How Free Are We?

According to a recent study, Mississippi falls in the "fair to middlin" range.

Conducted by William P. Ruger, Jason Sorens, and Fait Muedini, the Freedom in the 50 States: Index of Personal and Economic Freedom (PDF) provides "the first-ever comprehensive ranking of the American states on their public policies affecting individual freedoms in the economic, social, and personal spheres" Unlike previous studies, the Index seeks to more accurately measure American freedom by including:

1) social and personal freedoms such as peaceable citizens’ rights to educate their own children, own and carry firearms, and be free from unreasonable search and seizure;
2) far more variables, even on economic policies alone, than prior studies, and there are no missing data on any variable;
3) new, more accurate measurements of key variables, particularly state fiscal policies.

According to the Index, the freest states are New Hampshire, Colorado, and South Dakota. States that fared the worst were New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, California and Maryland. Mississippi falls in the median quintile along with Arkansas, Alabama, Oregon, the Carolinas, Nevada and Florida.

Compared to the Magnolia State's dismal standing on most national studies, this may sound like cause for celebration. Others, however, view this as a map of freedom's lost and ask: how must freer could we be?