The Free State Project is doing great:
- 24,155 current signers–we are continuing to actively recruit new participants and they are some of our stickiest/most interested–we’ve been holding calling parties, and at one I attended last month, we had 15 volunteers who called more than 500 new signers. We have been fundraising for this separately, and have earmarked and spent $18K for FY19 so far
- 4,392 free staters in NH
- 560 liberty meetups per year
- New movers arriving monthly
- $250M invested in real estate
- 120 companies started
- 45 elected free staters (21 current, working with Freedom Caucus of approx. 60-100, depending on the issue)
Politically, NH is in a weird situation right now, with the flip in 2018 to Democrat in the House and Senate, but still with a Republican Governor. Free Staters have been in the unique situation of furthering libertarian goals, by working with both sides of the aisle on issues we care about: criminal justice reform, legalization of recreational MJ (sadly, tabled by Senate), annulment of misdemeanor drug charges, pushing back on irresponsible Democratic high tax/spend budget, pushing back on attempt to backdoor an income tax masquerading as “family medical leave,” holding the line on business tax cuts, and a huge one for many of us: repealing the death penalty (which passed by ONE vote, phew!).
Our ideas are gaining traction, for example, at least 7 Republican House members said “Taxation is Theft” from the well during session speeches (and only one was a free stater!), and essays like this, “My Turn: Taxation is theft – and here’s why” have appeared in local newspapers. I even got to say “less and less is more when it comes to taxes” and plug the FSP on the BBC recently (listen to The Why Factor “Why is it so hard to get people to pay taxes?” I’m near the start).
I have also been working on new projects which continue to further Liberty in Our Lifetime:
- Government transparency and accountability: I now serve on the board of Right-To-Know NH, a nonpartisan coalition of open government advocates. We are working on an audit to determine what local municipalities charge for copying costs, and we’re pushing a petition urging Governor Sununu to release the secret list of bad NH cops.
- Privacy/surveillance state/”1984 is Not an Instruction Manual”: I’m a petitioner in an ACLU lawsuit filed on Tuesday with 2 other free staters and a 16-term retired Representative to fight the Manchester Police Department’s attempt to put up surveillance cameras downtown. You can watch a WMUR news clip featuring me here, or read about it, here, NHPR, USNews, and Union Leader.
- Leading by example: I’m still 65lbs down, following a Keto lifestyle. I stopped using alcohol in Dec 2017, and never think about it now. I practice Bikram yoga regularly. Hubby and I garden, walk the dog, and are slowly renovating our 1950s atomic ranch. I’m co-host of a weekly local cable access show called ManchTalk TV. At PorcFest, I will be launching my new website and podcast called “Told You So”. I am also doing a self-empowerment/improvement talk at PorcFest: “How I Learned to Stop Faking It and Be a Better Me: How are YOU living your daily life?”
- I will be running for NH Senate again in 2020. Not sure if you followed what happened in my race, but my district swung 12-15% Democrat, but despite this, I went up 2% over my 40% in 2016, which means I can win if I raise my profile enough. I’ll need support for this, but that’s a conversation for another day! Hopefully, in Vegas! 😛
Remember, donating to the Free State Project is your opportunity to support a living libertarian experiment with the potential to change the world. We’re doing it, but right now, we can use a little help! Thank you!
Fond regards and deepest thanks,
Carla