Philly Libertarian

Philly Libertarian

@philiberty.bsky.social

Rational, urban, non-edgy, lawyer #YIMBY #Decrim #OpenBorders Follow @lpphilly.bsky.social for official content and announcements

567 followers340 following852 posts

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Philly Libertarian
@philiberty.bsky.social

I'm here to provide the rare libertarian urbanist take. I'm not just a market-is-best guy, I also truly believe in people's rights to pursue their own meaning in life--and that means materially as well. Cities can be the self-ordered chaos to facilitate this, and enrich us in the process.

Philly Libertarian
@philiberty.bsky.social

She's either lying about everything or not managing anything. The fact that the Mayor and Council do nothing but promote her is a stain on us all. She is personally responsible for thousands of vacant properties bringing blight to our neighborhoods for no reason!

Philly Libertarian
@philiberty.bsky.social

And our leftist opposition says nothing either! Nobody should allow one word of "sewer socialism" talk escape the mouth of a Philly Socialist if they can't condemn the Sheriff's Office and agree to its abolition.

Philly Libertarian
@philiberty.bsky.social

This is worse than Cindy Bass certifying her own reelection as committee leader. Judicial nominations in blue cities are the worst.

Hell Gate *subscribe today!*@hellgatenyc.com

Brooklyn Democrats nominated four judicial candidates last night. Frank Seddio just happened to nominate a protégé of the judge ruling on his sanctions case. Then Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn fled from journalists in a chaotic chase while hiding under a tablecloth.

Philly Libertarian reposted

Jake Berman
@lostsubways.com

this is not true. there was no conspiracy. it didn't matter whether the streetcars were publicly owned (seattle, detroit) or private (los angeles, atlanta). a thread (because i wrote a whole-ass book on this): 1/?

David Ho@davidho.bsky.social

Is everyone aware of the General Motors streetcar conspiracy? In the mid-20th century, auto and oil interests bought up electric streetcar systems across the US and systematically replaced them with bus routes and paved roads, funneling commuters toward private cars.

en.wikipedia.orgGeneral Motors streetcar conspiracy - Wikipedia
Philly Libertarian
@philiberty.bsky.social

Are people aware that the Commonwealth Court just nuked City Council's relatively new practice of authorizing by resolution an individual councilmember to appeal land use decisions? Yup, it was Councilmember Young's fault. Now, they need a mayoral signature or there's no standing.

Philly Libertarian
@philiberty.bsky.social

I feel like there's a modern twist on this last line for those who try their hardest to resist economic truths because of their anti-capitalism. "It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his morality depends upon his not understanding it."

Invanz@invanz.bsky.social

Sinclair Lewis is undefeated. HBO is being bought by Paramount and becoming another piece of the right wing media food chain. Bill Maher knows who he needs to suck up to. “It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.”

Philly Libertarian
@philiberty.bsky.social

Query whether our lefty so-called opposition to the "establishment" will say or do anything about this. www.inquirer.com/politics/phi...

inquirer.comThis Philly City Hall power couple stands to reap up to $750K by briefly retiring — then continuing to work for the cityCity Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr. and City Representative Jazelle Jones are both set to benefit from DROP, a city retirement incentive program which sparked a major scandal in the early 2000s.
Philly Libertarian
@philiberty.bsky.social

Let's see how this goes as Philly serves as a beacon of relative freedom.

KYW Newsradio on 103.9 FM@kywnewsradio.bsky.social

Starting July 19, all e-bikes in New Jersey must be registered with the Motor Vehicle Commission and require proof of identity and proof of ownership.

audacy.comNew Jersey set to require e-bike licenses and registration starting next monthNew Jersey is preparing to implement sweeping new e-bike regulations next month. The Motor Vehicle Commission will begin issuing licenses and registrations on Friday. | KYW Newsradio
Philly Libertarian
@philiberty.bsky.social

Aly is a friend of friends, active in the Libertarian Party. A friend of mine in the county with this facility has been advocating for his release for months. Thank G-d it happened.

Will Bunch@willbunch.bsky.social

I have some incredible good news Izzy Aly, the Egyptian immigrant detained here by ICE for more than six months even as his GEO Group guards ignored his rapidly worsening kidney disease, is free and back home in Orlando Here's what I initially also wrote about Izzy www.inquirer.com/opinion/izzy...

inquirer.comThey’re fighting to stop Izzy Aly from dying in a Pennsylvania gulag | Will BunchA potentially fatal case of neglect for a Pennsylvania immigrant detainee spotlights a nationwide humanitarian crisis.
Philly Libertarian
@philiberty.bsky.social

They need better interns who would know Anthony died before the 19th Amendment passed. This is not a real quote.

Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus@pasenate.com

Wise words from the great Susan B. Anthony: “Someone struggled for your right to vote. Use it.” Be sure to vote in today's Primary Election. Polls are open until 8pm. Learn everything you need to know about today's election at pasenate.com/vote

Philly Libertarian
@philiberty.bsky.social

A very interesting column that defends US public schools. Reads to me as "schools can't be the solution" for the urban disadvantaged like in Philly. IMO, we need to have a dynamic economy. We need to stop disincentivizing businesses of all kinds.

Elizabeth Nolan Brown@enbrown.bsky.social

"United States K-12 students are not uniquely bad at reading, in fact, they are among the very best in the developed world." freddiedeboer.substack.com/p/one-more-t...

freddiedeboer.substack.comOne More Time: The Average American K-12 Student is Doing Fine Relative to the International Baselineand problems relative to the historical baseline are happening around the world

Philly Libertarian reposted

Alon (they/them)
@alonlevy.bsky.social

These hours are illegal here on safety grounds. But American unionized workers love giving themselves unsafe hours for the overtime and reject the rotation system we use to give train crews comfortable hours. They prefer a hierarchy ranking by seniority to haze junior workers.

Hamilton Nolan@hamiltonnolan.bsky.social

“Some of these guys work jobs that are eleven-and-a-half hours long. They do four round trips, six round trips. They’re going back and forth like a pinball with barely time to eat or piss.” www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/on-the-lir...

hamiltonnolan.comOn the LIRR Picket LineFair wage! Good for you! Good for me!
Philly Libertarian
@philiberty.bsky.social

Seems pretty clear PFT thought they could stop the closures politically and are now on the back foot with a half-formed report. They should've done their own study long ago to show how they would propose the district react to a decade of declining enrollment. www.inquirer.com/education/ph...

inquirer.comPhilly’s teachers union says it’s coming up with an alternative to closing 17 schoolsThe Philadelphia Federation of Teachers said there’s not enough data to support shutting a single city school.
Philly Libertarian
@philiberty.bsky.social

Oh no.

Lauren Vidas@broadandmarket.gobirds.online

CM Gauthier 4 NPRs, 3 bills (x1 Johnson) B: Amending Title 14 - adding a new chapter to require specific permit applicants to provide notice to L&I of existence of murals B: Renaming Baltimore Ave. Park B: Auth encroachments on market street

Philly Libertarian
@philiberty.bsky.social

The @inquirer.com endorsement just shows that no one is willing to say there should be an adult in the room even in the safest Dem district. The logic is that Dems must go all in on lefty slopulism because they can--not just to win. Please expect more of your politics.

Philly Libertarian
@philiberty.bsky.social

It's kind of hilarious how this is perfectly, but unintentionally tailored to trigger the New World Order folks. (To be clear, I have no love for the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.)

Adam Bonin@adambonin.bsky.social

New Philly mural on the side of Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church, the oldest African Methodist Episcopal congregation in the nation. "Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure" is sponsored by local Masons to promote the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, with the Phila Masonic Temple in the back.

Philly Libertarian
@philiberty.bsky.social

On Mamdani's terrible "rugged individualism" vs. "warm collectivism" line, we've been living collectivism for quite a while. Sad to see people from both sides of the current political spectrum--democratic socialists and national conservatives--look to kill the remains of liberalism.

Philly Libertarian reposted

Ben S
@bensh3.bsky.social

Replying to @bensh3.bsky.social

There is nothing to say to people who look at a displacement trend driven by cultural preferences, and think they can downzone their way to preservation. You can't prevent elderly Asians from moving out or dying, and you can't prevent non-Asians from moving into old units thanks to fair housing!

Philly Libertarian reposted

Stephen Jacob Smith
@stephenjacobsmith.com

“Yang Jiemin, VP of the state-owned company behind the port, said its highly automated operations require 60% fewer workers than traditional ports. It underscores one advantage Chinese companies have in deploying AI versus the U.S.: no independent labor unions.” www.wsj.com/tech/ai/ai-r... (🎁🔗)

wsj.comRobots and AI Are Already Remaking the Chinese EconomyChina’s factories and ports are learning to make and export more goods faster, cheaper and with fewer workers.
Philly Libertarian
@philiberty.bsky.social

@cmthomasphl.bsky.social, you and your colleagues are free to run for Congress. You must simply resign.

Adam Bonin@adambonin.bsky.social

For Phila politics fans: a City Council committee is today considering a resolution to rescind our resign-to-run provisions as they relate to state and federal offices—i.e., member of Council (or Mayor/row officers) could run for Congress, statewide office, state legislature without resigning. 1/2

billypenn.comBill would let City Councilmembers stay in office while running for CongressCritics of “resign-to-run” tweak say it doesn’t go far enough — or goes too far.
Philly Libertarian
@philiberty.bsky.social

Okay, I will be watching PHA with a lot of interest. A leader who expressly bucks unions and employment bloat? I'm impressed.

Philadelphia Inquirer@inquirer.com

NEW: The Philadelphia Housing Authority is planning sweeping layoffs that will affect more than 300 of the agency’s 1,200 employees. Instead of directly employing union electricians, carpenters and other workers, beginning next year, the agency will contract out for those jobs as needed.

inquirer.comPhilly Housing Authority plans to lay off more than 300 workers in 2026The layoffs come as the authority is pursuing an ambitious expansion plan.
Philly Libertarian
@philiberty.bsky.social

Note that WFP is *primarying* Fetterman. They don't have the balls to act like a real third party and send a candidate into the general election. They aren't a real third party. They are an intramural Democratic group. Don't expect them to ever act like an opposition.

PA Working Families 🐺@paworkingfamilies.bsky.social

We're primarying John Fetterman. Last week, Fetterman again sold out working Pennsylvanians. He was the deciding vote for a Republican budget bill that will strip healthcare from over 400,000 Pennsylvanians. We deserve real working class leadership in the Senate, not a Trump-enabling Democrat.