April 29, 2003

Free State Project

The Free State Project, at first glance, appears to be a pie-in-the-sky libertarian plan to create a little lib utopia on earth. These ideas come and go. There's the plan to create a low regulation, low tax region in Costa Rica (Limon Real) and there's the wild idea that Somalia is a great place because its central government collapsed years ago with nothing to replace it. In the FSP's case, there's actually some realism to it. The plan is to organize thousands of libertarians to move to a chosen state and work within the political system to cut taxes, regulations, and end government busybodying. It isn't like they're running off to an island (or building one of their own) and creating a libertarian paradise from scratch. So, from that realistic aspect, the FSP doesn't constitute wackoism.

However, their movement would amount to peanuts even in a small state. Suppose Wyoming was the chosen state. 20,000 libertarians would make up around 4% of the population. Granted, they could make up a higher percentage of the voting population if all 20,000 were adults. But even with the FSP's most optimistic estimate the libertarians would be a small (yet vocal) political minority. Not a sure-fire way to achieving their libertarian dream.

But suppose this group of colonizing libertarians actually took over a state government. State tax, spending, and regulations could be cut, but there are a host of rules, regulations, and unfunded mandates imposed by the federal government that couldn't be tossed aside just because the state government wills it. The state government could try to "end collaboration between state and federal law enforcement officials in enforcing unconstitutional laws," but if a federal judge ruled against the state that would leave them in a dilemma. Either they could grudgingly accept the ruling or challenge the legitimacy of the ruling creating a constitutional crisis. Something like that happened in 1861 with bloody consequences.

Gung-ho libertarians are now promoting their own states as THE state. Later this month, there will be a conference in Montana where Westerners will make their case that the state finalist should be in their region. I wonder what Craig over at mtpolitics.net thinks about this?

I wish the FSP guys the best of luck. If they pull it off there will be a free-market, free life example for the rest of the U.S. and the world to look at. I just won't be expecting it in the near future.