With a reboot, dare I say “Re-Launch” of the Goochland Revolution, We upgrade the infamous “Patriot’s Voice” newsletter as the “Goochland Liberty Index”. Now a quarterly, its intended to focus on what events and news we experienced in the last three months – per edition. Plus a small pile of opinion articles on various topics
This is Edition #1. Enjoy
As to the “Index”. Its an index of Liberty, drawn from a calculation of things that affect Goochland.
- Conservative Republican Governance: This is the percentage of local, state and national representation that directly oversees our county.
- Economic Freedom: This could include indices like tax rates, government spending as a percentage of GDP, regulatory environment, and ease of doing business. Economic freedom often correlates with individual liberty and entrepreneurial opportunities.
- Political Freedom: This can be measured by the fairness and competitiveness of elections, the existence of political pluralism, and the level of citizens’ political participation.
- Property Rights: Assess the legal framework’s effectiveness in protecting private property rights, including intellectual property. This also involves looking at the enforcement of contracts and the level of property rights infringements, like asset seizures or eminent domain abuses.
- Personal Freedom: This could include indices related to personal choice, freedom of movement, freedom from discrimination, and rights to personal privacy.
- Educational Freedom: Evaluate the availability and diversity of educational options, including homeschooling, private schools, and charter schools, and the degree of parental control over education.
- Healthcare Freedom: Consider the ability of individuals to make choices regarding their healthcare providers and treatments, as well as the regulatory environment surrounding healthcare services.
- Gun Ownership Rights: Since gun rights are a significant aspect of liberty for many Americans, you could consider the extent of gun control laws and the freedom to own and carry firearms.
- Fiscal Responsibility: This can include factors like debt levels, fiscal sustainability, and transparency in government spending, as these impact economic freedom and future tax burdens.
- Government Transparency and Accountability: Measure the openness of government actions, the availability of public information, and the mechanisms for holding officials accountable.
Here’s the funny part. The more work that was done on a Liberty Index calculation, the more nuanced it became. But be of good cheer – we’ll have a more polished Liberty Index to report in upcoming editions.
Needless to say, we’re not at 100% Liberty, but we’re doing better than many areas of Virginia.
