Document:National Platform 1986: Difference between revisions
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PREAMBLE | |||
As Libertarians, we seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals | |||
are sovereign_over their own lives, and no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values | |||
for the benefit of others. | |||
We believe that respect for individual rights is the essential precondition for a | |||
free and prosperous World, that force and fraud must be banished from human | |||
relationships, and that only through freedom can peace and prosperity be realized. | |||
Consequently, we defend each person's right to engage in any activity that is | |||
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 | |||
own‘ ways, Without interference from government or any authoritarian power. | |||
In the following pages we have set forth our basic principles and enumerated | |||
various policy stands derived from those principles. | |||
These specific policies are not our goal, however. Our goal is nothing more | |||
nor less than a world set free in our lifetime, and it is to this end that we take these | |||
stands. | |||
STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES | |||
We, the members of the Libertarian Party, challenge the cult of the | |||
omnipotent state and defend the rights of the individual. | |||
We hold that all individuals have the right to exercise sole dominion over | |||
their own lives, and have the right to live in Whatever manner they choose, so long | |||
as they do not forcibly interfere with the equal right of others to live in whatever | |||
manner they choose. | |||
Governments throughout history have regularly operated on the opposite | |||
principle, that the State has the right to dispose of the lives of individuals and the | |||
fruits of their labor. Even Within the United States, all political parties other than | |||
our own grant to government the right to regulate the lives of individuals and seize | |||
the fruits of their labor without their consent. | |||
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: | |||
namely, (1) the right to life —- accordingly we support the prohibition of the | |||
initiation of physical force against others; (2) the right to liberty of speech and | |||
action —- accordingly we oppose all attempts by government to abridge the freedom of | |||
speech and press, as Well as government censorship in any form; and (3) the right to | |||
property, such as confiscation, nationalization, and eminent domain, and support the | |||
prohibition of robbery, trespass, fraud, and misrepresentation. | |||
Since governments, when instituted, must not violate individual rights, We | |||
oppose all interference by government in the areas of voluntary and contractual | |||
relations among individuals. People should not be forced to sacrifice their lives and | |||
property for the benefit of others. They should be left free by government to deal | |||
with one another as free traders; and the resultant economic system, the only one | |||
compatible with the protection of individual rights. is the free market. | |||
INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS AND CIVIL ORDER | |||
No conflict exists between civil order and individual rights. Both concepts are | |||
based on the same fundamental principle: that no individual, group, or government | |||
may initiate force against any other individual, group or government. | |||
1. FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY | |||
Members of the Libertarian Party do not necessarily advocate or condone any | |||
of the practices our policies would make legal. Our exclusion of moral approval and | |||
disapproval is deliberate: people's rights must be recognized; the Wisdom of any | |||
course of peaceful action is a matter for the acting individual(s) to decide. Personal | |||
responsibility is discouraged by society routinely denying the people the opportunity | |||
to exercise it. Libertarian policies will create a society Where people are free to make | |||
and learn from their own decisions. | |||
2. CRIME | |||
The continuing high level of violent crime -- and the government's | |||
demonstrated inability to deal with it —— threatens the lives, happiness, and | |||
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 | |||
suppress crime is through consistent and impartial enforcement of laws that protect | |||
individual rights. Laws pertaining to "victimless crimes" should be repealed since | |||
such laws themselves violate individual rights and also breed other types of crime. | |||
We applaud the trend toward private protection services and voluntary community | |||
crime control groups. We support institutional changes, consistent with full respect | |||
for the rights of the accused, that would permit victims to direct the prosecution in | |||
criminal cases. | |||
3. VICTIMLESS CRIMES | |||
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 | |||
"crimes" withoutvictims. In particular, we advocate: | |||
a. the repeal of all laws prohibiting the production, sale, possession, | |||
or use of drugs, and of all medicinal prescription requirements | |||
for the purchase of vitamins, drugs, and similar substances; | |||
b. the repeal of all laws restricting or prohibiting the use or sale of | |||
alcohol, including the imposition of a minimum drinking age. | |||
and making bartenders or hosts responsible for the behavior | |||
of customers and guests; | |||
c. the repeal of all laws or policies authorizing stopping drivers | |||
without probable cause to test for alcohol or drug use; | |||
d. the repeal of all laws regarding consensual sexual relations, | |||
including prostitution and solicitation, and the cessation of | |||
state oppression and harrassment of homosexual men and | |||
women, that they, at last, be accorded their full rights as | |||
individuals; | |||
e. the repeal of all laws regulating or prohibiting the possession. | |||
use, sale, production, or distribution of sexually explicit | |||
material, independent of "socially redeeming value" or | |||
compliance with "community standards"; | |||
f. the repeal of all laws regulating or prohibiting gambling; and | |||
g. the repeal of all laws interfering with the right to commit suicide | |||
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 | |||
"crimes". | |||
Further, we recognize that, often, the Federal Government blackmails states | |||
which refuse to comply with these laws by Withholding funds and We applaud those | |||
states which refuse to be so coerced. | |||
4. SAFEGUARDS FOR THE CRIMINALLY ACCUSED | |||
Until such time as persons are proved guilty of crimes, they should be | |||
accorded full respect for their individual rights. We are thus opposed to reduction of | |||
present safeguards of the rights of the criminally accused. | |||
Specifically, We are opposed to preventive detention, so-called "no-knock" | |||
laws, and all other measures that threaten individual rights. | |||
We support full restitution for all loss suffered by persons arrested, indicted, | |||
tried, imprisoned, or otherwise injured in the course of criminal proceedings against | |||
them that do not result in their conviction. When they are responsible, government | |||
police employees or agents should be liable for this restitution. | |||
We call for a reform of the judicial system allowing criminal defendants and | |||
civil parties to a court action a reasonable number of peremptory challenges to | |||
proposed judges, similar to their right under the present system to challenge a | |||
proposed juror. | |||
3. JUSTICE FOR THE INDIVIDUAL | |||
The present system of criminal law is based almost solely on punishment with | |||
little concern for the victim. We support restitution for the victim to the fullest | |||
degree possible at the expense of the criminal or wrongdoer. | |||
We oppose the prosecution of individuals for the rights of self-defense. | |||
We oppose all "no-fault" insurance laws, which deprive the victim of the right | |||
to recover damages from those responsible in the case of injury. We also support the | |||
right of the victim to pardon the criminal or Wrongdoer, barring threats to the | |||
victim for this purpose. We applaud the growth of private adjudication of disputes by | |||
mutually acceptable judges. | |||
We support a change in rape laws so that cohabitation will no longer be a | |||
defense against a charge of rape. | |||
6. JURIES | |||
We oppose the current practice of forced jury duty and favor all-volunteer | |||
juries. | |||
In addition, we urge the assertion of the common-law right of juries to judge | |||
not only the facts but also the justice of the law. Juries may hold all criminal laws | |||
invalid that are, in their opinion, unjust or oppressive, and find all persons not | |||
guilty of violating such laws. | |||
7. INDIVIDUAL SOVEREIGNTY | |||
The only legitimate use of force is in defense of individual rights -— life. | |||
liberty, and justly acquired property —— against aggression, whether by force or | |||
fraud. This right inheres in the individual, who —- with his or her consent -- may be | |||
aided by any other individual or group. | |||
The right of defense extends to defense against aggressive acts of government. | |||
We favor an immediate end to the doctrine of "Sovereign Immunity" which ignores | |||
the primacy of the individual over the abstraction of the State, and holds that the | |||
State, contrary to the tradition of redress of grievances, may not be sued without its | |||
permission or held accountable for its actions under civil law. | |||
8. GOVERNMENT AND MENTAL HEALTH | |||
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 | |||
incompetent, is a violation of the individual’ rights. We further advocate: | |||
a. the repeal of all laws permitting involuntary psychiatric treat- | |||
ment of any person, including children and those incarcerated | |||
in prisons or mental institutions. | |||
b. an immediate end to the spending of tax money for any program | |||
of psychiatric or psychological research or treatment; | |||
c. an end to all involuntary treatment of prisoners by such means | |||
as psychosurgery, drug therapy, and aversion therapy; | |||
d. and end to tax-supported "mental health" propaganda campaigns | |||
and community "mental health" centers and programs; and | |||
e. an end to criminal defenses based on "insanity" or diminished | |||
capacity" which absolve the guilty of their responsibility.. | |||
9. FREEDOM OF COMMUNICATION | |||
We defend the rights of individuals to unrestricted freedom of speech and | |||
freedom of the press. It is particularly important in any society, including our own, | |||
to guarantee the right of individuals to dissent from government itself. We recognize | |||
that full freedom of expression is only possible as part of a system of full property | |||
rights. The freedom to use one's own voice; the freedom to hire a hall; the. freedom to | |||
own a printing press, a broadcasting station, or a transmission cable; and similar | |||
property-based freedoms are precisely what constitute freedom of communication. At | |||
the same time, we recognize that freedom of communication does not extend to the use | |||
of other people's property to promote one's ideas without the voluntary consent of the | |||
owners. | |||
We oppose all forms of government censorship, whatever the medium | |||
involved. Specifically, we oppose all laws against obscenity or commercial | |||
advertising. We condemn securities regulations that deprive financial advisory | |||
newsletters of freedom of the press. We further condemn indirect censorship | |||
through government control of the postal system and regulation of cable | |||
transmissions. | |||
We support the repeal of the Intelligence Identities Protection Act, | |||
which classifies information as secret that should be available to taxpayers, violates | |||
freedom of speech and press, and prohibits public discussion of covert government | |||
paramilitary activities ans spying abroad. | |||
We also oppose the government's burgeoning practice of invading | |||
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 | |||
proceedings -—- the right to publish and broadcast must not be abridged merely for the | |||
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 | |||
in the name of stopping "bias". | |||
We further deplore all measures that restrict competition in the electronic media by | |||
barring telephone companies from publishing electronic newspapers and electronic | |||
"Yellow Pages". | |||
To complete the separation of media and State, we support legislation to repeal | |||
the Federal Communications Act, and to provide for private homesteading and | |||
ownership of airwave frequencies, thus giving the electronic media First | |||
Amendment parity with the other communications media. Government regulation of | |||
broadcasting can no longer be tolerated. We therefore urge repeal of the "fairness | |||
doctrine", the "equal time" rule, and the "reasonable access" provision. Government | |||
ownership or subsidy of broadcast band radio and television stations and networks -- | |||
in particular, the tax funding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting —— must end. | |||
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 | |||
advertising for cigarettes and sugar—coated breakfast foods, or regulating depiction of | |||
sex or violence. | |||
We call for immediate cessation of federal funding and contracting of ads | |||
produced by the National Ad Council, so that no individuals be forced to pay to support | |||
issues or ideas to which they would not voluntarily contribute. The implied threat of | |||
loss of license renewal broadcasters face, if they refuse to show National Ad Council | |||
advertisements for free, can only be ended by abolishing the FCC. | |||
In particular, FCC regulation of political coverage must be immediately ended. | |||
to stop it's chilling effect on the level of political debate in this country. Federally | |||
mandated lower rates for political ads, which unjustly harm established broadcasters. | |||
must cease, as must FCC rules and regulations that unjustly, benefit established | |||
broadcasters. | |||
Removal of all of these regulations throughout the communications media | |||
would open the way to untrammeled diversity and innovation. We shall not be | |||
satisfied until the First Amendment is expanded to protect full, unconditional freedom | |||
of communication. | |||
10. FREEDOM OF RELIGION | |||
We defend the rights of individuals to engage in (or abstain from) any | |||
religious activities that do not violate the rights of others. In order to defend | |||
freedom, we advocate a strict separation of church and State. We oppose government | |||
actions that either aid or attach any religion. We oppose taxation of church property | |||
for the same reason that we oppose all taxation. | |||
We condemn the attempts by parents or any others —— via kidnappings, | |||
conservatorships, or instruction under confinement -— to force children to conform | |||
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. | |||
11. THE RIGHT TO PROPERTY | |||
There is no conflict between property rights and human rights. Indeed, | |||
property rights are the rights of humans with respect to property, and as such, are | |||
entitled to the same respect and protection as all other human rights. | |||
Moreover, all human rights are property rights too. Such rights as the | |||
freedom from involuntary servitude as well as the freedom of speech and the freedom | |||
of press are based on self-ownership. Our bodies are our property every bit as much | |||
as is justly acquired land or material objects. | |||
We further hold that the owners of property have the full right to control, | |||
use, dispose of, or in any manner enjoy, their property without interference, until | |||
and unless the exercise of their control infringes the valid rights of others. We | |||
oppose all violations of the right to private property, liberty of contract, and freedom | |||
of trade done in the name of national security. We also condemn current government | |||
efforts to regulate or ban the use of property in the name of aesthetic values, | |||
riskiness, moral standards, cost-benefit estimates, or the promotion or restriction of | |||
economic growth. | |||
We demand an end to the taxation of privately owned real property, which | |||
actually makes the State the owner of all lands and forces individuals to rent their | |||
homes and places of business from the State. We condemn recent attempts to employ | |||
eminent domain to municipalize sports teams or to try to force them to stay in their | |||
present location. | |||
Where property, including land, has been taken from its rightful owners by | |||
the government or private action in violation of individual rights, we favor | |||
restitution to the rightful owners. Specifically, we call for the return of lands taken | |||
from Americans of Japanese ancestry during World War II. | |||
12. PROTECTION OF PRIVACY | |||
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 | |||
other means of covert surveillance of an individual’s actions or private property with | |||
the consent of the owner or occupant. Correspondence, bank and other financial | |||
transactions and records, doctors and lawyers communications, employment records, | |||
and the like should not be open to review by government without the consent of all | |||
parties involved in those actions. So long as the National Census and all federal, state, | |||
and other government agencies compilations of data on an individual continue to | |||
exist. they should be conducted only with the consent of the persons from whom the | |||
data is sought. | |||
We oppose the issuance by the government of an identity card, to be required | |||
for any purpose, such as employment, voting, or border crossing. | |||
13. GOVERNMENT SECRECY | |||
We condemn the government's use of secret classifications to keep from the | |||
public information that it should have. We favor substituting a system in which no | |||
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 | |||
government agents, or | |||
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. | |||
14. INTERNAL SECURITY AND CIVIL LIBERTIES | |||
We call for the abolition of all federal secret police agencies. In particular, We | |||
seek the abolition of the Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of | |||
Investigation, and We call for a return to the American tradition of local law | |||
enforcement. We support Congressional investigation of criminal activities of the | |||
CIA and FBI and of wrongdoing by other governmental agencies. | |||
We support the abolition of the subpoena power as used by Congressional | |||
committees against individuals or firms. We hail the abolition of the House Internal | |||
Security Committee and call for the destruction of its files on private individuals and | |||
groups. We also call for the abolition of the Senate Subcommittee on Internal | |||
Security. | |||
15. THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS | |||
Maintaining our belief in the inviolability of the right to keep and bear arms, | |||
We oppose all laws at any level of government restricting the ownership. | |||
manufacture, transfer, or sale of firearms or ammunition. We oppose all laws | |||
requiring registration of firearms or ammunition. We also oppose any government | |||
efforts to ban or restrict the use of tear gas, mace, or other self protection devices. | |||
We further oppose all attempts to ban weapons or ammunition on the grounds that | |||
they are risky or unsafe. | |||
We support repeal of the National Firearms Act of 1935 and the Federal Gun | |||
Control Act of 1968, and We demand the immediate abolition of the Bureau of Alcohol, | |||
Tobacco, and Firearms. | |||
We favor the repeal of laws banning the concealment of weapons or | |||
prohibiting pocket Weapons. We also oppose the banning of inexpensive handguns | |||
(Saturday night specials). | |||
16. CONSCRIPTION AND THE MILITARY | |||
Recognizing that registration is the first step toward full conscription, We | |||
oppose all attempts at compulsory registration of any person and all schemes for | |||
automatic registration through government invasions of the privacy of school, motor | |||
vehicle, or other records. We call for the abolition of the still-functioning elements | |||
of the Selective Service System, believing that impressment of individuals into the | |||
armed forces is involuntary servitude. We call for the destruction of all files in | |||
computer~readable or hard~copy form compiled by the Selective Service System. We | |||
also oppose any form of national service, such as a compulsory your labor program. | |||
We oppose adding Women to the pool to those eligible for and subject to the | |||
draft, not because we think that as a rule women are unfit for combat, but because We | |||
believe that this step enlarges the number of people subjected to government | |||
tyranny. | |||
We support the immediate and unconditional exoneration of all Who have been | |||
accused or convicted of draft evasion, desertion from the military, and other acts of | |||
resistance to such transgressions as imperialistic wars and aggressive acts of the | |||
military. Members of the military should have the same right to quit their jobs as | |||
other persons. | |||
We call for the end of the Defense Department practice of discharging armed | |||
forces personnel for homosexual conduct. We further call for retraction of all less- | |||
than-honorable discharges previously assigned for such reasons and deletion of such | |||
information from military personnel files. | |||
We recommend the repeal of the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the | |||
recognition and equal protection of the rights of armed forces members. This will | |||
thereby promote morale, dignity, and a sense of justice Within the military. | |||
17. UNIONS AND COLLECTIVE BARGAINING | |||
We support the right of free persons to voluntarily establish, associate in, or | |||
not associate in, labor unions. An employer should have the right to recognize, or | |||
refuse to recognize, a union as the collective bargaining agent of some, or all, of it's | |||
employees. | |||
We oppose government interference in bargaining, such as compulsory | |||
arbitration or the imposition of an obligation to bargain. Therefore, We urge repeal | |||
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 | |||
back-to—work orders as the imposition of a form of forced labor. | |||
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 | |||
violence against other Workers, employers, strike—breakers, and innocent | |||
bystanders. | |||
18. IMMIGRATION | |||
We hold that human rights should not be denied or abridged on the basis of | |||
nationality. We condemn massive roundups of Hispanic Americans and others by the | |||
federal government in its hunt for individuals not possessing required government | |||
documents. We strongly oppose all measures that would punish employers who hire | |||
undocumented workers. Such measures repress free enterprise, harass Workers, and | |||
systematically discourage employers from hiring Hispanics. | |||
Undocumented non-citizens should not be denied the fundamental freedom to | |||
labor and to move about unmolested. Furthermore, immigration must not be | |||
restricted for reasons of race, religion, political creed, age, or sexual preference. | |||
We, therefore, call for the elimination of all restrictions on immigration, the | |||
abolition of the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Border Patrol, and a | |||
declaration of full amnesty for all people who have entered the country illegally. We | |||
oppose government welfare payments to non-citizens just as We oppose government | |||
Welfare payments to all other persons. | |||
Because We support the right of Workers to cross borders without | |||
harrassment, We oppose all government-mandated "temporary worker" plans. | |||
Specifically, We condemn attempts to revive the Bracero Program as government | |||
imposition of second—class status on Mexican-born Workers. | |||
We welcome all refugees to our shores and condemn the efforts of U.S. officials | |||
to create a new "Berlin Wall" which would keep them captive. We condemn the U.S. | |||
government's policy of barring those refugees from our shores and preventing | |||
Americans from assisting their passage to help them escape tyranny of improve their | |||
economic prospects. | |||
19. DISCRIMINATION | |||
Individual rights should not be denied, abridged, or enhanced at the expense | |||
of other people's rights, on the basis of sex, wealth, race, color, creed, age, national | |||
origin, personal habits, political preference, or sexual orientation by the laws at any | |||
level of government. Protective labor laws, Selective Service laws, and other laws | |||
that violate rights selectively should be repealed entirely rather than being extended | |||
to all groups. | |||
Discrimination imposed by the government has brought disruption in normal | |||
relationships of people, set neighbor against neighbor, created gross injustices, and | |||
diminished human potential. Anti—discrimination enforced by the government is the | |||
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 | |||
owned "so—called" public accommodations. The right to trade includes the right not to | |||
trade —— for any reasons whatsoever. | |||
20. WOMEN'S RIGHTS | |||
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 | |||
women._ We oppose all laws likely to impose restrictions on free choice and private | |||
property or to widen tyranny through reverse discrimination. | |||
Recognizing that each person must be the sole and absolute owner of his or | |||
her own body, we support the right of women to make a personal choice regarding | |||
the termination of pregnancy. We oppose the undermining of the right via laws | |||
requiring consent of the pregnant women's parents, prospective father, waiting | |||
periods, or compulsory provision of indoctrination on medical risks or fetal | |||
development. However, we also oppose all tax funding for abortions. It is | |||
particularly harsh to force someone who believes that abortion is murder to pay for | |||
another's abortion. We also condemn state-mandated abortions. | |||
21. CHILDREN'S RIGHTS | |||
Children are human beings and, as such, have all the rights of human beings. | |||
We oppose all laws that empower government officials to seize children and | |||
make them "wards of the state" or, by means of child labor laws and compulsory | |||
education, to infringe on their freedom to work or learn as they choose. We oppose | |||
all legally created or sanctioned discrimination against (or in favor of) children, just | |||
as we oppose government discrimination directed at any other artificially defined | |||
sub—category of human beings. Specifically we oppose ordinances that outlaw adults- | |||
only apartment housing. | |||
We also support the repeal of all laws establishing any category of crimes | |||
applicable to children for which adults would not be similarly vulnerable, such as | |||
curfew, smoking, and alcoholic beverage laws, and other status offenses. Similarly, | |||
we favor the repeal of "stubborn child†laws and laws establishing the category of | |||
"persons in need of supervision". We call for an end to the practice in many states of | |||
jailing children not accused of any crime. We seek the repeal of all "children's codes" | |||
of statutes which abridge due process protections for young people. We further favor | |||
the abolition of the juvenile court system, so that juveniles will be held fully | |||
responsible for their crimes, | |||
Whenever parents or other guardians are unable or unwilling to care for | |||
their children, those guardians have the right to seek other persons who are willing | |||
to assume guardianship, and children have the right to seek other guardians who | |||
place a higher value on their lives. Accordingly, we oppose all laws that impede | |||
these processes, notably those restricting private adoption services or those forcing | |||
children to remain in the custody of their parents against their will. | |||
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. | |||
22. AMERICAN INDIAN RIGHTS | |||
The major factors underlying the unconscionable plight of America's Indians | |||
may be summarized as follows: (1) the unresolved complexity of dual national | |||
citizenship; (2) the attrition of reservation lands and abridgement of Indian rights to | |||
remaining properties; (3) the subjugation of individual Indians to the Bureau of | |||
Indian Affairs and tribal governmental authority; and (4) various federal | |||
commitments to provide the tribes with health, education, and welfare benefits | |||
"forever" in exchange for expropriated lands. | |||
We favor the following remedies, respectively: (1) individual Indians should | |||
be free to select their citizenship, if any, and tribes should be allowed to choose their | |||
level of autonomy, up to absolute sovereignty; (2) Indians should have their just | |||
property rights restored, including rights of easement, access, hunting and fishing; | |||
('3) the Bureau of Indian Affairs should be abolished and tribal members allowed to | |||
decide the extent and nature of their government, if any; and (4) negotiations should | |||
be undertaken to exchange various otherwise unclaimed and unowned federal | |||
properties for any and all remaining governmental obligations to the tribes. | |||
We further advocate holding fully liable those responsible for any and all | |||
damages which have resulted from authorization of, or engagement in, resource | |||
development on reservation lands, including damages done by careless disposal of | |||
uranium tailings and other mineral Wastes. | |||
TRADE AND THE ECONOMY | |||
Because each person has the right to offer goods and services to others on the | |||
free market, and because government interference can only harm such free activity. | |||
we oppose all intervention by government into the area of economics. The only | |||
proper role of existing governments in the economic realm is to protect property | |||
rights, adjudicate disputes, and provide a legal framework in which voluntary trade is | |||
protected. | |||
Efforts to forcibly redistribute Wealth or forcibly manage trade are | |||
intolerable. Government manipulation of the economy creates an entrenched | |||
privileged class -- those with access to tax money —- and an exploited class -—- those | |||
who are net taxpayers. | |||
1. THE ECONOMY | |||
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; | |||
b. an end to deficit budgets; | |||
c. a halt to inflationary monetary policies; | |||
d. the removal of all governmental impediments to free trade; and | |||
e. the repeal of all controls on wages, prices, rents, profits, production, | |||
and interest rates. | |||
2. TAXATION | |||
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; | |||
b. oppose all personal and corporate income taxation, including | |||
capital gains taxes; | |||
c. support the repeal of the Sixteenth Amendment, and oppose any | |||
increase in existing tax rates and the imposition of any new taxes; | |||
d. support the eventual repeal of all taxation; and | |||
e. support a declaration of unconditional amnesty for all those | |||
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. | |||
We oppose as involuntary servitude any legal requirements forcing | |||
employers or business owners to serve as tax collectors for federal, state, or local tax | |||
agencies. | |||
In the current fiscal crisis of states and municipalities, default is preferable to | |||
raising taxes or perpetual refinancing of growing public debt. | |||
3. INFLATION AND DEPRESSION | |||
We recognize that government control over money and banking is the | |||
primary cause of inflation and depression. Individuals engaged in voluntary | |||
exchange should be free to use as money any mutually agreeable commodity or item, | |||
such as gold coins denominated by units of weight. We, therefore, call for the repeal | |||
of all legal tender laws and of all compulsory governmental units of account. We | |||
support the right to private ownership of and contracts for gold. We favor the A | |||
elimination of all government fiat money and all government minted coins. All | |||
restrictions upon the private minting of coins should be abolished so that mintin g | |||
will be open to the competition of the free market. | |||
We favor free-market banking. We call for the abolition of the Federal | |||
Reserve System, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the National Banking System, | |||
and all similar national and state interventions affecting banking and credit. Our | |||
opposition encompasses all controls on the rate of interest. We also call for the | |||
abolition of the Federal Home Loan Bank System, the Federal Savings and Loan | |||
Insurance Corporation, the National Credit Union Administration, the National Credit | |||
Union Central Liquidity Facility, and all similar national and state interventions | |||
affecting savings and loan associations, credit unions, and other depository | |||
institutions. There should be unrestricted competition among banks and depository | |||
institutions of all types. | |||
To complete the separation of bank and State. we favor the Jacksonian | |||
independent treasury system, in which all government funds are held by the | |||
government itself and not deposited in any private banks. The only further | |||
necessary check upon monetary inflation is the consistent application of the general | |||
protection against fraud to the minting and banking industries. | |||
Pending its abolition, the Federal Reserve System, in order to halt rampant | |||
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; | |||
b. the repeal of all state usury laws; | |||
c. the removal of all remaining restrictions on the interest paid | |||
for deposits; | |||
d. the elimination of margin requirements on stock purchases; | |||
e. the revocation of all other selective credit controls; | |||
f. the abolition of Federal Reserve control over the reserves of non~ | |||
member banks and other depository institutions; and | |||
g. the lifting of the prohibition of domestic deposits denominated | |||
in foreign currencies. | |||
4. GOVERNMENT DEBT | |||
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; | |||
b. that all off-budget items are included in the budget | |||
c. that the budget is balanced exclusively by cutting expenditures, | |||
and not by raising taxes; and | |||
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 | |||
deficit. Governments facing fiscal crises should always default in preference to | |||
raising taxes. At a minimum, the level of government should be frozen. | |||
5. MONOPOLIES | |||
We condemn all coercive monopolies. We recognize that government is the | |||
source of monopoly, through its grants of legal privilege to special interests in the | |||
economy. In order to abolish monopolies, We advocate a strict separation of business | |||
and State. | |||
"Anti-trust" laws do not prevent monopoly, but foster it by limiting | |||
competition. We, therefore, call for the repeal of all "anti—trust" laws, including the | |||
Robinson—Patman Act which restricts price discounts, the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, | |||
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. | |||
We defend the right of individuals to form corporations, cooperatives, and | |||
other types of companies based on voluntary association. Laws of incorporation | |||
should not include grants of monopoly privilege. In particular, we oppose special | |||
limits on the liability of corporations for damages caused in noncontractual | |||
transactions. We also oppose state or federal limits on the size of private companies | |||
and on the right of companies to merge. We further oppose efforts, in the name of | |||
social responsibility, or any other reason, to expand federal chartering of | |||
corporations into a pretext for government control of business. | |||
6. SUBSIDIES | |||
In order to achieve a free economy in which government victimizes no one | |||
for the benefit of any other, we oppose all government subsidies to business, labor, | |||
education, agriculture, science, broadcasting, the arts, sports, or any other special | |||
interest. In particular, we condemn any effort to forge an alliance between | |||
government and business under the guise of "reindustrialization" or "industrial | |||
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. | |||
We call for the abolition of the Federal Financing Bank, the most important | |||
national agency subsidizing special interest with government loans. We also oppose | |||
all government guarantees of so-called private loans. Such guarantees transfer | |||
resources to special interests as accrual government expenditures and, at the national | |||
level, exceed direct government loans in total amount. Taxpayers must never hear | |||
the cost of default upon government-guaranteed loans. All national, state, and local | |||
government agencies whose primary function is to guarantee loans, including the | |||
Federal Housing Administration, the Rural Electrification Administration, and the | |||
Small Business Administration, should be abolished or privatized. | |||
The loans of government-sponsored enterprises, even when not guaranteed | |||
by the government, constitute another form of subsidy. All such enterprises -~ the | |||
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, the Federal National Mortgage Association, | |||
the Farm Credit Administration, and the Student Loan Marketing Association -— must | |||
either be abolished or completely privatized. | |||
Relief or exemption from taxation or from any other involuntary government | |||
intervention, however, should not he considered a subsidy. | |||
7. TARIFFS AND QUOTAS | |||
Like subsidies, tariffs and quotas serve only to give special treatment to | |||
favored interests and to diminish the Welfare of other individuals. The measures also | |||
reduce the scope of contracts and understanding among difference peoples. We, | |||
therefore, support abolition of all tariffs and quotas as Well as the Tariff Commission | |||
and the Customs Court. | |||
8. PUBLIC UTILITIES | |||
We advocate the termination of government-created franchise privileges and | |||
governmental monopolies for such services as garbage collection, fire protection, | |||
electricity, natural gas, telephone, or water supplies. Furthermore, all rate | |||
regulation in these industries should be abolished. The right to offer such services | |||
on the market should not be curtailed by law. | |||
DOMESTIC ILLS | |||
Current problems in such areas as energy, pollution, health care delivery, | |||
decaying cities, and poverty are not solved, but are primarily caused, by government. | |||
The welfare state, supposedly designed to aid the poor, is in reality a growing and | |||
parasitic burden on all productive people, and injures, rather than benefits, the poor | |||
themselves. | |||
1. ENERGY | |||
We oppose all government control of energy pricing, allocation, and | |||
production, such as that imposed by the Department of Energy, state public utility | |||
commissions, and state pro-rationing agencies. Thus, We call for the immediate | |||
decontrol of natural gas prices. We also call for the immediate repeal of the "Windfall | |||
profits tax", which is really a graduated excise tax on the production of crude oil, and | |||
which cripples the discovery and production of oil. We oppose all government | |||
subsidies for energy research, development,. and operation, including subsidies for | |||
solar energy. We call for the abolition of the Federal Synthetic Fuels Corporation. We | |||
further oppose government subsidies for the development of solar energy. | |||
We oppose all direct and indirect government participation in the nuclear | |||
energy industry, including subsidies, research and development funds, guaranteed | |||
loans, waste disposal subsidies, and federal uranium enrichment facilities. The | |||
Nu clear Regulatory Commission should be abolished; full liability —- not government | |||
agencies—- should regulate nuclear power. The Price-Anderson Act, through which | |||
the government limits liability for nuclear accidents and furnishes partial payment | |||
at taxpayer expense, should be repealed. Nuclear energy should be denationalized | |||
and the industry's assets transferred to the private sector. Any nuclear power | |||
industry must meet the test of a free market. | |||
We support abolition of the Department of Energy and the abolition of its | |||
component agencies, without their transfer elsewhere in the government. We | |||
oppose the creation of any emergency mobilization agency in the energy field, | |||
which would wield dictatorial powers in order to override normal legal processes. We | |||
oppose all government conservation schemes through the use of taxes, subsidies, and W | |||
regulation, as well as the dictated conversion of utilities and other industries to coal | |||
or any other fuel. We oppose any attempt to give the federal government a monopoly | |||
over the importation of oil, or to develop a subsidized government energy corporation | |||
whose privileged status would be used as a yardstick for condemning private | |||
enterprise. We oppose the "strategic storage" program, any attempt to compel | |||
national self~sufficiency in oil, any extension of cargo preference law to imports, | |||
and any attempt to raise oil tariffs or impose oil import quotas. We oppose all efforts | |||
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 | |||
acquiring companies in non—energy fields. We also oppose all efforts to break up | |||
vertically and horizontally integrated energy companies or force them to divest their | |||
pipelines. | |||
We consider all attempts to impose an operation or standby program of | |||
gasoline rationing as unworkable, unnecessary and tyrannical. | |||
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 | |||
price and output in the petroleum industry. All government-—owned energy resources | |||
should be turned over to private ownership. | |||
2. POLLUTION | |||
Pollution of other people's property is a violation of individual rights. Present | |||
legal principles, particularly the unjust and false concept of "public property". | |||
permit continued degradation of the environment and continued violations of | |||
individual rights. We support the development of an objective legal system defining | |||
property rights to air and water. We call for a modification of the laws governing | |||
such torts as trespass and nuisance to cover damages done by air, water, radiation, | |||
and noise pollution. We oppose legislative proposals to exempt persons who claim | |||
damage from radiation from having to prove such damage was in fact caused by | |||
radiation. Strict liability, not government agencies and arbitrary government | |||
standards, should regulate pollution. We, therefore, demand the abolition of the | |||
Environmental Protection Agency. We also oppose government—mandated smoking | |||
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 | |||
clean—ups, individual property owners, or in the case of corporations, the responsible | |||
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 | |||
their conduct. Such clean—ups are a subsidy of irresponsible companies at the | |||
expense of responsible ones. | |||
3. CONSUMER PROTECTION | |||
We support strong and effective laws against fraud and misrepresentation. | |||
However, We oppose paternalistic regulations which dictate to consumers, impose | |||
prices, define standards for products, or otherwise restrict risk-taking and free | |||
choice. We oppose governmental promotion or imposition of the metric system. | |||
We oppose all so—called "consumer protection" legislation which infringes | |||
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 | |||
individual to buy or use so—called "self-protection" equipment such as safety belts, air | |||
bags, or crash helmets. | |||
We advocate the abolition of the Federal Aviation Administration, Which has | |||
jeopardized airline safety by arrogating to itself a monopoly of safety regulation and | |||
enforcement. | |||
We advocate the abolition of the Food and Drug Administration and | |||
particularly its policies of mandating specific nutritional requirements and denying | |||
the right of manufacturers to make non—fraudulent claims concerning their | |||
products. We advocate an end to compulsory fluoridation of Water supplies. We | |||
specifically oppose government regulation of the price, potency, or quantity able to | |||
be produced or purchased of drugs or other consumer goods. There should be no laws | |||
regarding what substances (nicotine, alcohol, hallucinogens, narcotics, Laetrile, | |||
artificial sweeteners, vitamin supplements, or other "drugs") a person may ingest or | |||
otherwise use. | |||
4. EDUCATION | |||
We advocate the complete separation of education and State. Government | |||
schools lead to the indoctrination of children and interfere with the free choice of | |||
individuals. Government ownership, operation, regulation, and subsidy of schools | |||
and colleges should be ended. | |||
As an interim measure to encourage the growth of private schools and variety | |||
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 | |||
of private schools, Whether for profit or non—profit. | |||
We condemn compulsory education laws, which spawn prison-like schools | |||
with many of the problems associated with prisons, and we call for an immediate | |||
repeal of such laws. | |||
Until government involvement in education is ended, We support elimination, | |||
Within the governmental school system, of forced busing and corporal punishment. | |||
We further support immediate reduction of tax support for schools, and removal of | |||
the burden of school taxes from those not responsible for the education of children. | |||
3. POPULATION | |||
Recognizing that the American people are not a collective national resource. | |||
we oppose all coercive measures for population control. | |||
We oppose government actions that either compel or prohibit abortion. | |||
sterilization, or any other forms of birth control. Specifically, We condemn the | |||
vicious practice of forced sterilization of welfare recipients or of mentally retarded | |||
or "genetically defective" individuals. | |||
We regard the tragedies caused by unplanned, unwanted pregnancies to be | |||
aggravated, if not created, by government policies or censorship, restriction, | |||
regulation, and prohibition. Therefore, we call for the repeal of all laws that restrict | |||
anyone, including children, from engaging in voluntary exchanges of goods, | |||
services, or information regarding human sexuality, reproduction, birth control, or | |||
related medical or biological technologies. | |||
We equally oppose government laws and policies that restrict the opportunity | |||
to choose alternatives to abortion. | |||
We support an end to all subsidies for childbearing built into our present laws, | |||
including welfare plans and the provision of tax—supported services for children. We | |||
urge the elimination of special tax burdens on single people and couples with few or | |||
no children. | |||
6. TRANSPORTATION | |||
Government interference in transportation is characterized by monopolistic | |||
restriction, corruption and gross inefficiency. We therefore call for the dissolution | |||
of all government agencies concerned with transportation, including the Department | |||
of Transportation, the Interstate Commerce Commission, the Federal Aviation | |||
Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board, the Coast Guard, the Federal | |||
Maritime Commission, and the transfer of their legitimate functions to competitive | |||
private f irms. We demand the return of America's railroad system to private | |||
ownership. We call for the privatization of airports, air traffic control systems, | |||
public roads, and the national highway system. We condemn the re—cartelization of | |||
commercial aviation by the Federal Aviation Administration via rationing of take-of f | |||
and landing rights and controlling scheduling in the name of "safety". | |||
As interim measures, we advocate an immediate end to government regulation | |||
of private transit organizations and to governmental favors to the transportation | |||
industry. In particular, we support the immediate repeal of all laws restricting | |||
transit competition such as the granting of taxicab and bus monopolies and the | |||
prohibition of private jitney services. We urge immediate deregulation of the | |||
trucking industry. Likewise, we advocate the immediate repeal of the federally | |||
imposed 55 mph speed limit. | |||
7. POVERTY AND UNEMPLOYMENT | |||
Government fiscal and monetary measures that artificially foster business | |||
expansion guarantee an eventual increase in unemployment rather than curtailing | |||
it. We call for the immediate cessation of such policies as well as any governmental | |||
attempts to affect employment levels. | |||
We support repeal of all laws that impede the ability of any person to find | |||
employment, such as minimum wage laws, so—called "protective" labor legislation for | |||
women and children, governmental restrictions on the establishment of private day- | |||
care centers, and the National Labor Relations Act. We deplore government—fostered | |||
forced retirement, which robs the elderly of the right to work. | |||
We seek the elimination of occupational licensure, which prevents human | |||
beings from working in whatever trade they wish. We call for the abolition of all | |||
federal, state, and local government agencies, that restrict entry into any profession. | |||
such as education and law, or regulate its practice. No worker should be legally | |||
penalized for lack of certification, and no consumer should be legally restrained from | |||
hiring unlicensed individuals. | |||
We oppose all government welfare, relief projects, and "aid to the poor" | |||
programs. All these government programs are privacy-invading, paternalistic. | |||
demeaning and inefficient. The proper source of help for such persons is the | |||
voluntary efforts of private groups and individuals. | |||
To speed the time when governmental programs are replaced by effective | |||
private institutions we advocate dollar—for—dollar tax credits for all charitable | |||
contributions. | |||
8. HEALTH CARE | |||
We advocate the complete separation of medicine and State. Recognizing the | |||
individual’s right to self—medication, we seek the elimination of all government | |||
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 | |||
care services. We oppose government infringements of the practitioner-patient | |||
relationship through regulatory agencies such as the Professional Standards Review | |||
Organization. | |||
We condemn efforts by government to impose a medical orthodoxy on society. | |||
We specifically oppose the attempt by state and local governments to deny parents the | |||
right to choose the option of home births and to discourage the development of | |||
privately funded Women's clinics. We call for the repeal of all laws that restrict the | |||
practice of lay midwifery or that permit harrassment of lay midwives and home birth | |||
practitioners. We also call for the repeal of all medical licensing laws, which have | |||
raised medical costs while creating a government imposed monopoly of doctors and | |||
hospitals. | |||
We oppose any form of compulsory National Health Insurance. We favor | |||
abolition of Medicare and Medicaid programs. We also oppose any state or federal | |||
area planning boards whose stated purpose is to consolidate health services or avoid | |||
their duplication. We support the removal of all government barriers to medical | |||
advertising, including prohibition of publication of doctor's fees and drug prices. We | |||
further support the elimination of prescription requirements for the dispensing of | |||
medicines and other health-related items. | |||
We favor the deregulation of the health insurance industry. We oppose laws | |||
that limit the freedom of contract of patients and health care professionals, and laws | |||
regulating the supply of legal aid on a contingency fee basis. We also oppose subsidy | |||
of malpractice insurance through public funds. We call for the repeal of laws | |||
forcing health care professionals to render medical services in emergencies or other | |||
situations. | |||
We condemn attempts at the federal, state, or local level to cripple the advance | |||
of science by governmental restriction of research. We oppose subsidies to, or | |||
restrictions of , medical education. We call for an end to government policies | |||
compelling individuals to submit to medical experiments, treatment, and testing. We | |||
condemn compulsory hospitalization, compulsory vaccination, and compulsory | |||
fluoridation. As interim measures, We advocate dollar—for—dollar tax credits to any | |||
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. | |||
9. RESOURCE USE | |||
Resource management is properly the responsibility and right of the | |||
legitimate owners of land, Water, and other natural resources. We oppose | |||
government control of resource use through eminent domain, zoning laws, building | |||
codes, rent control, regional planning, urban renewal, or purchase of development | |||
rights with tax money. Such regulations and programs violate property rights, | |||
discriminate against minorities, create housing shortages, and tend to cause higher | |||
rents. | |||
We advocate the establishment of an efficient and just system of private water | |||
rights, applied to all bodies of water, surface and underground. Such a system should | |||
be built upon a doctrine of first claim and use. The allocation of water should be | |||
governed by unrestricted competition and unregulated prices. All government | |||
restrictions upon private use, voluntary transfer of water rights, or of the similar | |||
despotic controls can only aggravate the misallocation of water. | |||
We also advocate the privatization of government and quasi— government | |||
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 | |||
Army Corps. of Engineer‘s civilian functions. We also favor the abolition of all local | |||
water districts and their power to tax. Only the complete separation of water and the | |||
State will prevent future water crises. | |||
We call for the homesteading or other just transfer to private ownership of | |||
federally held lands. We oppose any use of executive orders invoking the Antiquities | |||
Act to set aside public lands. We call for the abolition of the Bureau of Land | |||
Management and the U.S. Forest Service. Forced surface-mining of privately | |||
homesteaded lands in which the government has reserved surface mining rights to | |||
itself is a violation of the rights of the present landholders. We recognize the | |||
legitimacy of resource planning by means of private, voluntary covenants. We | |||
oppose creation of new government parks or wilderness and recreation areas. Such | |||
parks and areas that already exist should be transferred to non-government | |||
ownership. Pending such just transfer, their operating costs should be borne by | |||
their users rather than by tax- payers. | |||
l0. AGRICULTURE | |||
America's free market in agriculture, the system that feeds much of the world, | |||
has been plowed under by government intervention. Government subsidies, | |||
regulation , and taxes have encouraged the centralization of agricultural business. | |||
Government export policies hold American farmers hostage to the political whims to | |||
both Republican and Democratic administrations. Government embargoes on grain | |||
sales and other obstacles to free trade have frustrated the development of free and | |||
stable trade relationships between peoples of the world. | |||
The agricultural problems facing America today are not insoluble, however. | |||
Government policies can be reversed. Farmers and consumers alike should be free | |||
from the meddling and counterproductive measures of the federal government -- | |||
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 | |||
b. elimination of all government farm programs, including price | |||
supports, direct subsidies, and all regulation on agricultural | |||
production; . | |||
c. deregulation of the transportation industry and abolition of | |||
the Interstate Commerce Commission | |||
d. repeal of federal inheritance taxes; and | |||
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. | |||
11. OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ACT (OSHA) | |||
We call for the repeal of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. This law | |||
denies the right to liberty and property to both employer and employee, and it | |||
interferes in their private contractual relations. 0SHA's arbitrary and high-handed | |||
actions invade property rights, raise costs, and are an injustice imposed on business. | |||
12. SOCIAL SECURITY | |||
We favor the repeal of the fraudulent, virtually bankrupt, and increasingly | |||
oppressive Social Security system. Pending that repeal, participation in Social | |||
Security should be made voluntary. Victims of | |||
the Social Security tax should have a claim against government property. We note | |||
that members of the U.S. Congress, and certain federal, state, and local government | |||
employees, have been accorded the privileges of non-participation, one which is not | |||
accorded the working men and women of America. | |||
13. POSTAL SERVICE | |||
We propose the abolition of the Civil Service system, which entrenches a | |||
permanent and growing bureaucracy upon the land. We recognize that the Civil | |||
Service is inherently a system of concealed patronage. We therefore recommend | |||
return to the Jeffersonian principle of rotation in office. | |||
14. ELECTION LAWS | |||
We call for an end to government control of political parties, consistent with | |||
First Amendment rights to freedom of association and freedom of expression. As | |||
private voluntary groups political parties should be allowed to establish their own | |||
rules for nomination procedures, primaries, and conventions. | |||
We urge repeal of the Federal Election Campaign Act which suppresses | |||
voluntary support of candidates and parties, compels taxpayers to subsidize politicians | |||
and political views which many do not Wish to support, invades the privacy of | |||
American citizens, and protects the Republican and Democratic parties from | |||
competition. This law is particularly dangerous as it enables the federal government | |||
to control the elections of its own administrators and beneficiaries, thereby further | |||
reducing its accountability to the citizens. | |||
Elections at all levels should be in the control of those who Wish to participate | |||
in or support them voluntarily. We therefore call for an end to any tax-financed | |||
subsidies to candidates or parties and the repeal of all laws which restrict voluntary | |||
financing of election campaigns. | |||
Many state legislatures have established prohibitively restrictive laws which | |||
in effect exclude alternative candidates and parties from their rightful place on | |||
election ballots. Such laws wrongfully deny ballot access to political candidates and | |||
groups and further deny the voters their right to consider all legitimate alternatives. | |||
We hold that no state has an interest to protect in this area except for the fair and | |||
efficient conduct of elections. | |||
The Australian ballot system, introduced into the United States in the late | |||
nineteenth century, is an abridgement of freedom of expression and of voting rights. | |||
Under it, the names of all the officially approved candidates are printed in a single | |||
government sponsored format and the voter indicates his or her choice by marking it | |||
or by Writing in an approved but unlisted candidate's name. We should return to the | |||
previous electoral system Where there was no official ballot or candidate approval at | |||
all, and therefore no state or federal restriction of access to a "single ballot". Instead, | |||
voters submitted their own choices and had the option of using "tickets" or cards | |||
printed by candidates or political parties. | |||
In order to grant voters a full range of choice in federal, state, and local | |||
elections, we propose the addition of the alternative "None of the above is acceptable" | |||
to all ballots. We further propose that in the event that "none of the above is | |||
acceptable" receives a plurality of votes in any election, the elective office for that | |||
term should remain unfilled and unfunded. | |||
FOREIGN AFFAIRS | |||
American foreign policy should seek an America at peace with the world and | |||
the defense —- against attack from abroad -— of the lives, liberty, and property of the | |||
American people on American soil. Provision of such defense must respect the | |||
individual rights of people everywhere. | |||
The principle of non-intervention should guide relationships between | |||
governments. The United States government should return to the historic libertarian | |||
tradition of avoiding entangling alliances, abstaining totally from foreign quarrels | |||
and imperialist adventures, and recognizing the right to unrestricted trade, travel, | |||
and immigration. | |||
DIPLOMATIC POLICY | |||
1. NEGOTIATIONS | |||
The important principle in foreign policy should be the elimination of | |||
intervention by the United States government in the affairs of other nations. We | |||
would negotiate with any foreign government without necessarily conceding moral | |||
legitimacy to that government. We favor a drastic reduction in cost and size of our | |||
total diplomatic establishment. In addition, We favor the repeal of the Logan Act, | |||
which prohibits private American citizens from engaging in diplomatic negotiations | |||
with foreign governments. | |||
2. INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL AND FOREIGN INVESTMENTS | |||
We recognize that foreign governments might violate the rights of Americans | |||
traveling, living, or owning property abroad, just as those governments violate the | |||
rights of their own citizens. We condemn all such violations, whether the victims are | |||
U.S. citizens or not. | |||
Any effort, however, to extend the protection of the United States government | |||
to U.S. citizens when they or their property fall within the jurisdiction of a foreign | |||
government involves potential military intervention. We therefore call upon the | |||
United States government to adhere rigidly to the principle that all U.S. citizens | |||
travel, live, and own property abroad at their own risk. In particular, We oppose —- as | |||
unjust tax-supported subsidy -— any protection of the foreign investments of US. | |||
citizens or businesses. | |||
The issuance of US. passports should cease. We look forward to an era in | |||
which American citizens and foreigners can travel anywhere in the world without a | |||
passport. We aim to restore a world in which there are no passports, visas, or other | |||
papers required to cross borders. So long as U.S. passports are issued, they should be | |||
issued to all individuals without discrimination and should not be revoked for any | |||
reason. | |||
3. HUMAN RIGHTS | |||
We condemn the violations of human rights in all nations around the world. | |||
We particularly abhor the widespread and increasing use of torture for interrogation | |||
and punishment. We call upon all the world's governments to fully implement the | |||
principles and prescriptions contained in this platform and thereby usher in a new | |||
age of international harmony based upon the universal reign of liberty. | |||
Until such a global triumph for liberty, we support both political and | |||
revolutionary actions by individuals and groups against governments that violate | |||
rights. We recognize the right of all people to resist tyranny and defend themselves | |||
and their rights. We condemn, however, the use of force , and especially the use of | |||
terrorism, against the innocent, regardless of whether such acts are committed by | |||
governments or by political and revolutionary groups. | |||
The violation of rights and liberty by other governments can never justify | |||
foreign intervention by the United States government. Today, no government is | |||
innocent of violating human rights and liberty, and none can approach the issue | |||
with clean hands. In keeping with our goal of peaceful international relations, we | |||
call upon the United States government to cease its hypocrisy and its sullying of the | |||
good name of human rights. Only private individuals and organizations have any | |||
place speaking out on this issue. | |||
4. WORLD GOVERNMENT | |||
We support withdrawal of the United States government from, and an end to its | |||
financial support for, the United Nations. We oppose US. government participation | |||
in any world or international government. | |||
5. SECESSION | |||
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 | |||
to violate the rights of others. ’ | |||
MILITARY | |||
1. MILITARY POLICY | |||
We recognize the necessity for maintaining a sufficient military force to | |||
defend the United States against aggression. We should reduce the overall cost and | |||
size of our total governmental defense establishment. | |||
We call for the withdrawal of all American troops from bases abroad. In | |||
particular, we call for the removal of the US. Air Force as well as ground troops from | |||
the Korean peninsula. | |||
We call for withdrawal from multilateral and bilateral commitments to | |||
military intervention (such as to NATO and to South Korea) and for abandonment of | |||
interventionist doctrine (such as the Monroe Doctrine). | |||
We view the mass—destruction potential of modern warfare as the greatest | |||
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 | |||
disarmament down to police levels, provided every necessary precaution is taken to | |||
effectively protect the lives and the rights of the American people. Particularly | |||
important is the mutual disarmament of nuclear weapons and missiles, and other | |||
instruments of indiscriminate mass destruction of civilians. | |||
Z. PRESIDENTIAL WAR POWERS | |||
We call for the reform of the Presidential War Powers Act to end the | |||
President's power to initiate military action, and for the abrogation of all Presidential | |||
declarations of "states of emergency". There must be no further secret commitments | |||
and unilateral acts of military intervention by the Executive Branch. | |||
We favor a Constitutional amendment limiting the presidential role as | |||
Commander-—in-Chief to its original meaning, namely that of the head of the armed | |||
forces in Wartime. The Commander-in—Chief role, correctly understood, confers no | |||
additional authority on the President. | |||
ECONOMIC POLICY | |||
1. FOREIGN AID | |||
We support the elimination of tax—supported military, economic, | |||
technical, and scientific aid to foreign governments or other organizations. We | |||
support the abolition of government underwriting of arms sales. We further support | |||
abolition of federal agencies that make American taxpayers guarantors of export- | |||
related loans, such as the Export—Import Bank and the Commodity Credit Corporation. | |||
We also oppose the participation of the US. government in international commodity | |||
circles which restrict production, limit technological innovation, and raise prices. | |||
We call for the repeal of all prohibitions on individuals or firms contributing | |||
or selling goods and services to any foreign country or organization. | |||
2. INTERNATIONAL MONEY | |||
We favor withdrawal of the United States from all international paper money | |||
and other inflationary credit schemes. We favor Withdrawal from the World Bank | |||
and the International Monetary Fund. | |||
We strongly oppose any bailout of foreign governments or American banks | |||
by the United States, either by means of the International Monetary Fund or through | |||
any other governmental device. | |||
3. UNOWNED RESOURCES | |||
We oppose any recognition of fiat claims by national governments or | |||
international bodies to unclaimed territory. Individuals have the right to homestead | |||
unowned resources, both Within the jurisdictions of national governments and | |||
within such unclaimed territory as the ocean, Antarctica, and the volume of outer | |||
space. We urge the development of objective international standards for recognizing | |||
homesteaded claims to private ownership of such forms of property as transportation | |||
lanes, broadcast bands, mineral rights, fishing rights, and ocean farming rights. All | |||
laws, treaties, and international agreements that would prevent or restrict | |||
homesteading of unowned resources should be abolished. We specifically | |||
hail the U.S. refusal to accept the proposed Law of the Sea Treaty because the treaty | |||
excluded private property principles, and we oppose any future ratification. | |||
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS | |||
1. COLONIALISM | |||
United States colonialism has left a legacy of property confiscation, economic | |||
manipulation, and over—extended defense boundaries. We favor immediate self- | |||
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 | |||
States dominance, accompanied by the termination of subsidization of them, at | |||
taxpayer's expense. Land seized by the United States government should be returned | |||
to its rightful owners. | |||
2. CENTRAL AMERICA | |||
We oppose the current thrust by the U.S. government to establish American | |||
political control over the Western Hemisphere and its growing involvement in | |||
internal conflicts in Central America and the Caribbean. | |||
Specifically, we condemn the unceasing U.-S. government campaign to | |||
overthrow the government of Nicaragua, including "humanitarian aid" to the | |||
opposition contra forces, "covert" aid to the Contras by the US. Central Intelligence | |||
Agency, and mining by the CIA of Nicaraguan harbors. At the same time, we oppose | |||
U.S. government foreign aid to Nicaragua, as we do to all countries. | |||
We call for a halt to U.S. government involvement in the civil wars in | |||
Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, and particularly condemn the U.S. backed | |||
bombing of El Salvador from bases in Honduras. Specifically, we call for the | |||
immediate | |||
withdrawal of US. Green Berets and other military forces from Honduras and Costa | |||
Rica, and U.S. military technicians and Marines from El Salvador. | |||
We condemn the U.S. invasion of Grenada and call for immediate cessation of | |||
U.S. government foreign aid to Grenada and immediate withdrawal of all U.S. military | |||
personnel and US. political advisors to the Grenadan government. | |||
We call for the repeal of the Neutrality Act of 1794, and all other U.S. | |||
neutrality laws which restrict the efforts of American citizens to aid overseas | |||
organizations fighting to overthrow dictatorial governments. | |||
3. THE MIDDLE EAST | |||
We call upon the United States government to cease all interventions in the | |||
Middle East, including military and economic aid, guarantees, and diplomatic | |||
meddling, and to cease limitation of private foreign aid, both military and economic. | |||
Voluntary cooperation with any economic boycott should not be treated as a crime. | |||
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. | |||
bases and sites for the pre- positioning of military material in the Middle East region. | |||
We condemn the stationing of American military troops in the Sinai peninsula as a | |||
trip—wire that could easily set off a new world war. | |||
We condemn the expenditure of billions of American tax dollars to buy Israeli | |||
and Egyptian participation in the Camp David Accords. | |||
4. CHINA | |||
We condemn the growing alliance between the governments of the United | |||
States and People's Republic of China, just as we condemn the previous alliance with | |||
the Republic of China on Taiwan. China should not be considered as part of America's | |||
defense perimeter, nor should the United States government pursue joint military or | |||
diplomatic policies with China in Southeast Asia or Africa. | |||
5. SOUTHERN AFRICA | |||
We call upon the United States to cease all intervention in Southern Africa, | |||
including military and economic aid, guarantees, and backing of political groups, and | |||
to refrain from restricting American trade and investment in the region. | |||
6. SPACE EXPLORATION | |||
We oppose all governmentrestrictions upon voluntary peaceful use of outer | |||
space. We condemn all international attempts to prevent or limit private exploration, | |||
industrialization, and colonization of the moon, planets, asteroids, satellite orbits, | |||
Lagrange liberation points, or any other extra-terrestrial resources. We specifically | |||
call for the repudiation of the UN Moon Treaty. We support the abolition of the | |||
National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the privatization of all artificial | |||
satellites. | |||
OMMISSIONS | |||
Our silence about any other particular government law, regulation, | |||
ordinance, directive, edict, control, regulatory agency, activity, or machination | |||
should not be construed to imply approval. | |||
=About this page= | |||
Source: Marc Montoni scan | |||
OCR and entry by Ken Moellman on 6/2/2015 | |||
Also available here: http://marketliberal.org/LP/Platforms/1983_09%20LP%20Platform.pdf | |||
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