Freedom means Repealing Progress.

What makes us free?

Newsmax found a study where the lack of government was the true path to freedom. But is that a good test?

To me, freedom allows for more time do what I want to do, there are fewer problems to contend with, there’s a feeling of safety, with comfortable community standards and services, not to mention less stress. But who am I, just a liberal.

Rules, regulations and government services weren't created for the fun of it by socialist-Marxist-liberal-Democrats. They were a response to a public need. 

For example: taxes often determine quality of life, fewer labor protections might mean lower wages, tort reform might open the door for fewer product safeguards, health insurance freedom could mean instant bankruptcy for many, lack of no smoking laws increases costs and would harm others…etc.

But conservatives focus on the item itself, not the end result. The Study:

George Mason University's Mercatus Center conducted the study, Freedom in the 50 States: "We score all 50 states on over 200 policies … "We weight public policies according to the estimated costs that government restrictions on freedom impose on their victims."

Check out the list of categories that are the basic building blocks of a civilized society. Without “progress,” we might have fewer choices…and less freedom:

Fiscal policy includes tax burden, government employment, government spending, government debt, and fiscal decentralization.

Regulatory policy includes freedom from tort abuse, property rights protection, labor market freedom, health insurance freedom, and several other factors.

The personal freedom category focuses on victimless crime freedom, gun control freedom, civil liberties, and freedom relating to a variety of topics including tobacco, alcohol, marriage, and gambling.

Alaska scored the highest for personal freedom, South Dakota for economic freedom, Indiana for regulatory freedom, Texas for labor market freedom, and Nevada for civil liberties. California scored lowest in three of those categories.

The five states with the highest ranking for freedom are, in order, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, New Hampshire, and Oklahoma. Only New Hampshire voted for President Obama in the 2012 election.

Investor's Business Daily (IBD) points out in an article about the study. the study's findings "call into question" assertions Obama made during the 2012 campaign that tax cuts and deregulation won't produce growth and prosperity. IBD concludes: "If anything, the data show precisely the opposite."