Budget Watch Nevada

Imagine 300 pro-liberty activists in one place. Now imagine 10 or 20 or 30 times that. I know – sounds like Nirvana, like paradise, like a good start.

That’s what’s happening right now in New Hampshire. I am reporting live from Gunstock Campground, in the Lakes region of the Granite State, where the state motto is “Live Free or Die.” The Free State Project, whose motto is “Liberty in our lifetime,” is hosting its annual “PorcFest” gathering of “Porcupines” from around the country. There are over 300 attendees registered for the weekend, with about a third of that already here (Wednesday), touring the state, discussing job and housing opportunities and engaging in lengthy, informed discussions on state and national politics.

Standing around the campfire you’ll hear conversations about Ron Paul, Ayn Rand, Ludwig Von Mises, Jefferson, and Jason Sorens, and if you look around you notice more than just fireflies dancing among the tall pine trees; you’ll also see several of the Porcupines exercising and celebrating the Second Amendment by openly wearing firearms on their belts. We all feel very safe that no one is going to try to rob our group.

While Porcupines’ (the FSP’s mascot, the porcupine, was chosen because it is a gentle creature who just wants to be left alone, but you certainly don’t want to cross it) political banter bounces from the Iraq war to the war on drugs to right-to-carry to taxes to wearing helmets and seat belts, one common thread is a desire for smaller government and more personal freedom. But unlike many libertarian-type discussion groups, these people are doing something about it.

Over 400 “Free Staters” are already living in NH. One has been elected to the state legislature and one to a local town council. Countless others have run in political races or have helped in others’ campaigns. They’ve opened businesses and built homes. They have been welcomed by the governor and by the numerous pro-freedom groups that are active politically around the state.

While we in Nevada have pockets of libertarian-leaning, Ron Paul-type activists and pundits, including Chuck Muth, Eric Odom, the Libertarian Party of Nevada and Clark County, Liberty Watch - The Magazine, and others, just imagine how great it would be if we had 10 times that many actively involved in Silver State politics. That’s what the Free State Project intends to do in New Hampshire, a state of under 1.5 million in population. Check it out at www.FreeStateProject.org.