Document:National Platform 1986: Difference between revisions

As Libertarians, we seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals

peaceful and honest, and welcome the diversity that freedom brings. The world we

seek to build is one where individuals are free to follow their own dreams in their

In the following pages we have set forth our basic principles and enumerated

stands.

We, the members of the Libertarian Party, challenge the cult of the

We, on the contrary, deny the right of any government to do these things, and

hold that Where governments exist, they must not violate the rights of any individual:

initiation of physical force against others; (2) the right to liberty of speech and

property, such as confiscation, nationalization, and eminent domain, and support the

prohibition of robbery, trespass, fraud, and misrepresentation.

compatible with the protection of individual rights. is the free market.

No conflict exists between civil order and individual rights. Both concepts are

may initiate force against any other individual, group or government.

Members of the Libertarian Party do not necessarily advocate or condone any

and learn from their own decisions.

belongings of Americans. At the same time, governmental violations of rights

undermine the people's sense of justice with regard to crime. The appropriate Way to

criminal cases.

Because only actions that infringe on the rights of others can properly be

termed crimes, we favor the repeal of all federal, state, and local laws creating

a. the repeal of all laws prohibiting the production, sale, possession,

or use of drugs, and of all medicinal prescription requirements

and infringements of the ultimate right of an individual to

his or her own life.

We demand the use of executive pardon to free and exonerate all

those presently incarcerated or ever convicted solely for the commission of these

states which refuse to be so coerced.

Until such time as persons are proved guilty of crimes, they should be

proposed juror.

The present system of criminal law is based almost solely on punishment with

defense against a charge of rape.

We oppose the current practice of forced jury duty and favor all-volunteer

guilty of violating such laws.

aided by any other individual or group.

permission or held accountable for its actions under civil law.

We oppose the involuntary commitment of any person to a mental institution.

To incarcerate an individual not convicted of any crime, but merely asserted to be

in prisons or mental institutions.

e. an end to criminal defenses based on "insanity" or diminished

capacity" which absolve the guilty of their responsibility..

We defend the rights of individuals to unrestricted freedom of speech and

newsrooms, or the premises of other innocent third parties, in the name of law

enforcement. We further oppose court orders gagging news coverage of criminal

convenience of the judicial system. We deplore any efforts to impose thought control

on the media, either by the use of anti-trust laws, or by any other government action

broadcasting can no longer be tolerated. We therefore urge repeal of the "fairness

doctrine", the "equal time" rule, and the "reasonable access" provision. Government

We also oppose government ownership of, grants of monopoly franchise or

regulation of "pay TV" cable, or satellite transmission systems. We specifically

condemn such government efforts to control broadcast content by banning

sex or violence.

of communication.

We defend the rights of individuals to engage in (or abstain from) any

for the same reason that we oppose all taxation.

to their parent's or any others religious views. Government harrassment or

obstruction of unconventional religious groups for their beliefs or non-violent

activities must end.

There is no conflict between property rights and human rights. Indeed,

from Americans of Japanese ancestry during World War II.

The individuals privacy, property, and right to speak or not to speak should

not be infringed by the government. The government should not use electronic or

the consent of the owner or occupant. Correspondence, bank and other financial

transactions and records, doctors and lawyers communications, employment records,

for any purpose, such as employment, voting, or border crossing.

We condemn the government's use of secret classifications to keep from the

individual may be convicted for violating government secrecy classifications unless

the government discharges its burden of proving that the publication:

a. violated the right of privacy of those who have been coerced

into revealing confidential or proprietary information to

b. disclosed defensive military plans so as to materially impair

the capabilities to respond to attack.

It should always be a defense to such prosecution that information divulged

shows that the government has violated the law.

We call for the abolition of all federal secret police agencies. In particular, We

Security.

Maintaining our belief in the inviolability of the right to keep and bear arms,

(Saturday night specials).

Recognizing that registration is the first step toward full conscription, We

thereby promote morale, dignity, and a sense of justice Within the military.

We support the right of free persons to voluntarily establish, associate in, or

of the National Labor Relations Act, and all state right-to-Work laws which prohibit

employers from making voluntary contracts with unions. We oppose all government

Workers and employers should have the right to organize secondary boycotts

if they so choose. Nevertheless, boycotts or strikes do not justify the initiation of

bystanders.

We hold that human rights should not be denied or abridged on the basis of

harrassment, We oppose all government-mandated "temporary worker" plans.

Specifically, We condemn attempts to revive the Bracero Program as government

We welcome all refugees to our shores and condemn the efforts of U.S. officials

economic prospects.

Individual rights should not be denied, abridged, or enhanced at the expense

Discrimination imposed by the government has brought disruption in normal

relationships of people, set neighbor against neighbor, created gross injustices, and

reverse side of the coin, and will for the same reasons create the same problems.

Consequently, we oppose any government attempts to regulate private   

discrimination, including discrimination in employment, housing, and privately

We hold that individual rights should not be denied or abridged on the basis of

sex. We call for repeal of all laws discriminating against women, such as protective

labor laws and marriage or divorce laws which deny the full rights of men and

property or to widen tyranny through reverse discrimination.

another's abortion. We also condemn state-mandated abortions.

Children are human beings and, as such, have all the rights of human beings.

Children should always have the right to establish their maturity by assuming administration and protection of their own rights, ending dependency upon their parents or other guardians and assuming all the responsibilities of adulthood.

The major factors underlying the unconscionable plight of America's Indians

uranium tailings and other mineral Wastes.

Because each person has the right to offer goods and services to others on the

Efforts to forcibly redistribute Wealth or forcibly manage trade are

intolerable. Government manipulation of the economy creates an entrenched

who are net taxpayers.

Government intervention in the economy imperils both the personal freedom

and the material prosperity of every American. We, therefore, support the following

specific immediate reforms:

a. drastic reduction of both taxes and government spending;

e. the repeal of all controls on wages, prices, rents, profits, production,

and interest rates.

Since We believe that all persons are entitled to keep the fruits of their labor,

we oppose all government activity that consists. of the forcible collection of money or

goods from individuals in violation of their individual rights. Specifically, We:

a. recognize the right of any individual to challenge the payment of

taxes on moral, religious, legal, or constitutional grounds;

individuals who have been convicted of, or who now stand accused

of, tax resistance.

As an interim measure, all criminal and civil sanctions against tax evasion

should be terminated immediately.

raising taxes or perpetual refinancing of growing public debt.

We recognize that government control over money and banking is the

inflation, must immediately cease its expansion of the quantity of money. As interim

measures, we further support:

a. the lifting of all restrictions on branch banking;

g. the lifting of the prohibition of domestic deposits denominated

in foreign currencies.

We support the drive for a constitutional amendment requiring the national

government to balance its budget, and also support similar amendments to require

balanced state budgets. To be effective, a balanced budget amendment should provide:

a. that neither Congress nor the President be permitted to over-

ride this requirement;

d. that no exception be made for periods of national emergency.

The Federal Reserve should be forbidden to acquire any additional

government securities, thereby helping to eliminate the inflationary aspect of the

raising taxes. At a minimum, the level of government should be frozen.

We condemn all coercive monopolies. We recognize that government is the

"Anti-trust" laws do not prevent monopoly, but foster it by limiting

and the Clayton Anti-Trust Act. We further call for the abolition of the Federal Trade

Commission and the anti-trust division of the Department of Justice.

corporations into a pretext for government control of business.

In order to achieve a free economy in which government victimizes no one

policy". The unrestricted competition of the free market is the best Way to foster

prosperity. We, therefore, oppose any resumption of the Reconstruction Finance

Corporation, or any similar plan that would force the taxpayer to subsidize or sustain

any enterprise.

The loans of government-sponsored enterprises, even when not guaranteed

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, the Federal National Mortgage Association,

either be abolished or completely privatized.

intervention, however, should not he considered a subsidy.

Like subsidies, tariffs and quotas serve only to give special treatment to

and the Customs Court.

We advocate the termination of government-created franchise privileges and

on the market should not be curtailed by law.

Current problems in such areas as energy, pollution, health care delivery,

themselves.  

We oppose all government control of energy pricing, allocation, and

energy industry, including subsidies, research and development funds, guaranteed

loans, waste disposal subsidies, and federal uranium enrichment facilities. The

the government limits liability for nuclear accidents and furnishes partial payment

at taxpayer expense, should be repealed. Nuclear energy should be denationalized

to nationalize energy companies, or force them to plow back revenues solely into

energy production and the discovery of energy sources, or prohibit them from

vertically and horizontally integrated energy companies or force them to divest their

pipelines.

We favor the creation of a free market in oil by instituting full property

rights in underground oil and by the repeal of all federal and state controls over

should be turned over to private ownership.

Pollution of other people's property is a violation of individual rights. Present

radiation. Strict liability, not government agencies and arbitrary government

standards, should regulate pollution. We, therefore, demand the abolition of the

and non-smoking areas in privately owned businesses.

Toxic waste disposal problems have been created by government policies that

separate liability from property. Rather than making taxpayers pay for toxic waste

managers and employees, should be held strictly liable for material damage done by

their property. Claiming that one has abandoned a piece of property does not absolve

one of the responsibility for actions one has set in motion. We condemn the EPA's

Superfund whose taxing powers are used to penalize all chemical firms, regardless of

expense of responsible ones.

We support strong and effective laws against fraud and misrepresentation.

choice. We oppose governmental promotion or imposition of the metric system.

upon voluntary trade, and call for the abolition of the Consumer Product Safety

Commission. We advocate the repeal of all laws banning or restricting the

advertising of prices, products, or services. We specifically oppose laws requiring an

bags, or crash helmets.

We advocate the abolition of the Food and Drug Administration and

particularly its policies of mandating specific nutritional requirements and denying

products. We advocate an end to compulsory fluoridation of Water supplies. We

specifically oppose government regulation of the price, potency, or quantity able to

otherwise use.

We advocate the complete separation of education and State. Government

in education, We support tax credits for tuition and other expenditures related to an

individual's education. We support the repeal of all taxes on the income or property

We condemn compulsory education laws, which spawn prison-like schools

the burden of school taxes from those not responsible for the education of children.

Recognizing that the American people are not a collective national resource.

We support an end to all subsidies for childbearing built into our present laws,

urge the elimination of special tax burdens on single people and couples with few or

no children.  

Government interference in transportation is characterized by monopolistic

Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board, the Coast Guard, the Federal

Maritime Commission, and the transfer of their legitimate functions to competitive

ownership. We call for the privatization of airports, air traffic control systems,

and landing rights and controlling scheduling in the name of "safety".

imposed 55 mph speed limit.

Government fiscal and monetary measures that artificially foster business

We support repeal of all laws that impede the ability of any person to find

women and children, governmental restrictions on the establishment of private day-

forced retirement, which robs the elderly of the right to work.

To speed the time when governmental programs are replaced by effective

contributions.

We advocate the complete separation of medicine and State. Recognizing the

restrictions on the right of individuals to pursue alternative forms of health care.

Individuals should be free to contract with practitioners of their choice for all health

compelling individuals to submit to medical experiments, treatment, and testing. We

condemn compulsory hospitalization, compulsory vaccination, and compulsory

individual or group providing health care services to the needy or paying for such

services. Tax credits should also be made available for private grants to medical

educations and medical research.

Resource management is properly the responsibility and right of the

despotic controls can only aggravate the misallocation of water.

water supply systems. The construction of government dams and other water projects

should cease, and existing government water projects should be transferred to

private ownership. We favor the abolition of the Bureau of Reclamation and the

water districts and their power to tax. Only the complete separation of water and the

State will prevent future water crises.

their users rather than by tax- payers.

America's free market in agriculture, the system that feeds much of the world,

free to grow, sell, and buy what they want, in the quantity they want, when they

want it. Five steps can be taken immediately:

a. abolition of the Department of Agriculture

e. ending government involvement in agricultural pest control.

A policy of pest control whereby private individuals or corporations bear full

responsibility for damages they inflict on their neighbors should be implemented.

We call for the repeal of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. This law

actions invade property rights, raise costs, and are an injustice imposed on business.

We favor the repeal of the fraudulent, virtually bankrupt, and increasingly

accorded the working men and women of America.

We propose the abolition of the Civil Service system, which entrenches a

return to the Jeffersonian principle of rotation in office.

We call for an end to government control of political parties, consistent with

term should remain unfilled and unfunded.

American foreign policy should seek an America at peace with the world and

American people on American soil. Provision of such defense must respect the

individual rights of people everywhere.

and immigration.

The important principle in foreign policy should be the elimination of

with foreign governments.

We recognize that foreign governments might violate the rights of Americans

government involves potential military intervention. We therefore call upon the

United States government to adhere rigidly to the principle that all U.S. citizens

citizens or businesses.

reason.

We condemn the violations of human rights in all nations around the world.

place speaking out on this issue.

We support withdrawal of the United States government from, and an end to its

in any world or international government.

We recognize the right to political secession. This includes the right to

secession by political entities, private groups, or individuals. Exercise of this right,

like the exercise of all other rights, does not remove legal and moral obligations not

We recognize the necessity for maintaining a sufficient military force to

interventionist doctrine (such as the Monroe Doctrine).

threat to the lives and liberties of the American people and all the people of the

globe. We favor international negotiations toward general and complete

instruments of indiscriminate mass destruction of civilians.

We call for the reform of the Presidential War Powers Act to end the

We favor a Constitutional amendment limiting the presidential role as

additional authority on the President.

technical, and scientific aid to foreign governments or other organizations. We

support the abolition of government underwriting of arms sales. We further support

We also oppose the participation of the US. government in international commodity

circles which restrict production, limit technological innovation, and raise prices.

or selling goods and services to any foreign country or organization.

We favor withdrawal of the United States from all international paper money

any other governmental device.

We oppose any recognition of fiat claims by national governments or

excluded private property principles, and we oppose any future ratification.

United States colonialism has left a legacy of property confiscation, economic

determination for all people living in colonial dependencies, such as Samoa, Guam,

Micronesia, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico, to free these people from United

to its rightful owners.

We oppose the current thrust by the U.S. government to establish American

organizations fighting to overthrow dictatorial governments.

We call upon the United States government to cease all interventions in the

We oppose the incorporation of the Persian Gulf and the countries

surrounding it into the U.S. defense perimeter. We oppose the creation of new U.S.

We condemn the stationing of American military troops in the Sinai peninsula as a

We condemn the expenditure of billions of American tax dollars to buy Israeli

and Egyptian participation in the Camp David Accords.

We condemn the growing alliance between the governments of the United

diplomatic policies with China in Southeast Asia or Africa.

We call upon the United States to cease all intervention in Southern Africa,

to refrain from restricting American trade and investment in the region.

We oppose all governmentrestrictions upon voluntary peaceful use of outer

satellites.

Our silence about any other particular government law, regulation,

should not be construed to imply approval.