A group in the US State of New Hampshire is becoming more vocal in its fight for independence. They believe the federal government has overstepped its role and intruded upon their states' rights.
A group calling themselves the Free State Project says the only option is to let states govern themselves and set their own rules – much they already do on issues like firearm legislation.
New Hampshire is one of the places with the most liberal laws in the country, but now it's in a fight for even more independence. There are about 1.3 million people living in New Hampshire. The goal of the Free State Project is to attract 20,000 people to its cause within ten years time.
They don’t want Washington making decisions for them any more.
Some prominent figures have spoken out and criticized the recent operations of the government:
“The federal government is assuming powers that weren’t delegated to it. It is already acting to destroy the economy of the United States. It is going to devalue our currency, it is further corrupting domestic policies of the states, motivating them to do things they would not do naturally, except for being bribed with the people’s money,” said State Representative Dan Itse.
“If anything is going to cause the dissolution of the United States, it’s the stimulus package and the excessive spending of the federal government,” he added.
Chris Lawless used to work for the government, but he got fed up and quit. Now, he lives in New Hampshire with his wife and three children. Chris said the US Government is incompetent, and he has no illusions about the promises of change:
“The federal government doesn’t follow its own rules. There are countless laws that break the constitution and yet they don’t seem to care that they’ve broken these laws. Obama hasn’t broken that many laws yet, but he is about to. Just because he is charismatic and well-spoken, that does not make a great leader, it makes great TV,” said Lawless, who is a member of the Free State Project.
Chris says the country would be much better off if each state decided its own needs. That way, when the government makes a mistake, the entire country doesn’t have to suffer, as is happening now in the turmoil of the current economic catastrophe.
“We always say that we’re free – the land of the free. And we’re spreading democracy. A lot of times some other countries are freer. There are decisions being made in Washington that affect our lives that they have no business making,” said Lawless.
New Hampshire is also one place in America where it is legal to carry a gun. Liberty activists make sure they exploit that right to the fullest. When asked why one activist was carrying a gun he responded: “For the same reason I have an airbag in my car, a fire extinguisher in my kitchen, and a smoke alarm in my house.”
The slogan of New Hampshire is ‘live free or die’. With the ambitions of members and supporters of the Free State Project, the term ‘freedom’ in America is taking on a whole new meaning.