The land of the free and the home of the brave, that's what we're told as we live in the great US of A. But when it comes to being truly free, does New York fall high on the totem pole?

A website called FreedomInThe50States.org actually came up with a formula to figure out just how "free" a state is. The ranking is based on a few different things, but the three main categories are:  personal freedom, fiscal policy, and regulatory policy.

Unfortunately, New York is the absolute worst state for freedom. Yes, we rank at #50.

New York has been the least free state in the country for a long time. In fact, the Empire State has been the worst state for freedom in every year since our data set began in 2000. Economic freedom is the most significant weakness, but the state has not kept up with the rest of the country on personal freedom either. It belies the “blue” state stereotype in that it is No. 50 on economic freedom and personal freedom.

The website then goes on to explain the reasons why New York falls in the position it does. They elaborate on some policy changes that they believe would make the state rank higher on their scale:

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  • Fiscal: Cut spending on hospitals, highways, housing, public buildings, public welfare, education, corrections, fire, sanitation and sewerage, employee retirement, and “miscellaneous,” which are all above national averages. Cut all taxes and pay down debt.
  • Regulatory: Abolish the housing anchor that is rent control.
  • Personal: Slash cigarette taxes, which are so high as to be almost tantamount to prohibition.

Do you agree with the ranking and the recommendations for policy change? Let us know inside our station app.

READ ON: See the States Where People Live the Longest

Stacker used data from the 2020 County Health Rankings to rank every state's average life expectancy from lowest to highest. The 2020 County Health Rankings values were calculated using mortality counts from the 2016-2018 National Center for Health Statistics. The U.S. Census 2019 American Community Survey and America's Health Rankings Senior Report 2019 data were also used to provide demographics on the senior population of each state and the state's rank on senior health care, respectively.

Read on to learn the average life expectancy in each state.

See 20 Ways America Has Changed Since 9/11

For those of us who lived through 9/11, the day’s events will forever be emblazoned on our consciousnesses, a terrible tragedy we can’t, and won’t, forget. Now, two decades on, Stacker reflects back on the events of 9/11 and many of the ways the world has changed since then. Using information from news reports, government sources, and research centers, this is a list of 20 aspects of American life that were forever altered by the events of that day. From language to air travel to our handling of immigration and foreign policy, read on to see just how much life in the United States was affected by 9/11.

 

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