New Hampshire

For Libertarians, a warm welcome

For Libertarians, a warm welcome

by Lisa Wangsness • Monitor staff • 11/02/03

• Among the biggest cheerleaders of the Free State Project: Republican Gov. Craig Benson.

MANCHESTER – Yes, yes, Craig Benson is a Republican. But the governor shrugged off partisan differences at yesterday's Libertarian Party state convention, where he found himself in the remarkable position of keynote speaker at a rival party's annual meeting.

"The only person who agrees with me is me," he told reporters with a grin.

In his speech, Benson welcomed visiting members of the Free State Project, a group of liberty-minded people from around the country who are planning a mass migration to New Hampshire.

"We'd love to have you," he told the few dozen members of the Free State Project in attendance. "You're active, you want to make the state or the towns and cities you hope to live in a better place, and that is the core value of New Hampshire."

The Libertarians, native and non-, have clearly taken a shine to Benson. John Babiarz, the party chairman, gave an adoring introduction to the man who beat him in last year's gubernatorial election by 55 percent.

"This here is a stand-up guy," he said. "A guy with a spine. . . . He has changed the culture from a culture of morass to a culture of can-do."

While a handful of Libertarians serve on local boards, the state party has never managed to attract more than a few percentage points in statewide races. They hope the Free Staters will help change that one day, of course. But for the moment, they seemed content with Benson – even Babiarz said later he could think of nothing he would do differently than the governor had.

The audience of about 70 applauded warmly when Benson described his administration's efforts to pay for government initiatives, such as laptop computers in schools, with private donations instead of tax dollars. They cheered when he touted his Taxpayers Bill of Rights, a constitutional amendment that would put strict limits on government spending. And they shouted their approval when he talked up his proposal to rewrite the rules governing school standards.

"What's the magic about 180 days in school?" he said. "Why is six hours a day the requirement? Why do we make somebody like my daughter's friend, who is trying out for the Olympics, also have to take gym class to graduate from high school?"

The crowd laughed heartily.

It was partly because of the Republican governor's invitation to "come on up" that the Free Staters chose New Hampshire over other small states as their destination last month. Free State Project President Kelton Baker, who flew in from California for the occasion, presented Benson with a toy porcupine – the group's mascot – carrying a state flag.

"This is an incredible place, and we're happy to already have a governor that supports us," Baker said.

"It's nice and soft," said Benson, petting the stuffed animal.

"Don't pat it the wrong way!" someone called out, to laughter.

The state Republican Party's highest elected official's welcome to the Free Staters will be broadcast around the world. Among the media covering yesterday's event were radio crews from the BBC and a reporter from the Telegraph of London. They worked in the story while in town for the consecration of Anglican Church's first openly gay bishop, the Rev. Canon Gene Robinson, which will be held in Durham today.

In an interview with Benson after the speech, one British reporter noted that some Free Staters hope to start a political revolution. Benson raised his eyebrows.

"I think New Hampshire should be open to everybody," he said. ". . . If we start to say to people 'What are your values?' and before you come to the state of New Hampshire we want you to pass a quiz, then by definition we close the diversity of New Hampshire down."

Another Brit pointed out that many Libertarians support repealing laws against drugs and prostitution.

Benson said those weren't the issues that mattered most to Libertarians.

"What they're standing for is a smaller government, and one that works effectively," he said. "They don't want government on their backs whether they're in business or in their personal lives. And I say let's minimize it as much as possible. But I'm not for legalizing drugs or prostitution."

Jayne Millerick, the chairwoman of the Republican State Committee, said Benson's appearance was a great way to persuade some Libertarians to support Republicans who share their views on those core issues.

In fact, many of the Free Staters aren't actually Libertarians, according to the group's founder, Jason Sorens. In an e-mail, he said about 40 to 50 percent of Free Staters call themselves Libertarians; the rest are mostly independents and Republicans. (Amanda Phillips, the group's treasurer, said there are also a few Greens, Democrats and anarchists.)

Asked if the Republican Party might invite a Libertarian to speak at its convention, though, Millerick paused a moment.

"That's a good question," she said slowly. "We have a very long history of actually highlighting members of our own party at our conventions. Because we have so many elected officials right now, we will probably continue to highlight them."

The Free Staters aren't committed to relocating to New Hampshire until membership reaches 20,000. That could take a few years; just 5,000 people have joined so far. But a number of them are already on the move.

Robert Gibson, an entrepreneur from Palm Beach, Fla., answered a cell phone call from his New Hampshire Realtor after he finished his lunch yesterday. He arranged a meeting that afternoon to inspect properties at the Manchester Airport, where he plans to expand Corbadex, his software development corporation.

"I'm here prepared to sign a lease," he said. "We'll start with a small facility to get our feet wet; we expect to expand quickly."

He said he never would have considered growing his business in New Hampshire had the Free Staters not named it their destination state. Once he began looking into the opportunities and business climate here, he said he found a natural match. He will follow his business when the Free Staters hit their 20,000 goal, he said.

A Libertarian, Gibson said he is mostly interested in removing government regulations that hamper business decisions.

"Citizens are not children," he said.

Naturally, local Libertarians are over the moon about the Free Staters' plans. But some entrepreneurial Granite Staters see business opportunities as well.

Ofe Polack, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker, commandeered a booth in the exhibition room at yesterday's convention.

"Insurance people, schools, you name it – anybody that serves people should be interested" in the Free Staters' arrival, she said. "Twenty thousand people is a lot of people."

A few yards down, Ed Naile was running a table for the Coalition of New Hampshire Taxpayers. He said his group would show the Free Staters how to become active in local governments. Among his offerings were information about the state Right-to-Know law, compilations of documents relating to local disputes and a binder labeled "Bogus Legal Advice, 1995-2003," which contained legal letters from school districts and towns he found especially devious.

Naile said the potential for even a few hundred Free Staters to influence local politics should not be underestimated.

"There are only five people on a school board," he said.

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Free State Project pushes limits of liberty in N.H.

Free State Project pushes limits of liberty in N.H.

Group's plan too much for some

Just after The Free State Project urged 20,000 people to move to New Hampshire to live free or die last week, some Granite State residents questioned whether they wanted to host the free-thinking party.

"I think it's great for the north country, but here?" asked Durham Town Councilor Katie Paine. "We already have no way of funding education. We already need more residential housing. More people isn't going to solve the problem."

If the Free State Project is successful, 20,000 people will move to New Hampshire by 2006. The project was created by Jason Sorens, 26, and followers who want to bring as much liberty as possible to a single state. According to the project's website, members believe in small government, and as little control as possible.

As of now, the group's website says there are about 5,000 people ready to move to New Hampshire, which was chosen because of its "political, economic, and cultural advantages." The website, www.freestateproject.org, also says New Hampshire was chosen because of its low population. Wyoming came in second.

Sorens and other project leaders say on the website that the Free State plan is not simply a libertarian movement, despite its reputation. The project is a nonprofit corporation, not a political organization. Those involved believe in freedom and independence, and some are members of other political parties, the website says.

The group's mascot is a porcupine. According to the website: "Porcupines are certainly cute and nonaggressive, but you don't want to step on them." The website says Free State members do not promote secession.

Elizabeth McKinstry, the Free State group's vice president, said the project does not dictate where in New Hampshire the 20,000 should move. "Different people are going to have different needs," she said, adding that she planned to move to New Hampshire from Michigan once 20,000 names are on the list.

To seacoast dwellers, New Hampshire was an obvious choice. Where else can you buy tax-free fireworks next to shops that sell discounted cigarettes next to bars where you can smoke them? This place, they said, is about as free as it gets.

Still, critics of the movement -- mostly Democrats and officials in cash-strapped towns -- warned of the effects of a spike in the region's population. They also cautioned the Free State members about how much will actually be free if they move.

"People who move to New Hampshire love it until they see their property tax bills," said Vic Richards, town administrator in Atkinson, N.H.

Richards echoed Paine's concerns about a migration to New Hampshire. The seacoast is already coping with a population boom, he said.

"I think in general, this part of New Hampshire has had growth problems," he said. "I don't know if the Free State people have thought about that. It's not easy to find a job here. Good luck trying to find a job up north, too."

While Governor Craig Benson endorsed the Free State Project's plan, Democrats questioned how the state and more specifically, the seacoast, would bear the burden of some or most of the 20,000 possible newcomers.

New Hampshire Democratic Party chairwoman Kathy Sullivan has spoken out against the migration, citing the current strains on resources.

Paine, of Exeter, said the shore towns have already seen too much growth. She said her concerns center around education and the budget.

"I don't think the state knows how to educate the people we've got," she said.

McKinstry said Free State members will not overburden current New Hampshire residents. She said the group is working on a plan takes into account the interest of those who already live in the designated free state.

"People can relax," she said. "Its not like an invasion of locusts."

Norman Olsen, cochairman of Portsmouth's Republican Committee, argued that the state could handle the extra company.

"Generally, I think that Republicans and New Hampshirites are happy with the idea," he said.

Like Republicans, he said, libertarians appreciate small government. If Free State Project migrators had to choose between a Democratic and Republican candidate, the ruling party would win, he said.

"In that sense, I think Republicans are happy to see them come," he said.

Olsen added that he thinks the new wave will create opportunities for those who already live in New Hampshire. The Free State Project boasts that of its members, 50 percent have an undergraduate degree and 18 percent have done post-graduate work. Seventy-five percent of the members are under 50 and 38 percent are between 18 and 34. Forty-four percent earn $60,000 or more a year.

"They hire people," he said. "They build business and opportunity."

While some local officials questioned whether the Free State Project can actually persuade 20,000 people to move, Olsen said he wouldn't be surprised if the plan was a success.

"You have at least 10,000 people living in southern New Hampshire who have packed up already to escape the Taxachusetts environment," he said.

Steve Carbone, owner of Atomic Fireworks in Seabrook, said that although New Hampshire may be the best place for the libertarian crowd, he doesn't believe they'll get 20,000 people to make the pilgrimage.

"Who's going to just pick up their family and move just to be able to vote that way?" he asked. "You'd have to be pretty radical in your thinking."

Carbone said he won't mind the extra customers if the crowd does make its way to New Hampshire. His only concern is that the libertarian platform will be too appealing to Republicans, who are already at risk of losing power in a state that has seen a political shift.

"The only trouble is, they could take from the Republican vote and turn us to a Democrat state," he said of the Free State members. "That would scare me."

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The Free State Project has chosen New Hampshire

The Free State Project has chosen New Hampshire

Unnoticed by the wider public, a group comprising some 5000-ish libertarians has voted New Hampshire as their "Free State". Now they plan to recruit another 15,000 members, and relocate there en masse. Once there, they'll use democratic and cultural means to turn NH into a haven of free markets and individual liberty.

So, why care? Libertarians are alway proposing "pirate utopias", and then seeing them collapse from lack of support. Libertarians tend to be both self-interested, and dogmatic on their principles. Each previous scheme has foundered because folks considered it impractical, implausible, too dangerous, too self-sacrificing, too collectivist, or too half-hearted.

This time, it's different.

Quoting the FSP's "Statement of Intent", which members sign:

I hereby state my solemn intent to move to a state of the United States designated by vote of Free State Project (FSP) participants {which is now NH} as specified in the Participation Guidelines of the FSP {as soon as FSP membership reaches 20,000}. Once this move occurs, I will exert the fullest practical effort toward the creation of a society in which the maximum role of civil government is the protection of individuals' rights to life, liberty, and property.

Note the careful phrasing. Members aren't required to support a detailed official FSP "platform", to vote as a bloc, or even to vote at all. The only political platform is as described above, reduction of the scope of government. What sufficiently fulfils the requirement of "protection of individuals' rights to life, liberty, and property"? Deliberately unspecified. The FSP is very wary of turning off any potential supporters by taking an official stand on any "issue".

So, what's up? 20k people is too few to force the hand of democracy, in any state. On the surface this seems both futile, and wishy-washy. But that's a mistaken impression. The cunning thing about the FSP is that it's not a political movement: it's a culture hack.

Libertarians herd like cats do. You might even say this was the defining characteristic of a natural libertarian. So approaches that require mass lock-step action on any issue are guaranteed to fail. Lots of abortive "utopias" have been of such a nature, and IMO good riddance to them. By contrast, the way to entice a libertarian into action is to appeal to his personal self interest. This is where the FSP excels. They've voted to choose New Hampshire. But this vote wasn't a "horse race" like most electoral votes, a mere gamble and possibly a rigged race. This was a meaningful choice.

"All states under 1.5 million population at the time of the membership vote will be included on the ballot for the vote, excepting Hawaii and Rhode Island, which have been eliminated outright for their big-government tendencies". That resulted in ten possibilities: Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Delaware. The population limit was there so that 20k people wouldn't be lost in the statistical noise.

Each state had one or more "state reports", detailing its virtues and drawbacks. Local members campaigned to promote the merits of their own state. The FSP gathered and published ratings for states in terms of various economic and social "indicators". The vote method (Simple Condorcet) was carefully chosen to be fair and to avoid "strategic" voting that would distort the result. The members themselves had and have a personal stake in the result: they have to go live there! Naturally they studied carefully before choosing. So, when the poll results were announced on the 1st of October, and New Hampshire won by a significant margin, an impartial observer could validly conclude that NH is genuinely the best place to go, if you're a libertarian.

Libertarians won't sign up to move to, say, Somalia, merely because it lacks a government. They won't go anywhere just because someone says so. But they'll keep their pledges and move with the FSP. Why wouldn't they? As far as anyone can tell, they're going to the best possible place.

In fact, expect more than just FSP members moving. Many people — such as myself — have been watching from the sidelines. Perhaps, unable to guarantee a move. Perhaps, too involved in their own workaday life to devote effort to politics. If any were considering moving, NH just jumped a few places up their preference ranking. The aggregate statistical effect will, I predict, be that several non-members move for every official member.

Okay, so, lots of libertarians in one place. What use is that?

1. They are politically active. In electoral politics, that 20k weighs in against the actual number of voters — not the raw population figure.
2. It's not just the 20k who will be voting, they'll be campaigning for votes and support amongst local non-members. In combination with locals, it's possible a truly libertarian state government may be elected.
3. They'll change the cultural tone — even the anarchists who refuse to vote on ethical grounds. This is probably the biggest change, though the least immediate. NH is a very liberty-friendly place already (or it wouldn't have been chosen) but it it is destined to become gradually more so.
4. The changes and the good company will attract in yet more libertarians, in an additive feedback process.

Libertarians have often said they need just one good chance to demonstrate in practise that freedom works. It's my prediction that they shall now get that chance!

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Experts are divided on Free-Staters impact

Experts are divided on Free-Staters impact

by Dean Abbott • Staff Writer • 10/05/03

As members of the Free State Project prepare to move to the Granite State, local observers say the group's effect could be minimal, but one University of New Hampshire expert says it's important not to underestimate their potential.

The Free State Project announced on Wednesday that New Hampshire had been selected as the organization's target state through a process in which members chose among several states on a variety of criteria.

The Free State Project is a political movement attempting to convince 20,000 limited government activists to move to New Hampshire with the intent of influencing public policy.

The project's Web site, www.freestateproject.org, describes the political position of many of its members. "Most FSP members support policies such as the abolition of all income taxes, elimination of regulatory bureaucracies, repeal of most gun control laws, repeal of most drug prohibition laws, and wide-scale privatization."

Some experts said that in light of New Hampshire's growing population, 20,000 activists are unlikely to have enough political muscle to enact the policies they support. The University of New Hampshire Survey Center estimates the current population as roughly 1.3 million people. By 2010 the population will likely grow by about 100,000 people to number around 1.4 million.

Michelle Dumas of Somersworth, who serves the group as a New Hampshire media coordinator, said none of the group's members are required to move to New Hampshire until the group reaches a membership total of 20,000, a goal they hope to reach by 2006.

Once the group reaches 20,000 members, participants will have an additional five years to settle their affairs and move to New Hampshire. This means that none of the members are required to show up in the state until 2011.

Charlie Arlinghaus, president of the Josiah Bartlett center for public policy in Concord, said that a group of 20,000 activists is not likely to have a serious influence on the state's political scene in the next eight to 10 years. "They want to move up 20,000 people and we have around 1.2 million already, so it won't be a dramatic effect. One of the traditions of New Hampshire is that people like to be left alone. If that's what these people want, this is a good place for them; if they're looking to take over a state, they should pick one with a smaller population."

James Pindell, who watches New Hampshire politics for the Web site PoliticsNH.com, also said the proportion of Free Staters to the rest of the population could minimize the group's impact. "It's brilliant for them to pick New Hampshire. There are a lot of towns where they could have a lot of influence, but if their goal is to take over state government, that's another story. They're going to need a lot more people," he said.

Pindell used last fall's gubernatorial election as an example of how the group's effect as a voting block could turn out to be inconsequential. "If you added 20,000 people into last fall's elections, Republicans still would have won by a wide margin. If we project out 10 or 12 years, (we'll see that) if they couldn't affect anything when the population was 1.3 million, they're certainly not going to have much statewide influence when it's 1.5 or 1.6 million."

Arlinghaus also remains skeptical about how many Free Staters will actually come through on their pledge to move because of the effort required to find new homes and jobs. "To uproot yourself," he said, "you have to quit your job, get a new job and a new house. They'll have to find jobs. Now, New Hampshire's going to lead the nation out of this economic downturn, but (still) that's a lot of job growth."

Though 20,000 activists may not be enough to radically change state politics, Free State Project Vice President Elizabeth McKinstry said the number is enough to help accomplish the group's goals. "Twenty thousand is not enough to take over New Hampshire but that has never been our goal. What we want to do is open the political dialogue. It's enough people to say 'We want to hear some different ideas. We want to try some new things,'" she said.

Dave Corbin, a University of New Hampshire political science instructor, said the Free Staters could accomplish many of their goals even if only a fraction of the proposed 20,000 moved here. Those who are analyzing the potential effects of the group on the basis of numbers alone are not looking at the situation deeply enough, he said.

"Let's say only 4,000 of them move here. You wouldn't just say 'What's 4,000? That's only a drop in the electoral bucket.' That's not looking at the situation properly," he said

"When you talk about those people who are politically active in New Hampshire, you're only talking about 5,000 people, those are the people political candidates target. If you have (only) 1,000 people (from the Free State Project) coming here to make a difference, they will," Corbin said.

Corbin pointed out how important activists are to any political campaign as an index of the influence Free Staters could eventually achieve. Each individual activist represents not just one person, but all the people they will persuade. "Any time you have a campaign and you have an activist, you know you have 20 or 30 times the number of votes as activists," he said.

Activists for any cause tend to replicate themselves, Corbin said. "You have to look at activists exponentially. Every activist has an exponential value, because, as someone who believes in your message, they're going to go out and multiply it over and over," he said.

Corbin said that these grassroots activists have helped Howard Dean rise to the level of political success he has enjoyed in recent months because they "are on the ground. They are the ones who host coffees and direct people to the Web site to show people what they are really arguing."

In terms of this kind of ground-level activism, Corbin said, the Free Staters could achieve real influence.

"(Even) 4,000 people in a state the size of New Hampshire is a lot of people if they have signed on to a campaign to spread libertarian ideas. They could do a lot. I can't tell you how many are going to come and what effect they're going to have when they get here, but I will say that even 1,000 people who are politically motivated and willing to work, can have a great deal of political success," Corbin said.

The greatest challenge to the Free Stater's success could come from their own philosophy which cherishes individualism and independence, Corbin said. "If they get here and are willing to work for it, they could have a political effect, but if they hide themselves in the woods of Coos and Grafton counties and practice a 'leave me alone philosophy,' they'll be about as politically effective as moose."

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Misleading

Misleading

by Karl Beisel • 10/10/03

Letter to the editor I was astounded to read a number of preposterous and misleading statements in your Oct. 6 editorial, "Free from reality." It would seem your own newspaper exists free from reality.

You state that "philosophically (libertarians) would be prone to support slavery and reject government intervention to prevent it." This is the exact opposite of what libertarians believe. The use of force or fraud by any individual against another to deprive them of life, liberty or property is wrong, and the government ought to intervene - including to prevent slavery. You state that "Public education, troubled as it is, offers every child the chance to succeed and prosper." If it is so troubled, how can it provide every child the same chance to succeed and prosper? If it is so troubled, why not seek new solutions instead of propping up a tried-and-failed government solution? If you did, it would be a welcome return to reality for the Monitor. New Hampshire on the brink of restoration of its liberties? Now that's a concept! KARL BEISEL Arlington, Va.

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