President's Corner

May 28, 2006

Message from the President

What about winter? 

This will be the first in a series of several messages that I hope will address some common objections people have to joining the Free State Project and moving to New Hampshire.  While I don't think every objection can be overcome, I hope that many of the most common ones can.

Coming from California, I often get asked about the winters in New Hampshire.  Just to understand my perspective, I've spent most of my life in very warm climates:  23 years in California and 4 in central Florida.  I also spent over 4 years living and working in the Cincinnati area and currently work quite a bit in Alaska.  Though I've lived mostly in the warmth, New Hampshire is not my first snowy climate to visit, work in, or live in.  There's no single catch all answer to objections about living in the cold, but I'd like to share what I've discovered now having lived through two winters here.  

The welcome is so warm, I hardly notice the winter weather.  Of course, it's cute to say that, but it's true.  The people in New Hampshire, including the close-knit 'family' of Porcupines that has developed in the last couple of years, are very welcoming.  It might be cold outside, but it doesn't feel cold when surrounded by such a warm and friendly welcome, and the welcome starts before you even arrive!

New Hampshire's reputation of being the 'frozen north' was established prior to the advent of heaters.  It's now common to find heaters installed in convenient places like homes and cars.  When people email me and ask how cold it is in the middle of winter, I might email back that it's only 10 degrees outside and it's snowing.  But I'm probably wearing shorts and a t-shirt in my 73 degree office when I type that.  It's true that it costs me a bit to heat my larger home in the winter, but my average annual energy costs are still lower than they were in way-hot central California, even with the recent spike in fuel prices.  

Though New Hampshire gets more snow than some other 'snowy' parts of the country, the weather is arguably better year around.  Much of the midwest (especially the lower midwest) has pretty lousy weather in the winter, including weeks on end of gray, sleet, thawing and re-freezing, freezing rain, and so on.  In New Hampshire, we might get a foot of snow all at once, but as soon as it's over, the skies typically clear up and the crisp, sunny, cool days that follow are absolutely beautiful.  Of course, the summers are far more comfortable than almost all the rest of the nation, and fall in New Hampshire is absolutely world-class beautiful.  

Driving in the winter in New Hampshire is measurably better than other snowy climates, including states immediately surrounding it.  While I'm not about to advocate government snow removal as the best ultimate solution, I can attest to the fact that New Hampshire keeps their roads cleaned better in the winter than other states do.  I heard this prior to moving and chalked it up to state pride.  Now that I've lived there and driven in the winter in the surrounding states (as well as all over the midwest), I can say from personal experience that New Hampshire's roads are about the best to drive on in the winter of any snowy climate that I've found.  

There are lots of things you can do to reduce the negative effects of winter, if you're so inclined.  Learning to dress up goes a long ways to staying comfortable if you're going to spend much time outside.  Getting a garage will make getting in the car in the mornings much more comfortable and will likely extend the life of your car.  If you're concerned about driving, look for a town that is less hilly.  Four wheel drive can also be helpful, but more important might be traction control and ABS.  

And don't forget the positive side of winter.  At least some towns allow snowmobiling in town (I can still vividly remember the first time I got passed by a snowmobile on my way to the grocery store).  Skiing is never far away, and other snow play can be as close as your back yard.  And odds are good your dreams of a White Christmas will come true.  Whether you prefer to get out and play or just grab a cup of hot chocolate, light a fire in the fireplace, and enjoy the beautiful view right out your window, New Hampshire can truly be a winter wonderland.

V-
 

If you have any suggestions or ideas for this feature, please feel free to send them my way.   Email me at president@freestateproject.org for the best quality response.

Recent FSP Activity

1. First 1000 - Are you comning to Porc Fest?  This is the perfect time to figure out where to move and, more importantly, when.  We hope you'll join us sooner rather than later.  We've proven that FSP Participants can be effective at increasing the level of freedom in New Hampshire.  The more we have, the freer it gets!  Be a part of the First 1000 and help launch New Hampshire into the freedomsphere ;)
   
2. Lights Of Liberty - Last week I mentioned Operation Politically Homeless.  One of the benefits of doing an Operation Politically Homeless booth is that it qualifies you for the Advocates for Self-Government's Lights Of Liberty award.  We now have our very own FSP Lights Of Liberty page featuring information about the awards and listing FSP Participants who are recipients of the award.  There are three ways to win and they're easy to do!  Visit our Lights Of Liberty page to learn more!
   
3. Survey - As I reported last week, the FSP is going to survey our Participants, Friends and prospective Particpants soon.  The first version of questions is being reviewed now, and when we reach the final version, a special email will go out to the 'info' list.  Please take a few minutes and complete this survey when it becomes available.  The results will help us better focus our resources to recruit more participants. Thank you in advance for sharing your opinions with us.
   
4. Recent Movers - We had yet another new mover to New Hampshire this week.  A gentleman from Belgrade arrived in the Monadnock region!  It seems like someone new arrives every week or two.  Hopefully I'll have more to report next week!
   

That's it for this issue!  Thanks for reading.