A Libertarian community in Newfoundland!

Critics of Libertarian LESS GOVERNMENT ideas often claim that if they are so good, why are there no places where they are practiced. As elusive as the Lost City of Atlantis, we found one!

A Libertarian haven on rocky shores

This Newfoundland Community Pays No Property Tax, Governs Itself

https://link.theepochtimes.com/mkt_app/world/newfoundland-community-governs-itself-pays-no-property-tax-and-could-be-model-for-others-5748124?utm_medium=app&c=share_pos2&pid=iOS_app_share&utm_source=iOS_app_share

Dr. Hans-Herman Hoppe would approve!

Democracy, The God That Failed, was published in 2001 by Hoppe, one of the contemporary giants of Libertarian thought and my personal favourite of this genre.

Hoppe argued that monarchy is a superior form of governance over “electoral democracy” - a system that inevitably leads to excesses in power and is easily corruptable by scrupulous, self-servicing actors. Of course, we see these abuses at every level of government today. The four-year election term is part of the problem because, unlike a ruling monarch, elected representatives have no personal ownership of the resources they govern.

Monarchy is unlikely to become popular in Canada anytime soon, but Hoppe would likely approve of alternative forms of community self-governance that would fall in the “direct democracy” category.

I doubt, however, that Winston Churchill would agree with Hoppe given that the famous British statesman once said:

'The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.'

Churchill, however, lived in very different times and could not even conceive of the possibilities available in the Digital Age.

Direct Democracy works in Newfoundland.

The residents of Port de Grave, Newfoundland, are justifiably proud of their “no property tax” status and that they have direct input to decisions that affect their community.

Like the “direct democracy” practices found in the cantons in Switzerland where plebiscites and referenda are used, the unique community of Port de Grave appears to have accomplished a comparable level of citizen engagement in local affairs. Compare this to the high levels of voter apathy from which Canadians suffer under our form of “representative democracy” and you can see why Hoppe’s book still sells today after 22 years in publication.

Citizens are always looking for that “magic bullet” formula which will best meet their needs and expectations where government services are concerned.

Meanwhile, those privileged people who hold public authority are doing their best to hide or discourage any governance ideas that will undermine their powers.

Digital Direct Democracy

I offered a set of ideas in Digital Direct Democracy - A Libertarian Antidote to Digital Communism published as a Kindle eBook on Amazon in 2023, but it’s nearly impossible today to be heard over the vast cacophony of voices and propaganda that dominate the digital “airwaves” in contemporary times.

I rewrote Digital Direct Democracy this year and published it as a twelve episode series here on MY LIFE LENS to make the ideas free and more accessible.

If I were famous like Pierre Poilievre is today, I suspect Digital Direct Democracy would have gained some attention by now.

It sucks to be obscure when you have something important to say.