Free State projects gets covered in the TIMES

[Cain]

Free State project gets covered in the TIMES

I've been waiting all day for Shanek to post this: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/27/national/27LIBE.html

Here's a snippet from one Jackie Casey, a free-stater from Oregon transporting her cat, "Soopa Doopa Hoopa", two handguns, and Frank Zappa poster to NH.

"I don't like to go places that don't let me have my gun," said Ms. Casey, 33, who sells memberships to a Las Vegas survivalist training institute and models for comic books (her likeness has graced the cover of one called Reload). Her New Hampshire plans include starting eight businesses "because nine out of every 10 fail, and I've already started two, so I need to do eight more."

Well, she definitely has good business sense. If I wanted to roll a four on a normal six-sided di, and the first three attempts failed, then it will only take three more tries. Right? Right. Anybody who has ever flipped a coin knows that!


Oh, but she has high hopes. After all, she's a Libertarian.

"I want to be a billionaire in my lifetime," she added, "and I don't want to live among people who think that's bad."

Good luck, Jackie! You can hire me to manage your finances... oh, the missing millions? Uh, income taxes. Damn gubmit.

 

[hgc]

Didn't dear Jackie also say that she wanted a machine gun, or at least a rifle, for Christmas? What a soopa doopa loopa. I'd love to have her as a neighbor.

 

[Tmy]

New Hampshireites are leeches living off the fat of "Taxachusettes". No state that has state controlled liqure stores can be considered "free' in my book!

 

[Mercutio]

New Hampshireites are leeches living off the fat of "Taxachusettes". No state that has state controlled liqure stores can be considered "free' in my book!

Not entirely true. We also leech off of Vermont and Maine.

Other than that, you are absolutely correct. We import sin taxes, export anybody who needs social services. NH could not exist without its surrounding states.

 

[Suddenly]

"Her New Hampshire plans include starting eight businesses "because nine out of every 10 fail, and I've already started two, so I need to do eight more."


Now that is comedy.

I love the smell of misused statistics in the morning....

 

[Cain]

Not entirely true. We also leech off of Vermont and Maine.

Other than that, you are absolutely correct. We import sin taxes, export anybody who needs social services. NH could not exist without its surrounding states.

Interesting. Mercutio, can you elaborate for those of us not familiar with the operations of state government in the region. Import sin taxes? I'm not sure I understand. Export anybody who needs social services? I take it NH is stingy when it comes to... what exactly?

 

[Tmy]

People drive from Mass into NH to buy alchohol and cigs cause they cosy less. I dont think NH has the best social services so your pretty much driven out of the place by neccesity. THeres always a big deal about their underfunded school system.

Most of NH poplulation is within a Hr. of the Mass border. They make big money on skiers and outdoorsman who visit from the other New England states. There kinda like this bizzaro mini-canada riding the states coatails.

 

[Quasi]

NH has no income or sales tax too. I always shop there as I live in Mass. I have never bought anything electronic in Mass., or any durable goods. The only good thing about Mass., which NH does not have is a lemon law for cars. So I buy used cars in Mass., despite the taxes. The NH State liquor stores do not sell beer. Kinda weird. Further, it is illegal to buy in NH, then transport to Mass., yet the state stores are on the major highway right on the Mass. border.

 

[Mercutio]

NH has no income or sales tax too. I always shop there as I live in Mass. I have never bought anything electronic in Mass., or any durable goods. The only good thing about Mass., which NH does not have is a lemon law for cars. So I buy used cars in Mass., despite the taxes. The NH State liquor stores do not sell beer. Kinda weird. Further, it is illegal to buy in NH, then transport to Mass., yet the state stores are on the major highway right on the Mass. border.

The sales tax is sorta hidden--we take it before the final consumer gets to see it, so it doesn't look like we are taxing it. We also have a substantial room & meals tax, since that hits tourists more than locals. Absolutely dead on about the liquor stores (& cigs) and about transport across state lines. Maine cops now sit outside NH liquor stores and take license plate numbers. Frankly, I find it odd, since both Maine and Mass get tax money from NHers who work in their states, and since NH has no income tax, we cannot deduct out-of-state taxes from our own. In fact, Maine (not sure about Mass) can collect taxes on the spouse of a NH resident working in ME, even if the spouse does not work in ME (assuming they file together).

The official NH motto is "Live Free or Die". The unofficial motto is "Don't tax you, don't tax me, tax the man behind the tree."