Posted on 03/06/2025 5:02:07 AM PST by Angelino97
From Libertarian Party National Chair Steven Nekhaila:
President Trump’s recent address to Congress was a spectacle designed to project strength and success. However, beneath the surface of his grand declarations lies a troubling reality that libertarians cannot ignore. The United States resembles a massive ship, its passengers—distracted by entertainment, outrage cycles, and partisan bickering—oblivious to the perilous course it is on. The bridge has been commandeered by individuals who are either incompetent, insane, or intentionally steering toward disaster. A few discerning voices attempt to alert the masses, pleading for action before it’s too late. Yet, convincing people to act before impact is the hardest part; most won’t care until the iceberg is tearing through the hull.
Trump boasts about signing nearly 100 executive orders in 43 days and taking over 400 executive actions—a record he proudly compares to the likes of George Washington. But libertarians don’t measure success by the number of decrees issued from the Oval Office. This is just another example of executive overreach, where laws are no longer written by Congress but dictated by a single individual. Every administration expands its power, setting a dangerous precedent for the next. The solution is not finding the “right” president but dismantling the unchecked authority of the office itself. A government that can impose, restrict, and direct the economy at will is not a free government—it is a centralized command structure, no different in nature from the regimes we claim to oppose abroad.
That said, we do applaud the move to withdraw from the World Health Organization, a globalist bureaucratic entity that seeks to supersede American sovereignty, dictate pandemic response, control travel, and determine what constitutes disinformation. The WHO does not serve the American people; it serves its own interests and those of the governments that fund it. The Libertarian National Committee has already passed a resolution urging the United States to withdraw, recognizing that decisions affecting Americans should be made by Americans, not unelected international bodies. This is one of the rare instances where an administration has taken a step in the right direction by reducing Washington’s entanglements, and we encourage more moves toward decentralization and the restoration of self-governance.
Trump frames his economic policy as a victory for national sovereignty, but his approach remains rooted in protectionism, particularly through new tariffs on foreign aluminum, copper, lumber, and steel. He claims these will restore American industry, but tariffs do not punish foreign nations—they punish American consumers by increasing prices and fueling inflation. Protectionism does not create prosperity; it breeds inefficiency, raises the cost of living, and invites retaliatory tariffs that cripple American exports. If the president is truly committed to economic growth, he would remove barriers to trade, eliminate corporate welfare, and stop Washington from dictating the marketplace. Instead, we get the same old mercantilist policies repackaged under a new banner, proving once again that both parties believe in government interference—they just argue over which industries should receive special treatment.
The creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by Elon Musk, is presented as a bold step in eliminating waste. Yet Congress, which cheered this move, is the very entity that approved reckless spending in the first place—and continues to do so. If waste, fraud, and abuse are uncovered, the budget should be cut accordingly, not just redirected to new government pet projects. If DOGE is serious about accountability, it should start with the Pentagon, which has failed every audit and continues to funnel trillions into black budget programs without oversight. The military-industrial complex is the final boss of government waste, and it will not go down without a fight. Until politicians are willing to take on the untouchable defense contractors, all talk of fiscal responsibility is just another con.
The immigration crisis is another example of politicians refusing to address the root cause of a problem they helped create. Trump celebrates the lowest border crossings on record, attributing it to military deployment and increased enforcement, but like every administration before him, he ignores the fact that our legal immigration system is fundamentally broken. It is not just a problem of law enforcement—it is a problem of policy. A good immigration system would remove perverse government incentives while streamlining legal pathways, ensuring that those who wish to contribute to America can do so without jumping through an impossible bureaucratic maze. Instead, politicians of both parties use immigration as a wedge issue, blaming enforcement or leniency while failing to reform the system itself. The result? A nation that oscillates between border chaos and heavy-handed crackdowns, with no lasting solution in sight.
Trump also takes credit for banning Critical Race Theory, reversing DEI mandates, and enforcing federal recognition of only two genders. While libertarians might agree that these policies should not be mandated, the federal government should not be wielding power over cultural battles at all. The state should not be in the business of dictating social values—whether left-wing or right-wing. Cultural issues should be left to individuals, families, and communities to decide, not decreed by executive order. The same conservatives who decry Washington’s influence in their lives should be the first to recognize that government-mandated culture wars—no matter the side—are a dangerous road.
On the foreign policy front, we applaud attempts to end the war between Ukraine and Russia, which has brought the world to the brink of nuclear catastrophe while costing countless lives on both sides. However, peace will not be achieved by continuing Washington’s interventionist policies and military entanglements. We encourage the withdrawal from NATO and other entangling alliances that serve only to drag the United States into conflicts that have nothing to do with our national security. A true “America First” policy is one of non-interventionism—not simply choosing which wars to fund. We must end all military aid, including to Israel and Taiwan. They are more than welcome to purchase weapons from our private sector, but not a single tax dollar should be spent arming foreign nations while Americans struggle under the weight of inflation and debt.
We also find common ground in deregulation and reducing bureaucratic overreach. Trump pledged to eliminate ten regulations for every new one introduced, freeze federal hiring, and fire government employees who refuse to return to in-person work. While we oppose rule by executive order, slashing the bureaucracy and ending Washington’s micromanagement of the economy is something libertarians have long championed. We also recognize that lifting restrictions on domestic energy production—while avoiding subsidies—allows for a free-market energy sector rather than one strangled by government mandates.
Trump ends his speech with a triumphant declaration: “The Golden Age of America has only just begun.” But no Golden Age has ever been built on endless government spending, protectionism, and executive overreach. The real Golden Age of America was built by free individuals, entrepreneurs, and risk-takers—not by politicians and bureaucrats. If America is to reclaim its prosperity, it will not be through tariffs, executive orders, or grand government initiatives—it will come from getting government out of the way and allowing innovation, voluntary exchange, and personal responsibility to flourish.
Trump’s speech, like those before it, is a performance designed to pacify the public while government continues its reckless spending, overreach, and control. The real issue is not whether a Republican or Democrat stands at the podium—it is the size and power of the state itself. No president will save us because the problem is the presidency, the bureaucracy, and the entire machine of centralized control. Libertarians stand for something different: a government that exists only to protect rights, not to dictate lives—if it is fit to exist at all.
America’s ship is headed for an iceberg, and the passengers are still dancing on the deck. If we wait for politicians to change course, we will sink. The answer is not a new captain—it is taking back the ship and restoring liberty before it is too late.
In Liberty, Steven Nekhaila Chairman, Libertarian National Committee
a ships commander can only direct the crew to carry out orders to direct the ship where the commander intends. who knew there were so many mutineers below deck?
I started paying attention to Libertarians back in the 1970s. I realized pretty early on that their emphasis is on being socially progressive. They are Leftists and they prefer when Democrats are elected. They do not like Republicans. They hate Conservatives. Now someone will pipe up and say “I’m a Libertarian and I’m not like that!” Congratulations: you are 1% of the Libertarians in the US
bump for later
Most libertarians are not libertarian, as the word is defined, just as most liberals are not liberals, as the word is defined.
They want to do what they want, but they believe society should support them. They don’t lend their philosophy to other members of society to allow them to do what they want.
Non-player ‘party’ attempting to provide some kind of ‘third-way’ with a pretend view of the actual situation.
This statement is like a movie review, when the production team has just begun building the sets.
Congress is the problem, and their uniparty crimes and moral turpitudes must be exposed and punished by the electorate (if possible) in order to get some semblance of functionality back in place.
Whackos with no real grounding, why won’t they take a stand against pedophilia rather that refusing to when the issue is raised?
“”The fracas started with Mary J. Ruwart, the candidate with perhaps the deepest, purest libertarian roots (her rejection of government is so complete that some party moderates have begun warning of the anarchical dangers of “Ruwarchy”). In April, a rival called her out for her thoughts in a 1999 book called Short Answers to the Tough Questions. “Children who willingly participate in sexual acts have the right to make that decision as well, even if it’s distasteful to us personally,” Ruwart wrote. “When we outlaw child pornography, the prices paid for child performers rise, increasing the incentives for parents to use children against their will.”
Can we now officially recognize at FR that the Libertarian PARTY is nothing more than a Democrat false-flag operation?
* They lump executive orders rescending executive legislating together with the original executive legislation they rescind.
* They describe the current administration as “The bridge has been commandeered by individuals who are either incompetent, insane, or intentionally steering toward disaster.”
* They simultaneously oppose legislation to reduce immigration and effectively oppose illegal immigration, yet they condemn Pres. Trump for not YET passing more legislation to reduce illegal immigration.
* By saying, “the federal government should not be wielding power over cultural battles at all,” what they really mean is complete, abject surrender.
given their last presidential candidate
it is safe to say the left has co-opted the libertarian party
The libertarian party is an unflattering caricature of libertarian principles and always has been. It’s like they are intentionally undermining their own principles.
Which is why you will never find a serious libertarian in that party.
When you have a Congress that does nothing but throw stones at the other side, someone has to put on the Big Boy pants and take charge. That's what Trump has done. Congress has abdicated its oversight on agencies who in turn produce new regulations which require more people to enforce. This unchecked power impinges on the economy's ability to grow and create jobs. Does the EPA need 16,000+ employees? Hint: No, and if they were under scrutiny by Congress as they should be, half the new regulations they created would never have seen the light of day.
To me, Trump's doing exactly what I voted for and I'd much rather have him at the helm that a bunch gutless wonders whose only concern is getting re-elected.
With it, however, the whole Libertarian platform reveals itself as utopian.
(Am not sure how the Libertarians now stand on abortion; I suspect that they are in favor of it, which of course I must also disavow.)
Regards,
Actually, it's worse, because the author largely agrees that President Trump is doing the right thing - while the author simultaneously decries that it ever became necessary to do so in the first place (for which Trump deserves no blame).
Regards,
Actually not bad statement, except for “tariffs do not punish foreign nations.” I suggest the Chair read Rothbard’s “Power and Market” for more on this topic. Common sense shows that if foreign nations were not punished, they would have no reason to retaliate with tariffs of their own. The simple truth is that tariffs hurt (and help) a myriad of producers, consumers, and investors in both the exporting and importing nations.
As for “taking back the ship'” the LP has been pissing into that wind for 53 years now and hasn’t changed the ship’s course very much at all.
I personally disagree with the first 4 words, but the rest of the statement is spot on, and I agree totally with that.
It's not a particularly good statement at all. For it places the blame on Trump for the direction. But the previous ship's captain has been the one who went into the dangerous waters like a bull in a China shop, and Trump is trying to navigate the mess left, and what a mess it is.
The author of this piece, would only continue to proceed as the previous captain had navigated the ship, instead of making a radical course change.
Open borders and the end of the Border Patrol is just a normal, routine part of the party platform, it isn’t for “ultras”, it is the same for abortion, zero restrictions or interference of any sort.
Jousting with windmills is the Libertarian motto. 😏
“By saying, “the federal government should not be wielding power over cultural battles at all,” what they really mean is complete, abject surrender.”
That is the reason why there has never been nor will there ever be a libertarian country. They don’t have a sufficient set of values (colture) to unify around.
It is multiculturalism run amok.
I don’t know if I will be proven wrong about this in 10 or 20 years, but I get the impression that the LP will be morphing into something in a struggle to find an identity.
With everyone from all spectrums mocking the libertarians they will need to find an identity, it doesn’t mean changing any platform positions but they will need some new market positioning to try and keep themselves appearing cool and hip to the unthinking oddballs and freaks they attract.
She sounds nice.
Libertarians are mostly about drugs and prostitution. The desire to legalize drugs probably accounts for 90% of them. They all hate being talked to about morality. They think the world can exist without a universal moral standard. They think people just automatically know right from wrong.
They are naive and silly.
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