Reason.com - Free Minds and Free Markets
Reason logo Reason logo
  • Latest
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Subscribe
    • Crossword
  • Video
    • Reason TV
    • The Reason Roundtable
    • Just Asking Questions
    • Free Media
    • The Reason Interview
  • Podcasts
    • All Shows
    • The Reason Roundtable
    • The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
    • The Soho Forum Debates
    • Just Asking Questions
  • Volokh
  • Newsletters
  • Donate
    • Donate Online
    • Donate Crypto
    • Ways To Give To Reason Foundation
    • Torchbearer Society
    • Planned Giving
  • Subscribe
    • Reason Plus Subscription
    • Gift Subscriptions
    • Print Subscription
    • Subscriber Support

Login Form

Create new account
Forgot password
Reason logo

Reason's Annual Webathon is underway! Donate today to see your name here.

Reason is supported by:
Micaiah

Donate

Politics

The Answer: Stupid TSA Rules, Illegal Tiny Houses & Border Patrol Checkpoint Refusals

The question? What are Reason TV's three most popular videos on YouTube?

Nick Gillespie | 12.2.2015 12:56 PM

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google
Media Contact & Reprint Requests

As part of our 2015 webathon, we're asking readers of Reason.com to give $250,000 in tax-deductible donations between now and December 8. We're published by the nonprofit Reason Foundation, all gifts are tax deductible, and your support is what allows to keep publishing award-winning libertarian news, commentary, and analysis. Click here for giving levels and more info.

Allow to give three specific examples of what your donations make possible. Below are Reason TV's three most-viewed videos on YouTube as of today.

Founded in 2007 with the help of Drew Carey (who came up with the idea and hosted our early videos, including our great Reason Saves Cleveland series), Reason TV stands alone in producing regular online documentaries, interviews, and viral vids celebrating "Free Minds and Free Markets." Each month over a million people watch our vids on YouTube and Facebook and our work is cited widely across the Internet and even in cases that end up before the Supreme Court.

Here are our top hits:

Originally released in December 2013, the saddest thing about this vid is that IT'S ALL TRUE. The TSA really did ban all this stuff.

Released in August 2014, this video keeps pulling around 60,000 new views a month. It's a great exploration of how zoning and other rules make housing more expensive than it has to be—and less creative too. Bonus impact: The titular hero of the piece told Washington City Paper, "I would never have identified as libertarian going into [the video]…It sort of makes you question, how much is my government helping me?"

Released on April 1, 2014, not only won't you believe this video, but you shouldn't (it's an April Fool's gag, after all). Yet it showcases the main goals of Reason TV (and Reason's journalism more generally): We want to reach new audiences, we want to spread libertarian ideas, and we want to have fun doing it.

I hope you have fun watching these vids.

If you like these videos, please think about supporting Reason during our webathon.

You'll get a write-off, some great swag, and the satisfaction of knowing you're helping to make the world a freer, fairer, and more interesting place.

Details here.

Start your day with Reason. Get a daily brief of the most important stories and trends every weekday morning when you subscribe to Reason Roundup.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

NEXT: Is Your Kid a Terrorist? Watch for the Warning Signs!

Nick Gillespie is an editor at large at Reason and host of The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie.

PoliticsWebathonWorldNanny StateWar on DrugsScience & TechnologyCultureCivil LibertiesEconomicsPolicy
Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google
Media Contact & Reprint Requests

Show Comments (25)

Dec. 2 - Dec. 9, 2025 Thanks to 97 donors, we've reached $23,076 of our $400,000 goal!

Reason Webathon 2023

Donate Now! Donate Now

Latest

In Connecticut, Zoning Reform Is Back From the Dead

Christian Britschgi | 12.2.2025 1:30 PM

College Football Teams Can't Keep Making the Lane Kiffin Mistake

Jason Russell | 12.2.2025 1:00 PM

The Poverty Line Isn't a Vibe

Eric Boehm | 12.2.2025 12:45 PM

The Trump Administration Says Nursing Isn't a Professional Degree. Here's Why That's a Good Thing.

Emma Camp | 12.2.2025 11:41 AM

No One Left Alive

Liz Wolfe | 12.2.2025 9:40 AM

Recommended

  • About
  • Browse Topics
  • Events
  • Staff
  • Jobs
  • Donate
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Media
  • Shop
  • Amazon
Reason Facebook@reason on XReason InstagramReason TikTokReason YoutubeApple PodcastsReason on FlipboardReason RSS Add Reason to Google

© 2025 Reason Foundation | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

r

HELP EXPAND REASON’S JOURNALISM

Reason is an independent, audience-supported media organization. Your investment helps us reach millions of people every month.

Yes, I’ll invest in Reason’s growth! No thanks
r

I WANT TO FUND FREE MINDS AND FREE MARKETS

Every dollar I give helps to fund more journalists, more videos, and more amazing stories that celebrate liberty.

Yes! I want to put my money where your mouth is! Not interested
r

SUPPORT HONEST JOURNALISM

So much of the media tries telling you what to think. Support journalism that helps you to think for yourself.

I’ll donate to Reason right now! No thanks
r

PUSH BACK

Push back against misleading media lies and bad ideas. Support Reason’s journalism today.

My donation today will help Reason push back! Not today
r

HELP KEEP MEDIA FREE & FEARLESS

Back journalism committed to transparency, independence, and intellectual honesty.

Yes, I’ll donate to Reason today! No thanks
r

STAND FOR FREE MINDS

Support journalism that challenges central planning, big government overreach, and creeping socialism.

Yes, I’ll support Reason today! No thanks
r

PUSH BACK AGAINST SOCIALIST IDEAS

Support journalism that exposes bad economics, failed policies, and threats to open markets.

Yes, I’ll donate to Reason today! No thanks
r

FIGHT BAD IDEAS WITH FACTS

Back independent media that examines the real-world consequences of socialist policies.

Yes, I’ll donate to Reason today! No thanks
r

BAD ECONOMIC IDEAS ARE EVERYWHERE. LET’S FIGHT BACK.

Support journalism that challenges government overreach with rational analysis and clear reasoning.

Yes, I’ll donate to Reason today! No thanks
r

JOIN THE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM

Support journalism that challenges centralized power and defends individual liberty.

Yes, I’ll donate to Reason today! No thanks
r

BACK JOURNALISM THAT PUSHES BACK AGAINST SOCIALISM

Your support helps expose the real-world costs of socialist policy proposals—and highlight better alternatives.

Yes, I’ll donate to Reason today! No thanks
r

STAND FOR FREEDOM

Your donation supports the journalism that questions big-government promises and exposes failed ideas.

Yes, I’ll donate to Reason today! No thanks
r

FIGHT BACK AGAINST BAD ECONOMICS.

Donate today to fuel reporting that exposes the real costs of heavy-handed government.

Yes, I’ll donate to Reason today! No thanks