougher by national standards Outright lie. This is one of the easiest states in the nation to homeschool. Every year, you file a letter of intent. Period. Spending on higher education, police, and corrections is high; these areas should be targeted for reduction with the savings applied toward cutting the gross-receipts tax. Are they KIDDING ME?!? Obviously these people have never actually been to this state. Cut back on police and corrections spending in a place where crime is so rampant??? Oh, yeah, that will really improve my freedom. As it is, I don't have the freedom to set foot in most parts of the city I live in without worrying about property or personal crime. You cannot go to any performances, because the one place in town that has them you are practically guaranteed to have your car broken into or stolen entirely. I no longer have the freedom to go to the main movie theater in town because the lax gun laws resulted in some idiot there "accidentally" shooting a random woman who was minding her own business watching the movie. We have so much "freedom" that I once walked into the mall carrying my infant daughter in my arms moments after a shooting had taken place, with people still screaming and running and a trail of blood on the floor. Then a few years later, her pre-school was in lock-down because of a double homicide a block away -- and this in the "good" part of town. I just love having the freedom to have my car broken into in my own driveway. I'm sure all of our neighbors feel really "free" too, considering how many times their homes have been robbed - again, the "good" part of town (and I think the only thing that has saved us from this is our four dogs). The university here has one of the highest rates of campus rape in the entire nation - I'm sure those poor young women feel really free. This city is covered in graffiti. And don't even get me started on the drunk driving . Yeah, clearly the best way to improve our freedom is to cut back on the police force and the prisons. :cursing: :banghead: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 mother joneshttp://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/02/heirs-john-birch-society The actual John Birch Society https://www.jbs.org/component/content/article/1009-commentary/6381-the-jbs-in-1958-forerunner-of-the-tea-party-movement New Yorker http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/10/18/101018fa_fact_wilentz http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/08/30/100830fa_fact_mayer cbs http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20035343-503544.html NPR http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129425186 Scientific American http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=another-big-win-for-koch-tea-party-2011-02 http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Americans_for_Prosperity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caitlinsmom Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 #4 here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 I guess chaos would rank high on a freedom list. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 (edited) I wonder when this was put together and how? (edited to add: never mind..I should have read the whole thread). My state is ranked number 3. The IN Supreme Court ruled that police can enter a home illegally (without a warrant or cause) and a citizen cannot resist. Not too free. Maybe this was done before that or perhaps they have criteria set to specific areas rather than looking at the states individually? Edited June 10, 2011 by sbgrace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theYoungerMrsWarde Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 Idaho doesn't regulate homeschooling at all. We didn't even have to notify when we were there, and there are no other requirements. :party: Thank you! Now if only we could move... :auto: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 (edited) Here's some irony for ya. I'm in one of the least 'free' states, but I'm a state with almost no homeschool regulations. More irony - I am in the "most free" state (#1!) with quite a few homeschool regulations (many of which I disagree with). Edited June 11, 2011 by Katie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theYoungerMrsWarde Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 So a woman was walking down the sidewalk in front of my house yesterday, smoking. I was headed out to check the mail. In my own driveway, I crossed paths w/ her stinking air & thought how ironic. It feels like vandalism of my lungs, & I'm pretty annoyed to have to cross it to get into a store, but my own house??? Gobsmacked. :iagree::iagree: We live in a rented townhouse with neighbors who smoke outside all throughout the day (I don't know what they do for work, but they're out there a lot.) I have to check before I tell my kids they can play out there. I can not imagine what it would be like if marijuana was legalized! Getting my kids high? No way! We'd become hermits first, except we still need to get air from outside :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tntgoodwin Posted June 11, 2011 Author Share Posted June 11, 2011 I wonder when this was put together and how? (edited to add: never mind..I should have read the whole thread). My state is ranked number 3. The IN Supreme Court ruled that police can enter a home illegally (without a warrant or cause) and a citizen cannot resist. Not too free. Maybe this was done before that or perhaps they have criteria set to specific areas rather than looking at the states individually? I was actually wondering about that myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyboys Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 Idaho, Idaho, we're so proud of IdahoWe come from North and South and East and West To mention all of the things that we love best about Idaho... hee hee hee a Seen the youtube "50 states in 2 minutes?" Could be subtitled insulting all 50 states with catchphrases, but it's bitingly funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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