If Obama wins…
If Obama wins and gets healthcare, gets immigration reform, gets cap and tax or even one o these, would you leave or prepare to leave at some point? If so where would you go? If not, why would you stay? Rush Limbaugh has kidded about Costa Rica. The truth is, if you have a lot of money, getting dual citizenship is relatively easy. My question is posited because if Obama gets what he wants, what’s the difference between us and Canada? The UK? The Right Guy wants to hear from all of you out there.
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The best thing to do is to fight to the very bitter end. But have an escape plan that's full-proof as soon as you realize it's over. I'm off to Mexico, and have already mapped out my strategy. I double dare the border patrol to try to find my escape route. Worst thing is to live in the middle of the country. If you live in Nebraska, or Missouri, or Iowa, you're screwed. Very hard to escape to Mexico, Canada or the Bahamas.
Eric Dondero
March 21, 2010 at 11:08 am
Double that with family in tow. When the kids are out, so am I. There may be nothing to look forward to in this country, if he wins. The only other thing is secession. The only two states that I think could do it are Idaho and Texas, but would they? People are so fucking stupid. Lets spend over double what we do now to cover 10% or less of the population and put everyone in debt for it and at the same time ruin our healthcare system. It's not enough to look to england and canada to see how fucked up it can get. It's about power and who has it. Dems are authoritarian, period. It's law at the end of a barrel of a gun and my fellow americans have become farm animals.
The Right Guy
March 21, 2010 at 11:13 am
I think Texas could secede from the Union so maybe I would move there. But, we must fight until the bitter end. This is a fight against tyranny and the "remaking" of America. Canada has started bringing in capitalist reforms to there health care so maybe there? I don't know. All I can say is that the situation Obama has put us in really SUCKS!
Teresa
March 21, 2010 at 11:42 am
Teresa and Eric:I agree, but what is the bitter end? When we've exhausted all possibility of repealing this? Remember, the GOP screwing up (and Eric, with all do respect, W bears some of this) laid the foundation for this to happen. Granted, we have a good 20% of Americans in the middle that are morons, but the GOP allowed the dems to run them over in 2006 and 2008. I really don't have great hop even if the GOP wins big in November because one, there's never been a repeal of anything like this, two, the Tea Party will be co-opted like the socons of 2000 and Mr. potato head will either drive the bus over his own unique cliff at worst or at best he'll drive in the left lane with the left signal on for 100 miles. Three, as much as most americans don't want this, what will their reaction be after it passes, and after the GOP doesn't repeal it? Americans have a short memory and attention span. I really don't want to be nihilistic or depressing, but if this bill is passed, it's sharp drop off from here. SS and Medicare have only gotten worse and now this. We still haven't gotten to immigration and cap and tax. The big thing too is that once this turkey is passed and it starts sinking, what do you want to be the congress raises our taxes? Remember too big to fail? The biggest mistake we've made on the right is sending people to represent us that were/are the lesser of two evils. We are to blame for this for compromising our values. The left hasn't done this and that is why they will win. They send people to washington that think like they do. We don't, at least not in enough numbers. As far as secession goes, do you think any governor has that kind of balls? I don't. Not even Palin if she still was governor of Alaska.
The Right Guy
March 21, 2010 at 3:33 pm
i actually adore all your writing type, very interesting.don't quit and also keep posting for the reason that it simply just nicely to read it.looking forward to look at much more of your current writing, have a good day!
Anonymous
March 21, 2010 at 5:40 pm
If you are running from a bad health care system, don't come to México… Actually, just go somewhere else. here it's pretty fucked up (regardless of what certain individual mighttell you).
Héctor
March 22, 2010 at 10:16 pm
Hector: Mi hijo, que tal?
The Right Guy
March 22, 2010 at 10:24 pm
From William, part I: have considered a few places to make my second exodus toward more freedom. My first was from my home state of California, to Oregon, back in the early nineties. Mainly, there are five states that have my attention. Florida is a state I have lived in before. I was stationed there in the Navy during the early seventies. What attracts me to Florida is not so much the huge emphasis on liberty, but the fact that cold weather is the rare exception, rather than the norm. Lots of wild life, culture, and ocean frontage abounds in Florida. Most likely though, I will not move there because according to the Mercatus study from George Mason University, Florida is rate number twenty-two in overall freedom, which is based on regulatory policy, fiscal policy, personal freedom, and economic freedom. An average is comprised on these four categories to determine overall freedom. Oregon, the state I reside in is rated twenty-seven; not much higher than Florida.Wyoming is a place that is attractive to me. This mountain state has often been referred to as a “libertarian state.” Wide open spaces, hunting and fishing and terrific gun rights are plentiful, but while enormous major cities don't carry my interest to live in, I enjoy close proximity for cultural value. Museums, night life, endless supply of music venues are as important to me as outdoor activities, and Wyoming, free as it may be, doesn't have an large body of water for scuba diving, surfing , sailing or just simply walking along a shore, enjoying the sight and sound of waves crashing on to the beach. And with a total state population of about 500,000, there isn't much opportunity to see the things I would enjoy in a large city. Also, my aversion to cold climate would keep me from residing in this otherwise beautiful state.Part II Next
The Right Guy
March 22, 2010 at 10:28 pm
William Part II:The “live free or die” state of New Hampshire is rated number one in overall freedom by Mercatus. New Hampshire is home to the Free State Project. FSP is geared toward attracting 20,000 liberty loving folks, through pledges to move to New Hampshire. Their idea is, that if 20,000 people move there, they can affect the political climate through various means, such as civil disobedience, legislative process and educating others who are not generally thought to be attached to the liberty movement. While the FSP may seem like a libertarian's utopian dream, so far 10,000 people have signed up to pledge, yet only about 500 have made their move since their inception in 2001. Among those who have made the move and seem most vocal, are young anarchists, of the Rothbardian variety. Many of these folks refer to themselves as Voluntaryists. While sitting at home reading FSP material on my computer often has me salivating, my more practical side looks at the extreme cold, and long winters New Hampshire has, and tells me that this is probably not the place for me. Also, I don't think a handful of kids in their twenties smoking muggles on the town square of the city of Keene, precisely at 4:20 PM everyday, is not going to stop the massive, liberty crushing monstrosity voted by the house last Sunday, and soon to be signed by the president. However, if their “4:20” plan works on a local level in terms of marijuana rights, I'm all for it. It's just not my style. Incidentally, for those interested, Wyoming has a Free State Project, but is on a smaller scale than New HampshireThe easiest state to move to, would be Idaho, my next door neighbor. Idaho is rated number five by Mercatus, and like Wyoming and New Hampshire, has much to offer in terms of the great outdoors, again, it is too cold, and too isolated from culture and salt water. Now, about “the cold.” I may seem like a candy ass by some, especially those who grew up in extremely cold climate. After all, California is a tough act to follow in this department, and if I freeze my butt in Oregon, Wyoming, New Hampshire and Idaho are going to be intolerable. But I would rather live in a place with the most liberty that is warm. a slogan of “Cold, Miserable, and Free” is not to my liking by a long shot.This leaves Texas. For me, Texas has it all. For a guy who grew up in arguably the most beautiful climate in the world, Texas in terms of the amount of freedom that exist, is a close second. Houston is America's fourth largest city, which gives me all the culture I need. Also, Houston is void of city planning, and all the bureaucrats employed by leviathan. Texas has a long coast line for my water sports, and although I have been a guitar player for forty years, I might be afraid to tell anyone in Texs, as some of the greatest guitarists the world has to offer come from there. Also, having been in Texas many times, I simply enjoy the demeanor of folks who call Texas their home.While all the places described in this comment have much to offer; low taxes, or no taxes in many areas such as sales, income etc., I have to say Texas is the state I am going to make my exodus to. Residents of New Hampshire may very well refer to themselves as the “live or die” state, but Texas has a sound history and love of independence. Outside of Vermont, which is too socialist for this liberty loving dude, I believe Texans would would be the first to make a viable argument, if not put into practice, their right to secede from the union.As far as moving to another country, Australia would be my choice. Australia, according to the Heritage Foundation's Index of Economic Freedom World Rankings, comes in at number three, behind Singapore (number three) and Hong Kong (number one) and just ahead of New Zealand, at number four. And by they way, we (the US) is rated number seven. We are wedged in between Canada and Denmark. Canada and Denmark? Come to your own conclusions.
The Right Guy
March 22, 2010 at 10:28 pm
Australia, NZ, Canada and Denmark are anti-gun rights. That is a deal killer for me. One thing about Vermont: You don't need a license to carry concealed or open. Alaska too. I just got back from Colorado. Beautiful state, but another version of California. A friend of mine went to school there from 1959-1965. He said then it was john birchers, goldwater was king and JFK was hated. Then John Denver made that dumb song and half of Kalifornia moved there and ruined it. So, like you I am left with Texas, Wyoming and Idaho. I don't like heat, but as I get older, my joints can't take the cold so well anymore. I also like to ride my motorcycle too. What about New Mexico and Arizona?
The Right Guy
March 22, 2010 at 10:35 pm
This reminds me of the Tiebout model of public policy competition under perfect voter mobility… Of course, the equilibria you will reach will be only close to the one predicted, since there is no perfect mobility… Maybe someone will look into this in the future,as a research question?
Héctor
March 23, 2010 at 1:15 am
Couple of corrections. Oregon at 27, has a lower, not higher rating than Florida. Idaho is rated at 4. Texas is rated 5 in overall freedom.Yes, you are correct about gun rights in Australia. Good point, as that would be a problem for me as well. Switzerland, rated number 6 by Heritage has great gun laws: Every citizen is required to won one. While I'm not excited about much of anything government requires, this one is something I relate to.Speaking of gun rights, Texas could use some improvement. Seems I remember a brief discussion on your (Dondero's) radio blog broadcast, and someone mentioned how Texas doesn't quite make the grade. This is something I need to take a closer look at when I scout around for my "liberty exodus." Here is a good gun rights site to take a look at. http://opencarry.org/ One good thing about listening to http://freetalklive.com/ is that the hosts often interview folks from various organizations and blogs, one doesn't get a chance to learn about within our usual, LR. LCR, Right Stuff, Hack Wilson et al sites.
William
March 23, 2010 at 3:07 am
About Vermont: Vermont may very well have gun laws you'd enjoy, but at 40 in overall freedom, I don't think you would be a good fit with the hippie socialists residing there. Here is what Mercatus has to say about Vermont: "Vermont (#45 economic, #11 personal, #40 overall)must be considered one of the least free statesin the Union, unless all one is interested in are gun and civil unions. The overall tax burden is by onemeasure the third highest in the country (10.6% ofcorrected GSP). Property taxes are a particular problem,and selective sales taxes, largely aimed at tourists,bring in more as a percentage of the economythan in any other state except Nevada. Vermont isthe most fiscally centralized state by far, with localgovernments raising just 11.5% of total state and localexpenditures. Local governments are dependent onstate grants for over 70 % of their revenue, the highestfigure in the United States. Like Utah, Vermonthas full state control of beer, wine, and spirits distribution.Marijuana laws could be much better; whilelow-level cultivation is a misdemeanor, high-levelpossession is not, and low-level possession is stillcriminalized. However, arrests for victimless crimesare much better than the national average. Vermontrequires approval for all private schools, and notificationand standardized testing requirements forhomeschoolers are burdensome. Labor laws areworse than average, with a very high minimumwage when adjusted for median earnings. Vermonthas pure community rating for health insurance, butat least has not piled on as many coverage mandatesas most other states. Eminent domain has not beeneffectively reformed yet. Campaign finance limits arequite strict. Smoking bans are pervasive, and cigarettetaxes are high. On the positive side, the state has civil unions and some of the best overall gun laws in the country.
William
March 23, 2010 at 3:19 am
Which part of Colorado were you recently visiting? I'll just post what Mercatus said about the "Rocky Mountain State," and follow up with Arizona and New Mexico in subsequent comments. Number two state in overall freedom: Our #2 state achieved its ranking through excellentfiscal numbers and above-average numbers on regulationand paternalism. TABOR, though suspendedas of this writing, is surely responsible for some ofColorado’s fiscal sanity. The state is the most fiscallydecentralized in the country, with localities raisingfully 44.5 percent of all state and local expenditures.By percentage of adjusted GSP, Colorado has the thirdlowest tax burden in the country, surpassed only byTennessee and Texas. It has resisted the temptationof “sin taxes,” with low rates on beer, wine, spirits,and cigarettes. On the other hand, Colorado’s smokingbans are among the most extreme in the country,with no exceptions or local option for any locationsother than workplaces. Colorado is 1 of 12 states tohave decriminalized low-level marijuana possession.Colorado is 1 of 6 states to legalize for-profit casino gambling statewide. Arrests for victimless crimes arerelatively low. On private school regulation, the statehas a light touch but falls short with its fairly detailedcurriculum requirements, more extensive than thoserequired of homeschoolers. Its home school lawsare only about average, with recordkeeping requirementsparticularly onerous. As of 2006, the state wasone of only three to have a state-mandated “smartgrowth” plan. Health insurance mandates are ratherhigh, but on the positive side of the ledger the statehas the fewest licensed occupations (11) of those thatwe track. It enjoys a well-rated liability system.
William
March 23, 2010 at 3:24 am
I like Arizona personally, but again, close proximity to a large body of salt water is important to me. If high heat bothers you, AZ may not be what you're looking for, however, the mountainous areas might be a good fit.Mercatus: Arizona is solid on both economic (#11) and personal(#12) freedom, ending up at #8 overall. Thestate does particularly well on gun laws, alcohol regulationsand taxes, private- and home- school regulations,labor laws, the liability system, and smokingbans. Its marijuana laws, which are about average,could be improved by making high-level possessiona misdemeanor and by decriminalizing low-levelpossession. Other areas for improvement includestrikingly low campaign contribution limits andone of the highest cigarette tax rates in the country.Arizona and Maine are the only two states with publicfinancingavailable for all elections, funded out ofgeneral revenues.
William
March 23, 2010 at 3:28 am
I like Arizona personally, but again, close proximity to a large body of salt water is important to me. If high heat bothers you, AZ may not be what you're looking for, however, the mountainous areas might be a good fit.Mercatus: Arizona is solid on both economic (#11) and personal(#12) freedom, ending up at #8 overall. Thestate does particularly well on gun laws, alcohol regulationsand taxes, private- and home- school regulations,labor laws, the liability system, and smokingbans. Its marijuana laws, which are about average,could be improved by making high-level possessiona misdemeanor and by decriminalizing low-levelpossession. Other areas for improvement includestrikingly low campaign contribution limits andone of the highest cigarette tax rates in the country.Arizona and Maine are the only two states with publicfinancingavailable for all elections, funded out ofgeneral revenues.
William
March 23, 2010 at 3:28 am
William, thanks for your posts, they are informative. We stayed in Castle Rock, and wen to Colorado Springs (Manitou Springs too) and Denver. I wanted to get up to Estes Park, but it didn't happen. I loved the scenery, as it's much nicer than Iowa and for whatever reason, I felt like I would want to be more physically active. Hiking was fun. The thing is, my wife works for a bank and she can work in a bunch of cities in her position, so I am always open to it. Those cities are: Salt Lake City, Denver, Phoenix, El Monte, San Antonio, Roanoke, Charlotte, Minneapolis, Des Moines, and Atlanta. Definitely have some choices. I am originally from Long Island, so I know what you mean about the ocean, but my wife won't go back to NY.
The Right Guy
March 23, 2010 at 5:48 am
I'm thinking about New Zealand. Looking for economic freedom? Consider this: http://www.heritage.org/Index/Ranking.aspx
RightKlik
April 8, 2010 at 6:43 pm
NZ is a lot better than Australia, Canada or England. If I could find a place that was pro individual gun rights, I would strongly consider it.
The Right Guy
April 8, 2010 at 7:06 pm
The Heritage Foundation does not consider gun rights. I would consider that essential.
The Right Guy
April 8, 2010 at 7:30 pm
No the economic freedom index is strictly a measure of fiscal/tax/business related issues. I don't know if Heritage or anyone else has compiled an index based on gun rights. Looks like NZ has more restrictions on firearms than the U.S., but perhaps that can be changed.
RightKlik
April 8, 2010 at 10:58 pm
I don't see how you can separate economic and personal freedoms. Natural rights are important, at least to me.
The Right Guy
April 9, 2010 at 5:16 am