In this clip from the Libertarian Leadership Academy, Scott Jewett highlights a striking fact: property tax collections have increased by 60% in just the last 4–5 years—while homesteaded homeowners contribute only about one-third of the total. Scott explains that eliminating property taxes for homesteaded homeowners wouldn’t cripple the state—it would simply roll the budget back a few years, to a time when Florida still had strong schools, effective policing, and balanced services. The solution isn’t higher taxes—it’s cutting wasteful spending. 🎙️ LLA Interview with Scott JewettHosted by C. Michael Pickens 🎯 Take the next step:👉 Join the Libertarian Leadership Academy and learn how to run for office:http://www.libertarianleadership.org/ 👉 Join a supportive community of libertarian leaders and activists:📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Libertarianleadershipacademy📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LibertarianLeadershipAcademy 🔎 Learn more about Scott Jewett: https://scottjewett.com #LibertarianLeadership #PropertyTaxReform #CutTheWaste #FloridaPolitics #LibertyFirst #RunForOffice #LLA

Here is the recording of our latest session. In our latest daily session, the room returned again and again to the same anomaly: the regime is not behaving the way it always has. Streets are not fully emptied. The internet is not comprehensively cut. Riot forces retreat from crowds throwing stones. This is not the pattern Iranians have learned to expect. That absence of brutality is the signal under examination. One part of the discussion leaned toward cautious optimism. The argument was simple and grounded in precedent. Every previous uprising reached this level and was met with overwhelming violence. This time, that violence is missing. If the regime were confident, it would already have crushed the streets. Its hesitation suggests internal decay, fear of escalation, and a shrinking willingness among foot soldiers to risk their lives for a collapsing system. Another part of the room refused to relax. Silence, they argued, is not neutrality. It can be preparation. It can be consolidation. It can be the pause before a coordinated strike. Revolutions fail when people mistake a tactical delay for surrender. The Islamic Republic has survived for decades by adapting, infiltrating, and exploiting moments of emotional overconfidence. The friction between these views mattered. Nobody pretended certainty. The disagreement was about posture, not loyalty. One side stressed momentum and morale. The other stressed operational discipline and worst case planning. Both were shaped by the same historical memory: 1979 did not fail because the streets lacked courage, it failed because power vacuums invite predators. What the room converged on was not prediction, but posture. Treat the regime as wounded, not dead. Act as if every lull could be reversed. Do not confuse absence of gunfire with absence of intent. Optimism without skepticism has killed more revolutions than fear ever has. The silence may be the sound of collapse. Or it may be the sound of a system deciding when to strike. Until proven otherwise, the only rational position is to assume it could be both.

You research the candidates. You read their platforms. You try to be responsible. And somehow…it still feels like choosing between a turd sandwich and a giant douche. If voting feels pointless, maybe the problem isn’t you. 🎙️ From Libertarian Leadership Academy. 👉 Learn how to run for office:http://www.libertarianleadership.org/ Leadership starts with understanding—and action.

“None of the above shouldn’t be your only option.” In this episode of Libertarian Leadership Academy, veteran candidate Joe Hannoush speaks with C. Michael Pickens about voter frustration with the two-party system. Reflecting on past votes and researching candidates, Joe describes the all-too-common feeling of being forced to choose between equally unappealing options. The conversation captures why so many Americans feel politically homeless—and why alternative voices and principled candidates are essential to restoring meaningful choice at the ballot box. 🎯 Take the next step:👉 Join the Libertarian Leadership Academy and learn how to run for office:http://www.libertarianleadership.org/👉 Join a supportive community of different libertarian groups and activists:📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Libertarianleadershipacademy📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LibertarianLeadershipAcademy Leadership starts with understanding—and action.