Happy New Year from the Happiest Freedom Fighter!

***This is a personal message from Matt Simon, FSP mover and campaign manager for Joel Winters, the FSP mover who was elected NH state rep! Pass it on!***

Dear Liberty Lover,

I hope you're having good holidays. I sure am. It helps that I am the happiest freedom fighter on the planet right now. The reason is simple -- last year I left a job I had grown tired of and a region of the country that was flushing itself down the toilet, a place where I had grown increasingly miserable and less inspired. And then I moved to New Hampshire, the "Live Free or Die" state, and joined a serious, disorganized gaggle of freedom lovers who have migrated because of the Free State Project.

Why is it good that we're disorganized? The best part about the FSP is that a concentration of liberty lovers wearing various stripes is impossible to pigeonhole. In theory we in New Hampshire are libertarians or free-marketeers or Goldwater republicans or Jeffersonian democrats, classical liberals or constitutionalists or zero-aggression anarchists; we are Christians or atheists or whatever; we are country people or city people or suburbanites or cavemen. But in reality we are liberty lovers, and we're learning how to work together and restore liberty in New Hampshire, where we're happy to find that less liberty has been lost. Things are just a little bit less ridiculous here, and it helps that each of has a network of fellow liberty lovers to connect with. Our frequent cooperation on issues or campaigns is spontaneous, as it should be.

And of course it helps that New Hampshire is already a notoriously healthy, clean, safe, and libertarian state. Given the adjectives "healthy, clean, and safe," it's no wonder to see them correlate with "libertarian." David Kirby and David Boaz recently wrote in TCS Daily that "New Hampshire may be the most libertarian state in the country." In my seven months here I've come to see New Hampshire as a shining example of how liberty promotes human flourishing, at least when you compare its problems with the seemingly unsurmountable obstacles in other states. New Hampshire has no income tax or general sales tax, and eminent domain for private development was just banned by an overwhelming majority of voters. The cops will never harass you about your seatbelt, you can ride your bike without a helmet, and New Hampshire's gun laws are some of the best in the nation ("open carry" guaranteed explicity by the constitution, "concealed carry" permits on shall-issue basis). The bottom line is that while things are far from perfect here (people are still getting busted for marijuana, and the "school funding issue" is driving us all bananas), we're probably enjoying a much better overall habitat than you are, and only you can make the decision to change your situation.

Maybe you have compelling reasons for staying put, and of course I understand that the where-to-live equation is different for each individual. All I can do is promise that in New Hampshire you will find a disproportionately large number of people who share your love for liberty, and there's a good chance you could be a lot happier and better off if you moved here and joined the nonviolent revolution. Over 950 people have pledged they will move to New Hampshire by December 31, 2008. At this moment, we're looking for at least 50 more people to complete our pledge and guarantee the success of the freedom movement in New Hampshire. If you believe like the revolutionaries of 1776 that the maximum role of government is to protect life, liberty, and property, why not take this chance to live what you believe, vote with your feet, and help us help New Hampshire regain its liberty? We will set an example for the United States and the world, and you're welcome to join us at any time. :)

Please visit freestateproject.org and read about what's been happening. You might decide you want to attend our Liberty Forum, where John Stossel will be our keynote speaker. And I really hope you will decide to sign our First 1000 pledge, which expires Dec. 31, 2006.

Happy New Year from the Happiest Freedom Fighter on the Planet!

Matt Simon,
Campaign Manager
Joel Winters for State Representative
(Yes, winning feels good!)