Nevada

[Nearly] 31 percent of the Silver State's workforce must first obtain government approval in order to work — the second highest rate nationwide. By comparison, the national rate back in the 1950s was only 4 percent ... Consider the 2011 law that made it a criminal offense to practice music therapy without a license. But even for professions where licensing is appropriate, Nevada is often far too burdensome — with exorbitant fees and prolonged training periods that bear no relationship to the regulation's alleged purpose of safeguarding "life, health, and property."

The 19th century definition of liberal ... was basically a laissez faire type who favored free trade and sound money. True "liberals" wanted low taxes and not much meddlesome regulation ... Such positions are today the lonely terrain of the "third parties," widely reviled as radical wackos. In Nevada, we have the Independent Americans, some of whom are refreshingly bold on these issues, though the party seems unable to drive off an oversized subset of confused, populist conspiracy buffs, anxious to blame all our problems on those timeworn scapegoats: the queer, the pot smoker and the Jew.

Reason: ... What do you like about Vegas?
Carey: Vegas is everything that's right with America. You can do whatever you want, 24 hours a day. They've effectively legalized everything there. You don't have to gamble if you don't want to. There's tons of churches in Vegas, too: You'll see a church right next to a casino. But a lot of people like gambling, so they make money off it. Nobody forces you to put money in a machine and pull the handle. But the fact is they allow it. Nevada's one of the most conservative states in the Union, but you can do what you want in Vegas and nobody judges you. And they've got great schools in Vegas (laughs).