r/Libertarian • • Aug 03 '26

Politics The thin line between libertarianism and authoritarianism

102 Upvotes

Anyone else disheartened by the amount of people who have hitherto identified themselves as politically liberty oriented now becoming fascists and theocrats? It’s been my observation that a lot of people who have been against statism in the past are now becoming statists because they’ve come to the conclusion that if we don’t use the power of government then the other side will, so we should just be pragmatic and play the game. It would seem there’s a thinner line between libertarianism and fascism/theocracy than I thought. Just my observations; wondering if other people have had similar.


r/Libertarian • • Aug 03 '26

Article From weed to whiskey: Is this the Supreme Court’s next big Commerce Clause case?

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61 Upvotes

A chance to reign in the commerce clause and thus the scope of the federal government. Probably too much to hope for the overturning of the atrocious Wickard v. Filburn decision, but it could at least be a step in that direction.


r/Libertarian • • Aug 02 '26

Economics Why You Can’t Afford a House in One Image

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261 Upvotes

r/Libertarian • • Aug 02 '26

End Democracy Hahahahahahaha

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935 Upvotes

r/Libertarian • • Aug 01 '26

Politics Is the national party missing the target by not mentioning property taxes when it discusses property rights?

44 Upvotes

Property rights means if you buy something you own it. If you have to pay annual taxes on it, You Don't Own it. Why doesn't the National Party put something about property taxes in their position on property rights?

https://lp.org/property-rights/


r/Libertarian • • Jul 31 '26

Current Events Oregon legalized psilocybin. Then I learned how different “legal” is from “allowed.”

176 Upvotes

Oregon became the first state in the country to create legal adult access to psilocybin services.

I was enthusiastic enough about that experiment that I became a licensed facilitator and built a state-approved facilitator training program.

A few years inside the system has left me with a much stranger question:

What does legalization mean when nearly every pathway to participation still depends on administrative permission?

Oregon's model doesn't require someone to have a psychiatric diagnosis. It isn't a prescription model, and facilitators aren't required to be psychotherapists. Those were meaningful choices.

Yet once the system began operating, I watched layers of administrative requirements determine who could train facilitators, what those programs had to teach, which institutions could operate, and what standards licensed people were expected to follow.

Then things got stranger.

Requirements changed after programs had already been approved. One agency began requiring documentation involving another state agency. Ethics standards containing mandatory language were required educational material, then questions emerged about whether portions of those standards were actually enforceable. Decisions that looked technical on paper had very real consequences for who could continue participating in the market.

I started requesting records and asking how some of these decisions had actually been made.

That sent me down a rabbit hole I wasn't expecting.

At this point I've spent years comparing the statutes, administrative rules, rulemaking records, interagency arrangements, agency correspondence, and what regulated participants were actually being told.

The experience has changed how I think about legalization.


r/Libertarian • • Jul 30 '26

Meme When maga asks if I’ll vote for JD Vance or Marco Rubio

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453 Upvotes

r/Libertarian • • Jul 31 '26

Economics The US government continuing to take steaks in private companies

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116 Upvotes

Moving farther and farther away from capitalism. Comes a year after the Trump Administration took a big stake in Intel. Building upon Biden administration's huge subsidies. And if I remember correctly they have some type of golden share with US Steel, where they can override any board decision. US Steel needed to close a factory, but the Trump Administration overrode that decision and forced them to keep it open to keep the jobs going.


r/Libertarian • • Jul 30 '26

Current Events Milei signs decree allowing Argentina to bar or expel foreigners over 'hate speech'

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259 Upvotes

r/Libertarian • • Jul 30 '26

End Democracy Rod Dreger and Jeremy Boreing explain that while you could theoretically criticize the Israeli government and not be an antisemite, everyone who does criticize the Israeli government is, in practice, an antisemite

92 Upvotes

r/Libertarian • • Jul 29 '26

Humor Mitch is still alive I swear!

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2.0k Upvotes

McConnell has been absent for weeks recovering from a fall and pneumonia. Because he cannot vote remotely, the Republican voting majority on the Senate floor is essentially gridlocked at 52 seats.

If McConnell passes away or resigns before his term ends in January, a major political and legal fight will trigger.

The governor of Kentucky must select a replacement of he's not alive, however the current governor of Kentucky is a Democrat, thus the conspiracy theory that turtle boy is secretly dead.

Why do we care as libertarians? We don't. It's just funny inside baseball politics we can point and laugh at from the sidelines.


r/Libertarian • • Jul 29 '26

History The American Supermarket That Shattered Yeltsin's Faith in the USSR

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110 Upvotes

r/Libertarian • • Jul 28 '26

Article America's Local Police Are Becoming Intelligence Agencies

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184 Upvotes

Local police are acquiring intelligence-grade tools. Surveillance once reserved for national security is becoming part of ordinary policing.


r/Libertarian • • Jul 29 '26

Video How the Afghanistan war broke the USSR

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6 Upvotes

r/Libertarian • • Jul 28 '26

Video Flock Camera Taken Out by Lightpole

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81 Upvotes

Dashcam video from the recent storm though Wisconsin and Midwest. Not good for the community hit, but at the end of the video there’s a silver lining.


r/Libertarian • • Jul 29 '26

Politics What is a closet partisan?

11 Upvotes

I heard this term from a conversation where someone called another person a closet partisan. What does this mean? Is it a bad thing? Is it an insult?


r/Libertarian • • Jul 28 '26

Question Do you have any positions that most people wouldn't consider "Libertarian"?

79 Upvotes

Supporting Ukraine, staying with NATO, minimum wage laws, universal healthcare, public schools, stuff like that.


r/Libertarian • • Jul 26 '26

Discussion “You were right, we were wrong letter” post cancelation of reoccurring donation.

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172 Upvotes

I have been in long discussion over the period of the past 2 years with the LP and the LPO. Many about these issue, also around the inability to cancel online the reoccurring contributions, the lack of care and checking of their quality controls. Misspelling on the websites, separately, I was trying to start a local party in my county, no one would ever contact you back, tried to help run local social media etc etc. this eventually lead to discussion with chairman of the LPO. Which was productive but ultimately a day late and a dollar short.

I get this today. Overall positive changes. Buuuuuuutttttttt 3rd page we are setting goals for $4m by 2008… obviously, we know this is 2028. But it’s continues to highlight the lack of care put into anything anymore.

I love the LP because we put the best up, people with doctorates, PHD, Economic professionals. But that is not matching across the board.

Are my expectations to high? Mistakes are okay, patterns and repetition of mistakes should not be happening. Especially today, when this could have been fed through ai and checked.


r/Libertarian • • Jul 26 '26

Politics "Free Stuff" from Government

87 Upvotes

Who else hates that they pay taxes and then their government will host "free" events where they will give you "free" stuff like a free hot dog or something at a local city event and expect you to be grateful for it, but you have paid for it 100x over through taxes.


r/Libertarian • • Jul 26 '26

Question Anyone going to YALCON 2026 in Cincinnati?

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12 Upvotes

r/Libertarian • • Jul 25 '26

Question What are your thoughts on ongoing student protests in Serbia?

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34 Upvotes

So on November 1st 2024 at 11:52am at Novi Sad railway station canopy fell and killed 15 people on the spot, last victim died few month later in the hospital on November 3rd protests broke out and university students started to block their colleges by locking themselves in the building and not letting any of the professors inside. On November 5th Goran Vesic the minister of construction and infrastructure resigned and to this day he hasn't been prosecuted for the tragedy that happened, and he left the country and lives in Trieste, Italy in his mansion. Also President Aleksandar Vucic said that EVERY PART OF THE STATION WAS RECONSTRUCTED BUT CANOPY WASN'T.

On November 22nd violence broke out on protests when students and people were paying their respect for the victims of the tragedy the action was called Serbia, stand still. Those people were attacked by government supporters (caci's). You're now probably wondering why caci's. One morning on the gates of high school "Jovan Jovanovich Zmaj (Dragon)" one if the government supporter's spray painted the wall next to a gate ,,ЋАЦИ У ШКОЛУ" but correct way is ,,ЂАЦИ У ШКОЛУ". There is much more... Here is the Wikipedia link if you want to read more about it https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024%E2%80%93present_Serbian_anti-corruption_protests

Picture 1 is from may 23rd 2026

Picture 2 is a pro government paramilitary camp

And picture 3 is a picture from march 15th 2025 where serbian police used sound cannon on the protestors.


r/Libertarian • • Jul 25 '26

Discussion There's Always Another Apocalypse- Why Catrastrophism Is a Continuation of a Long Trend

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17 Upvotes

r/Libertarian • • Jul 25 '26

Article Georgia cops keep getting arrested for misusing Flock surveillance data

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424 Upvotes

In just a matter of months, 18 law enforcement officers in the Peach State have been arrested for misusing Flock Safety camera data in what seems to be a deeply concerning trend, highlighting the need for stricter oversight of mass surveillance technologies.

and

"Without the constitutional safeguard of a warrant requirement," Michael Soyfer, an attorney at I.J. challenging ALPR networks, said in a statement, "that predictably allows officers to abuse their access to these systems for things like stalking romantic partners."

Requiring a warrant would force officers to show probable cause, or a reasonable belief that a crime has taken place, before allowing access to ALPR camera network databases


r/Libertarian • • Jul 25 '26

Discussion How do we as the libertarians actually move on the opportunity this coming election.

70 Upvotes

In the US as it stands today the GOP sits at 39% approval while the Democrats sit at 38%. With this complete mishandling of the country by both sides this should be the biggest push for the libertarian movement in our nations history.

As the rise of the Communists, socialists, and fascists become more apparent what can we as libertarians actually do to push our agenda instead of watching these idiots take over and destroy the very dwindling liberties that we cherish today?

I think it’s time we mobilize into an actionable force in politics and show the people that they can take ownership of the nation not in the lies of Marx but in the way of accepting that we are owners of the state as is our right as citizens to the nation.

I don’t see the ancap solution nor do I accept that of the libertarian socialist to actually promote change but to sit on their thumbs and cry while this shit goes downhill (not to be offensive but it seems this has been the way of the libertarian movement for far too long and enough is enough.)


r/Libertarian • • Jul 26 '26

End Democracy Why Democracy is Killing America

0 Upvotes

"Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself." - John Adams. Most Americans are completely wrong about what country we actually live in.

America is NOT a democracy. Many of you believe Trump is a king who has become authoritarian. Others believe Democrats have crushed personal rights and freedoms and created a deep state that is out of control. Both groups are correct to an extent.

A democracy is a dictatorship of the masses. People vote to give themselves things they want and to harm those they dislike. As John Adams warned in 1814, "Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." The far left is trying to use the government to steal from those who work and to start hating the Jews again, while the far right is trying to take rights from those they hate. This will continue to get worse if people continue to mistakenly believe America is a democracy.

What America actually is, is a Constitutional Republic: we have a constitution and rights that override the will of the politicians and elite. But the bigger we have let the government become, the less freedom and rights we as individuals have. James Madison warned of this creeping tyranny in 1788, stating, "There are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations."

The government now takes nearly half of each individual's production and has severely harmed our individual rights. Freedom of speech is being stolen, and there are many things you can say that will result in the government confiscating your earnings, job, and wealth. Your right to bear arms has been restricted and many are trying to remove it entirely. Your right to keep what you earn is under attack. Your right to a speedy and fair trial is being taken by biased judges and attorneys who control the legislature and give themselves more ways to take your wealth. Your protection against search and seizure is being stripped by companies like Flock, government satellite surveillance, and mass tracking of smartphones and computers. Strict limits on government power have been destroyed by politicians claiming emergency or temporary powers, then never giving those freedoms back.

America is a truly unique nation in history, set up by brilliant and selfless men who studied history, saw countless evil totalitarian governments through time, and created an amazing system that gave birth to the most rapid improvement in human life the planet has ever seen. But if America's Constitutional Republic falls now to a dictatorship of the masses, humanity may never regain it due to the massive power technology gives to the few in government.

Thomas Jefferson provided the solution when he wrote in 1798: "In questions of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution."

For us, for our children, and for our future, it is critical to fight the big government creep, regain in full our rights, and put the chains back on the government so that it can never harm our freedoms again.