FrankRep
10-12-2008, 08:13 AM
Couple travels across U.S. on journey for ‘freetopia'
Beloit Daily News
October 9, 2008
“Wherever freedom is, there is my home.”
Those words uttered by Benjamin Franklin have motivated Will and Brooke Buchanan to literally walk across the United States and start a new life with the Free State Project in New Hampshire.
On Wednesday morning, Will Buchanan was strolling along Highway 81 at Paddock Road west of Beloit as his wife drove alongside in an RV. By the afternoon, the couple had strolled through Rockton's downtown and by the end of this weekend they plan to be walking toward Chicago.
They are hoping those in the Stateline Area will give them a wave, nod or just chat with them about their unique message. With each law that's passed, they believe the government is tightening its grip and treating people more like children.
*
Buchanan said if Americans could keep more of their paychecks and government red tape was cut, people would be able to pay for health care, choose charities important to them and take back control of their lives from the government.
Will Buchanan, originally a computer programmer from Indiana, started his journey in Oregon. His goal is simple - freetopia, a word they created which combines utopia and freedom.
The Free State Project is an effort to recruit 20,000 liberty-oriented people to New Hampshire. The Buchanans say they are fed up with the two-party political system of Democrat and Republican, which both seem to spend money either waging wars abroad or restricting laws and squandering money at home.
The Buchanans' dream is for the United States to return to its revolutionary roots of a country with little government interference. In a nutshell, the Buchanans believe that government's maximum role is to protect life, liberty and property.
Armed with books of Benjamin Franklin quotations, Buchanans are against government spending taxpayer money on projects that citizens might not believe in.
They disagree with laws dictating whether people eat trans fats, wear seat belts, smoke, bear arms or make love. They are committed to their cause and have the blisters on their feet to prove it.
They want police and fire departments as well as municipal government jobs to be trimmed down and handed over to the private sector.
Brooke Buchanan, a special education teacher, said children will benefit from cooperative schools and parent choice more than being told by the government where to attend school.
Welfare programs would be eliminated in favor of private charities. The Buchanans said if people are manufacturing products or working in charities, they will contribute more to the economy than just working for it.
“Almost 70 percent of welfare basically goes back to funding the program itself and paying the salaries of bureaucrats. Private charities are the exact opposite,” Will Buchanan said.
To learn about the Buchanans' adventures, visit http://www.walkforliberty.com/ .
SOURCE:
http://www.beloitdailynews.com/articles/2008/10/09/news/local_news/news05.txt
Beloit Daily News
October 9, 2008
“Wherever freedom is, there is my home.”
Those words uttered by Benjamin Franklin have motivated Will and Brooke Buchanan to literally walk across the United States and start a new life with the Free State Project in New Hampshire.
On Wednesday morning, Will Buchanan was strolling along Highway 81 at Paddock Road west of Beloit as his wife drove alongside in an RV. By the afternoon, the couple had strolled through Rockton's downtown and by the end of this weekend they plan to be walking toward Chicago.
They are hoping those in the Stateline Area will give them a wave, nod or just chat with them about their unique message. With each law that's passed, they believe the government is tightening its grip and treating people more like children.
*
Buchanan said if Americans could keep more of their paychecks and government red tape was cut, people would be able to pay for health care, choose charities important to them and take back control of their lives from the government.
Will Buchanan, originally a computer programmer from Indiana, started his journey in Oregon. His goal is simple - freetopia, a word they created which combines utopia and freedom.
The Free State Project is an effort to recruit 20,000 liberty-oriented people to New Hampshire. The Buchanans say they are fed up with the two-party political system of Democrat and Republican, which both seem to spend money either waging wars abroad or restricting laws and squandering money at home.
The Buchanans' dream is for the United States to return to its revolutionary roots of a country with little government interference. In a nutshell, the Buchanans believe that government's maximum role is to protect life, liberty and property.
Armed with books of Benjamin Franklin quotations, Buchanans are against government spending taxpayer money on projects that citizens might not believe in.
They disagree with laws dictating whether people eat trans fats, wear seat belts, smoke, bear arms or make love. They are committed to their cause and have the blisters on their feet to prove it.
They want police and fire departments as well as municipal government jobs to be trimmed down and handed over to the private sector.
Brooke Buchanan, a special education teacher, said children will benefit from cooperative schools and parent choice more than being told by the government where to attend school.
Welfare programs would be eliminated in favor of private charities. The Buchanans said if people are manufacturing products or working in charities, they will contribute more to the economy than just working for it.
“Almost 70 percent of welfare basically goes back to funding the program itself and paying the salaries of bureaucrats. Private charities are the exact opposite,” Will Buchanan said.
To learn about the Buchanans' adventures, visit http://www.walkforliberty.com/ .
SOURCE:
http://www.beloitdailynews.com/articles/2008/10/09/news/local_news/news05.txt