I don’t understand the energy so many people put into trying to turn statist positions into libertarian ones. Most of the time, as overused as the term is, it appears to be simple “virtue signaling.” The State is force. The State is violence. The State is monopoly. Stop trying to shoehorn true liberty into it.

Every time I hear someone say, or see a post, that “open borders” is the “libertarian position” I want to scream. A lot of that is probably due to the fact that not long ago I agreed with them. But sometimes we have to move past dogmatic thinking. Libertarianism is about private property. Would anyone like to argue to the contrary? Good, because you’d be wrong. If every piece of land, including roads, is privately owned by either an individual or collective, then the issue becomes trespassing. More importantly, it cannot be handled by a central power with a monopoly on violence and force. To make the argument that open borders (or Ellis Island-style entry) or closed borders is libertarian would have no basis in reality in a private property society.

The same argument is easily applied to “drugs.” Is the default libertarian position legalization or decriminalization? C’mon, it’s neither. In a libertarian order you could grow weed in your front yard as long as it’s OK with your HOA, or whatever alliances you decide to make. You could cook meth in a trailer on your property if you wish. Will “drugs” be controlled by the monopoly on violence? No. So the libertarian position on drugs is neither legalization or decriminalization. It’s grow it like lettuce or manufacture it like soap.

The main point I want you to come away with is that if it wouldn’t exist in a libertarian society, it’s not a libertarian position. Closed or open borders enforced by the State is not libertarian. Neither is drug decriminalization or legalization. If you’re making arguments for either stop with the “this is the libertarian position” bullshit. It’s the statist position. And there’s nothing wrong with living in the real world and arguing for the least damaging statist policies. Just don’t call them libertarian.