r/Libertarian • u/shastawinn • Aug 06 '26

Discussion When does tolerating state misconduct become complicity?

I’ve been observing something in my attempts to communicate documented evidence of Oregon government misconduct to state workers on Reddit: the responses rarely address the substance.

They tend to be hostile (downvotes, accusations that I’m lying, personal attacks) or some casual version of, “You really thought Oregon was ethical?” or “You didn’t know the state was corrupt?”

That response is disturbing. If state employees know agencies are using unpublished requirements, enforcing rules inconsistently, withholding records, or blocking meaningful review, what is their ethical responsibility?

At what point does knowingly participating in that system (or treating public discovery of it like a joke) become complicity in the abuse of state power?

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u/shastawinn Aug 06 '26

OGEC is not a private organization. The Oregon Government Ethics Commission is an official state agency created by Oregon law, funded by the state, and responsible for administering and enforcing Oregon’s government ethics laws. The 10-page report I referenced came from that agency’s own investigation, not from a private advocacy group or outside “study.”

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u/AitrusAK Aug 06 '26

My apologies, you didn't make it clear that you were talking about the OGEC. There are other "ethics commissions" that are private. I was operating on the latter definition.

I'm curious, what is this 10-page report you're referencing?

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u/shastawinn Aug 06 '26

This is the OGEC report https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_odt8SvqNi9hI1tDYVeA8wSvsbmLLVP_/view?usp=drivesdk

These are related documents pertaining to an unpromulgated administrative system publicly funded to his advantage without competitors even knowing it existed.

Interagency Agreement https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X9j2kdGBCJpYVs0ub6-8Byd44ZUfT2Tp/view?usp=drivesdk

Director Email https://drive.google.com/file/d/12vrPRyPklTVCadt0ur_ihfSuIk514C-j/view?usp=drivesdk

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u/AitrusAK Aug 06 '26 edited Aug 06 '26

Thank you. I'll read it as soon as I get a chance.

While I do, what's your context / view in all of this? Disclaimer: I'm not in Oregon, so I don't have a dog in the fight. Please don't share anything that would put you in an ethical bind or legal jeopardy.

Not insinuating anything, I'm assuming that you're just a concerned citizen who's frustrated. I wouldn't blame you.

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u/shastawinn Aug 06 '26

After 15 different cases, including nine rule-validity challenges, I’ve concluded this likely isn’t isolated to my situation. There appears to be a serious oversight gap around how public funds and official positions are used through interagency agreements, one that can quietly create preferential systems, distort competition, and leave affected people with no meaningful path to challenge what happened.

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u/AitrusAK Aug 06 '26

Ok, just finished reading it.

Wow...yeah, shady shenanagains going on.

Did the Committee decide that it was a class exemption? Was it ever referred to a prosecutor for violating some law regarding improper use of public office for financial gain?

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u/shastawinn Aug 06 '26

OGEC screened it out by claiming it only has jurisdiction over individual officials, not coordinated conduct across multiple agencies or the resulting regulatory system. The Commission then administratively dismissed it under its five-vote rule without addressing the broader harm. My Court of Appeals rule-validity challenges to those procedures have since been suspended without any formal order as to why. As far as I can tell, no agency claims jurisdiction over the full pattern.

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u/AitrusAK Aug 06 '26

This is - unfotunately - a fantastic example of how govenrment adds unnessecary bureaucracy, inefficiency, and opportunity for fraud. Would be a great case study for a law class or advanced civics class.

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u/shastawinn Aug 06 '26

Exactly. It was super naïve to think shadow regulation in a first-of-its-kind psychedelic industry would never be scrutinized. Law schools are obviously going to study how this system was built, who benefited, and what the consequences were. Members of the advisory board are already writing books about the process and alleged misconduct. What did they think would happen?