Free State Project considers Wyoming

Free State Project considers Wyoming

Cheyenne (CNSNews.com) - A Yale political science student wants to set up a libertarian utopia in a sparsely populated U.S. state. Wyoming is a strong contender.

According to the group's website "The Free State Project is a plan in which 20,000 or more liberty-oriented people will move to a single state of the U.S., where they may work within the political system to reduce the size and scope of government. The success of the Free State Project would likely entail reductions in burdensome taxation and 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."

The group, now collecting signatures of willing participants, says it will choose a state - Wyoming? Montana? Idaho? - once it gathers 5,000 signatures.

Wyoming is under consideration because of its low population (less than 500 thousand), and therefore small number of voters, among other factors.

Jason Sorens, founder of the project, told WyomingNetwork "Wyoming is an attractive state for many Free Staters because of the self-reliant, independent attitudes of its citizenry, its low taxes, its open spaces, and the oft-demonstrated willingness of the state government to challenge the federal government when it oversteps its constitutional limits."

An October 13 , 2002 Associated Press article at the group's web site quotes 2002 Libertarian candidate for Wyoming governor Dave Dawson as supporting the idea.

'"It's a great idea," he said of the Free State Project. 'The problem is getting Libertarians to do something all together is a lot like herding cats.'"

"Dawson said he would love to see the plan succeed but doesn't think Wyoming is the place. The state is not as independently minded as everyone thinks, he said. Still, he said, "'I think it's realistic. It's certainly not easy.'"

"We don't want to wait decades...to realize the benefits of robust individual liberty and the failings of the nanny state," says the Free State Project website.

A May 17 meeting notice at the Wyoming Libertarian Party website states "Debra Ricketts, Director and Treasurer of the Free State Project, will discuss the Free State Project and its impact on Wyoming should Wyoming be selected as its target state."

See freestateproject.org/archives/state_reports/wyoming1.php

WyomingNetwork contributed to this story.

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