Professors William Ruger and Jason Sorens have just released their "Freedom in the 50 States" Index and -- wait for it, drum roll please -- Indiana is one of the five freest states, along with New Hampshire, South Dakota, Idaho and Nevada. The least free were New York, New Jersey, California, Hawaii and Massachusetts. The Index ranks the states based on public policies affecting economic, social, and personal freedoms (e.g., bans on trans fats and the audio recording of police, an individual health-insurance mandate, mandated family leave, etc.). "This year they added a section on the consequences of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the stimulus), as affected by state and local policies. They also included specific policy prescriptions for each of the 50 states based on their data as well as a survey of state policy experts."
But then, why do so many people live in least free states like New York and California?
