b>WASHINGTON, DC — Libertarian minded Reason magazine is often a breath of fresh air when it comes to matters politic. The publication recently rated 35 major American cities by their “nanny” status – meaning how much personal freedom vs. governmental regulation each grants its citizens. The results may surprise some.Coming in at the bottom half of all eight categories, sex, alcohol, tobacco, fire arms, movement, drugs, gambling, food/other, was supposed mid-west Mecca, Chicago.
Among the strikes against allegedly cosmopolitan Chicago are its legislated intolerance for alcohol at nude strip clubs, it stringent gun control laws, its copious surveillance cameras, and its ban on public smoking. With 35 being the worst score possible, Chicago earned a 34 for tobacco, 33 for firearms, and 28 for food/other. Also noticed was the fact that nearly a quarter of all precincts in the city are devoid of alcohol.
Seattle, the home of Grunge Rock and strip club oppression, came in a close second with 35 points in both alcohol and smoking, and 32 points for food/other. The city did receive an impressive 4 rating for its policies regarding marijuana, however.
Earning the bronze metal in citizen babysitting was New York, with 34 points for food/other, 31 for smoking, and 28 for movement. A city-wide ban on trans fats and requirement that fast food establishments provide caloric information are partially responsible for its food rating. During 2006, more than 353,000 people were jailed for possession of small amounts of marijuana.
Sitting pretty in the number 1 spot is Las Vegas, which received scores of 1 for both gambling and sex, as well as scores of 4 for alcohol, 6 for movement, and 7 for food/other.
Sin City was followed by Miami, which scored in the top half of all categories except for drugs. According to Reason, the city “melds Florida’s conservative guns ‘n’ smokes freedom with the licentiousness you might expect from a cosmopolitan city.”
Also reaching the Top 10 were Southern cities Louisville, Jacksonville, and Atlanta.
Factors taken into consideration for rating included each city’s tolerance for GLBT diversity, its adult entertainment regulations, how many strip clubs it has per capita, blue laws and taxes on the sale of alcoholic beverages, restrictions on happy hours and hours of operation for businesses that sell alcohol, seatbelt and motorcycle helmet laws, the availability of government-operated surveillance cameras, cabaret laws, and other laws deemed of a “paternalistic nature.”
For those planning their next vacation or pondering the possibility of a professional relocation, the 35 best and worst cities for personal freedoms are listed below, starting with the best and working to the worst.
1. Las Vegas, NV
2. Miami, FL
3. Denver, CO
4.Louisville, KY
5. Kansas City, MO
6. Milwaukee, WI
7. Portland, OR
8. Jacksonville, FL
9. Atlanta, GA
10. Detroit, MI
11. Ft. Worth, TX
12. Oakland, CA
13. San Antonio, TX
14. Austin, TX
15. Phoenix, AZ
16. Cleveland, OH
17. Dallas, TX
18. San Jose, CA
19. Baltimore, MD
20. San Francisco, CA
21. Washington, DC
22. Columbus, OH
23. Memphis, TN
24. Indianapolis, IN
25. Philadelphia, PA
26. Charlotte, NC
27. Los Angeles, CA
28. Houston, TX
29. Nashville, TN
30. San Diego, CA
31. El Paso, TX
32. Boston, MA
33. New York, NY
34. Seattle, WA
35. Chicago, IL
