Land Of The Free? New Rankings Say Not Really For NJ, Pa.
By Chelsea Karnash
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – "Let freedom ring" might not ring true in many of the fifty states.
According to research done by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, both Pennsylvania and New Jersey rank low when it comes to how their policies promote freedoms in the personal, fiscal and regulatory realms.
Pennsylvania came in at #31, with a +2 positive change from 2009. Meanwhile, New Jersey ranked a dismal #48, with zero change from 2009.
Delaware doesn't fare half bad when it comes to freedom; the state was ranked 17th on the list, up 24 from 2009.
The study's authors say they included data related to more than 200 policy variables such as labor market freedoms, health insurance freedoms, property rights protection and even gambling, tobacco and alcohol freedom.
And where in the U.S. are residents truly living in the land of the free and home of the brave? North Dakota (#1), South Dakota (#2) and Tennessee (#3).
