Alexanders

We Made the Move! – Jean & Neil Alexander

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 26, 2004
[Sent to local media in southern Oregon]

SUBJECT: Josephine County Family Leaves for Liberty

Contact: Jean or Neil Alexander
Email: jalexander@freestateproject.org or nalexander@freestateproject.org
Phone: 541.218.2141 or 408.499.7778
Website: www.freestateproject.org

The Alexanders, a family of five from Selma, are leaving Oregon. They're not seeking work, to be closer to family, or looking for better weather. The Alexanders are leaving for liberty.

Originally drawn to Southern Oregon by the spirit of the "State of Jefferson", the Alexanders are looking for a somewhat more concrete version of that spirit of liberty. Neil Alexander states,"Let's face it, Oregon has very high taxation, and it never seems to be enough. The urban centers of Portland and Eugene overwhelm the politics of the rest of the state, frequently passing laws about subjects they don't understand. Why should that be allowed?"

Jean and Neil Alexander, along with more than 6,000 other people across the country, are participants in the Free State Project ("FSP"). FSP's mission is to coordinate the migration of thousands of libertarian activists to New Hampshire. Once there, they will work to create a pro-liberty culture within the political system to reduce the size and scope of government.

New Hampshire was chosen in 2003 by a vote of FSP participants, who call themselves "porcupines" - an animal that bothers no one, but has quills for its own defense. Oregon was not among the finalists, which included several Western states including Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Alaska.

"Nationally, libertarians are thinly spread and therefore rarely get any real representation", says Jean Alexander. "This last presidential election showed that the two major parties continue to dominate politics and both are leading us to bigger and bigger government. I'd like to see a state, any state, show up as something other than red or blue on the national election maps."

The success of the FSP would likely entail reductions in burdensome taxation and intrusive regulation; reforms in state and local law; an end to federal mandates, and a restoration of Constitutional Federalism. Demonstrating the benefits of liberty to the rest of the nation (and the world) is the goal of the FSP.

Citing an historical analogy particularly apt to Oregonians, Neil says, "I like to think of our departure as the beginning of the 2nd Oregon Trail. 160 years ago, people from all over the United States used the Oregon Trail to gain opportunity and freedom. That migration was from East to West. The famous quote should now say, 'Go East, young man.'"

For more information on the Free State Project contact:

Amanda Phillips, President
Email: aphillips@freestateproject.org
Phone: 617-763-1996
Website: www.freestateproject.org

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