A group of libertarians are trying to organize a "Free State" freestateproject.org , convincing 20,000 of their closest friends to migrate to a state with a fairly low population and elect like minded people to all the state wide offices and as many of the legislative and city council districts as possible. They are seeking like minded folk willing to make the trek into such places as Montana, Idaho, the Dakotas, Maine or Wyoming. I applaud their zeal. Having one state in the union free of excessive government intrusion would certainly be a novelty in these days of "what can the government give me?"

Today's America bears little resemblance to the vision of the founders. We have progressed into a quasi socialist state where half the people pay in and the other half takes out. About 10 percent pay the most. About 40 percent pay nothing. Soon those who pay nothing will have a majority. That will mark the beginning of the end.

I used to be a member of the Libertarian Party and even ran for the Texas State Senate. (I would have not gone to New Mexico to dodge my duty) Got 39,000 votes. Lost--big. With no desire to live any place cold, I am personally not a good candidate for the migration. I will be with them in spirit. I see such a move as a first step on the road to independence as I believe we can no longer afford to continue compromising with the statists.

A state government controlled by the Libertarians would need the intestinal fortitude to vote for the end to programs that get Federal revenues. They would have to prepare for some serious resistance from industries that rely on federal funding. They would have to work fast so that we could all catch a fleeting glimpse of limited government before the parasitic class became alarmed enough to bother to show up at the polls and vote them out.

What those who embark on this enterprise will face is a direct assault on any attempt at liberty by the one group that welds the real power in this country--the Federal Courts. The Courts will waste no time declaring any removal of welfare benefits in violation of the equal protection clause of the Constitution. Everyone, you see, has a God given right to have their hand in someone else's pocket.

It would be interesting to see the United States federal authorities arrest an entire state government for defying a court order. Be assured that if the Libertarians are successful that the Feds will step in and put a stop to it. Freedom is no longer tolerated. Long ago the central government became what the founders feared most--autonomous. There is now a duality in this country "we the people" and "we the government" and they are not the same entity. Within that duality we have a polarized political spectrum of socialists and cowardly traditionalists. The idea that the Democrats and Republicans are alike is untrue. They are diametrically opposed to one another. Only the end result of their policies is the same. This is the growth of government and its cost to the productive. Sitting at the top of this monolithic institution are the courts. They now have legalistic power and legislative power over pretty much everything except the permanent bureaucracy.

The Federal Courts have exactly the amount of power they choose to usurp from the other branches of government and the states. There is no redress to Federal Court decisions as the system of checks and balances does not apply to them. Only amending the Constitution would slow the migration to absolute power by the courts and nationally, we haven't the courage to change that. Sheep almost never rise up against their keepers even as the slaughterhouse draws near.