For Jason P. Sorens
"One of the problems with Oregon, though, is its extremely authoritarian approach to land-use regulation. To some extent Vermont suffers from this, but a much more local scale. I think our best bet is to look for a state that's small enough that we can influence and that has tendencies toward liberty in both the economic and personal spheres."
=> I was not intending to suggest Oregon as an option, only seeking to find out which states under consideration would offer the same or greater social freedoms. Thank you for your information about Vermont, I will research it further. I apologize for the confusion in regards to Oregon being suggested as a state.
For Charles
"Just thought I'd give my 2 cents that I don't consider gay adoption to necessarily be a pro-libertarian position."
=> Your 2 cents is always appreciated both here and at LU. I consider gay adoption a libertarian issue because laws against gay adoption establish a criminal penalty for adults that engage in actions that have no victim. In essence they criminalize homosexual activity. Laws against gay adoption also restrict parental rights beyond prohibiting physical or sexual abuse of children.
The list of positions you posted just makes Oregon seem like a "lefty" place. Is it also pro-gun, low tax and low regulation?
=> It may be a somewhat "lefty" place. But, if it is libertarian socially then half the work is already done
Oregon does offer CCW permits but they are $65 and require some training (Three hours I think). Oregon has no sales tax and likely never will. Recent amendments to the state constitution have stemmed the growth of property taxes and lowered state income taxes. There is a strong anti-tax contigent in our state legislature that compromises little, if ever, on any tax raise. We have double majority requirements, also recently passed, for revenue acts. Residents recently passed an amendment to the state Constitution that would require the state to compensate individuals for any regulatory action that lowered the value of their property. Oregon's initiative process allows citizens to amend the state Constitution without the interference of the state legislature. This is handy if you have an issue with some support but cannot get enough legislators to pass it. We also have no term limits.
We have a county that has, by voter approved measures, banned the UN from entering its borders and also lets local residents cut trees on federal land, whether or not the U.S. Forest Service says it's legal or environmentally acceptable.
We've got our fair share of anarchists. I'm not sure how many of them are anarcho-capitalists but at least they aren't very big on government. We also have decent sized contigent of farmers that took it upon themselves to disobey the feds and open the headgates to their irrigation streams multiple times last year.
EditFor: Added the below
I didn't intend to suggest Oregon be on the FSP list of candidates. My only concern is signing up, moving, and ending up in a state that favors right-libertarians without benefiting left-libertarians. I expect the free state to eventually allow me greater social freedoms than those I currently enjoy. I want prostitution, drugs, gambling, polygamy, sodomy, homosexual marriage and adoption, pornography, and euthanasia - as well as low taxes, low regulation, and lots of guns.
Edit2for: Clarified
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Topic: Questions about the prospective states (Read 7319 times)