Document:Libertarian Party Radical Caucus Platform 2016: Difference between revisions

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Document:Libertarian Party Radical Caucus Platform 2016 (view source)

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re-ordered Section 4 to reflect what was adopted by the LPRC PlatComm on April 24
(re-ordered Section 4 to reflect what was adopted by the LPRC PlatComm on April 24)
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'''National [[Radical Caucus platform|Platform 2016]] of the Libertarian Party Radical Caucus'''
'''National [[Radical Caucus platform|Platform 2016]] of the Libertarian Party Radical Caucus'''


Adopted by sheer force of will<br>
Adopted by the Radical Caucus Platform Committee<br>
In revision process<br>
Via cyberspace<br>
Via cyberspace<br>
Trigger warning: Radical Libertarian content


=Complete Platform Text=
=Complete Platform Text=
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==Statement of Principles==
==Statement of Principles==
[YOU TOUCH THIS AND CARYN WILL KILL YOU]
We, the members of the Libertarian Party, challenge the cult of the omnipotent state and defend the rights of the individual.
We, the members of the Libertarian Party, challenge the cult of the omnipotent state and defend the rights of the individual.


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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.
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.


===1. Colonialism===
===1. Sovereign Immunity===
American 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, to free these people from American dominance, accompanied by the termination of subsidization of them at taxpayers' expense. Land seized by the United States government should be returned to its rightful owners.
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.


===2. Conscription and the Military===
Government agents should be subject to civil and criminal liability for any injuries caused by their actions, without regard to whether those actions occurred during the course of their duties. Neither government agencies nor their representatives shall be exempted from laws, statutes and regulations applicable to everyone else.
We stand absolutely opposed to involuntary military or nonmilitary servitude. Recognizing that registration is the first step toward full conscription, we oppose all attempts at compulsory registration and all schemes for automatic registration through government invasions of the privacy of school, motor vehicle, or other records.


We oppose adding women to the pool of 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. Equality of servitude is not a positive good.
Government agents should be personally responsible for satisfying judgments against them, and the agency should never directly pay such settlements.


We support the immediate and unconditional exoneration of all who have been accused or convicted of draft evasion, desertion from the military in cases of conscription or fraud, and other acts of resistance. Members of the military should have the same right to quit their jobs as other persons.
===2. Government Secrecy===
 
We oppose the government's use of secret classifications to keep information from the public, especially that which exposes government malfeasance.
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.


===3. Death Penalty===
===3. Death Penalty===
The death penalty is irreversible and no recompense can be made for an execution later found to be in error. Given the fallibility of any judicial system, punishments that cannot be reversed or compensated for should not be levied. Even if the death penalty were morally appropriate, it cannot be implemented without risking the execution of innocents. Since it is impossible to trust any government with this kind of power we oppose any state sanctioned death penalty.
The death penalty is irreversible and no recompense can be made for an execution later found to be in error. Given the fallibility of any judicial system, punishments that cannot be reversed or compensated for should not be levied. Even if the death penalty were morally appropriate, it cannot be implemented without risking the execution of innocents. Since it is impossible to trust any government with this kind of power we oppose any state sanctioned death penalty.


===4. Election Laws===
===4. Internal Security and Civil Liberties===
We call for an end to government control of political parties, consistent with First Amendment rights to freedom of association and freedom of expression. Political parties are private voluntary groups, and should be allowed to establish their own rules for nomination procedures, primaries, and conventions. At the same time, political parties must not be given any special privileges or subsidies in their internal decision-making process. To that end, we call for the complete abolition of primary elections that are funded or controlled by any government body. "Voters" do not own political parties — the people who invest their time and money in them do, and the state should not interfere in their right to run their parties in the manner that suits them.
In order to best protect the residents of the United States, it is necessary to remove the monopoly over domestic security concerns from the government, and allow open and honest discussion of potential security information with competing private contractors. In particular we call for the abolition of the Department of Homeland Security.
 
We call for the repeal of the USA PATRIOT Act, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the National Defense Authorization Act and all other legislation that authorizes secret evidence, holding people without charge, treating material witnesses like convicted criminals, engaging in searches and seizure without warrants, and other violations of individual rights under the color of national security. Additionally, we oppose the existence of internal Border Patrol checkpoints.


We urge repeal of all regulations and regulatory structures including the Federal Election Campaign Act and the FEC which suppress voluntary support of candidates and parties, compels taxpayers to subsidize some 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.
Individuals, companies, and government agencies should use discretion when gathering data during any investigation. Security, national or otherwise, should not be considered an automatic defense to charges against those who collect such data, nor should the protection of personal information be automatically guaranteed by the state as all individuals should be responsible for securing their personal data.


We call for an end to all government subsidies to candidates or parties and the repeal of all laws which regulate or restrict voluntary financing of election campaigns.
We support the abolition of the subpoena power as used by Congressional committees against individuals or firms. We oppose any efforts to revive the House Un-American Activities Committee or any related commitees such as House Internal Security Committee or Senate Subcommittee on Internal Security. We call for the government to sell openly data they have collected in the past, that which is not free to be sold openly should be destroyed.


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 a legitimate interest to protect in this area except for the fair and efficient conduct of elections.
===5. Government Debt===
No person can rightly enter into a contract on behalf of another person without their consent. When governments accrue debt, they are in essence entering into debt on behalf of their constituents and the children of their constituents. We therefore call upon both houses of the United States Congress to promptly pass, and call upon the state legislatures to ratify, a constitutional amendment repealing Section 4 of the Fourteenth Amendment, prohibiting future indebtedness and deficit spending on the part of the federal government, and repudiating all federal government debt and debt service obligations accrued prior to the ratification of said amendment.


Electoral systems matter. The predominant use of "winner-take-all" elections in gerrymandered, single-member districts fosters political monopolies and creates a substantial government-imposed barrier to election of non-incumbent political parties and candidates. We call upon legislative bodies to adopt electoral systems that are more representative of the electorate at the federal, state, and local levels, such as proportional voting systems with multi-member districts for legislative elections and ranked choice approval voting for single winner elections. Further we oppose implementation of the electoral system known as Top Two.
Until the national debt is repudiated, the federal government should have a balanced budget. To be effective, a balanced budget should provide:


Competition in ideas and government policies is important to the electoral process and is a cornerstone of fundamental freedoms. At the national level, The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), created in 1987 by the Republican and Democratic national parties for the express purpose of keeping minor party and independent candidates out of debates, intentionally limits participation in the nationally-televised debates to the Democratic and Republican Party nominees. The presidential debates organized by the CPD exert a de facto influence on the outcome of presidential elections, because a presidential candidate who is excluded from presidential debates has virtually zero chance of winning the general presidential election. The right to form a party for the advancement of political goals means little if that party’s nominee can be arbitrarily excluded from debates and denied an equal opportunity to win votes. While we support the abolition of all intrusive election and other laws affecting the operation of private political parties, to the extent that these laws exist, they should not be manipulated to benefit the dominant parties to the exclusion of minority parties or independent candidates and to the ultimate detriment of the voters who are not presented with the range of potential choices. This effectively disenfranchises voters and violates First Amendment freedoms. Therefore, in accordance with current ballot access laws, we call upon all organizations that host debates to have fair and objective debate criteria that should: include all candidates who are legally qualified to serve and whose names appear on the ballot. Additionally for Presidential debates, candidates should also appear on enough ballots to potentially secure a majority in the Electoral College.
a. that the budget is balanced exclusively by cutting expenditures, and not by raising taxes;


The Australian ballot system, introduced into the United States in the late nineteenth century, is an abridgment 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 their choice by marking it or by writing in an approved but unlisted candidate's name. We advocate for a strict separation of ballot and state, and call for a 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.
b. that all spending is included in the budget;


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, either the elective office for that term should remain unfilled and unfunded, or there shall be a new election in which none of the losing candidates shall be eligible.
c. that neither the Legislative nor the Executive be permitted to override this requirement; and


===5. Foreign Aid===
d. that no exception be made for periods of national emergency.
The federal government has used foreign aid as a tool of influencing the policy of other sovereign nations under the guise of aiding needy people in those nations. This forces American taxpayers to subsidize governments and policies of which they may not approve


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, and oppose the participation of the United States government in international commodity circles which restrict production, limit technological innovation, and raise prices.
Governments facing fiscal crises should always default on their debt obligations in preference to raising taxes. At minimum, the level of government should be frozen. Additionally, the Federal Reserve should be forbidden to acquire any additional government securities, thereby helping to eliminate the inflationary aspect of the deficit


We call for the repeal of all prohibitions on individuals or firms contributing or selling goods and services to any foreign country or organization.
===6. 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:


===6. Government Debt===
a. recognize the right of any individual to challenge the payment of taxes on moral, religious, legal, or constitutional grounds;
No person can rightly enter into a contract on behalf of another person without their consent. When governments accrue debt, they are in essence entering into debt on behalf of their constituents and the children of their constituents. We therefore call upon both houses of the United States Congress to promptly pass, and call upon the state legislatures to ratify, a constitutional amendment repealing Section 4 of the Fourteenth Amendment, prohibiting future indebtedness and deficit spending on the part of the federal government, and repudiating all federal government debt and debt service obligations accrued prior to the ratification of said amendment.


Until the national debt is repudiated, the federal government should have a balanced budget. To be effective, a balanced budget should provide:
b. support the repeal of the Sixteenth Amendment, and oppose any increase in existing tax rates and the imposition of any new taxes;


a. that the budget is balanced exclusively by cutting expenditures, and not by raising taxes;
c. oppose all taxation, including but not limited to, personal income, corporate income, capital gains, and inheritance taxes; and


b. that all spending is included in the budget;
d. support a declaration of unconditional amnesty for all those individuals who have been convicted of, or who now stand accused of, tax resistance.


c. that neither the Legislative nor the Executive be permitted to override this requirement; and
As an interim measure, all criminal and civil sanctions against tax evasion should be terminated immediately including, but limited to, imprisonment and asset forfeiture.


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


Governments facing fiscal crises should always default on their debt obligations in preference to raising taxes. At minimum, the level of government should be frozen. Additionally, the Federal Reserve should be forbidden to acquire any additional government securities, thereby helping to eliminate the inflationary aspect of the deficit
We oppose any and all increases in the rate of taxation or categories of taxpayers, including the elimination of deductions, exemptions, or credits in the spurious name of "fairness," "simplicity," or alleged "neutrality to the free market." No tax can ever be fair, simple, or neutral to the free market.


===7. Government Secrecy===
In the current fiscal, default is preferable to raising taxes or perpetual refinancing of growing public debt.
We oppose the government's use of secret classifications to keep information from the public, especially that which exposes government malfeasance.


===8. Immigration===
===7. Immigration===
We hold that one of the basic core principles of a free market, is the freedom to move about voluntarily, as such borders are artificial barriers to trade and movement. You cannot have a free market with a closed or restricted border.
We hold that one of the basic core principles of a free market, is the freedom to move about voluntarily, as such borders are artificial barriers to trade and movement. You cannot have a free market with a closed or restricted border.


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We therefore call for the elimination of all restrictions on immigration, the abolition of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol, and declare a full pardon for all people who are in the country without government permission. We oppose government welfare and resettlement payments to non-citizens just as we oppose government welfare payments to all other persons. 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.
We therefore call for the elimination of all restrictions on immigration, the abolition of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol, and declare a full pardon for all people who are in the country without government permission. We oppose government welfare and resettlement payments to non-citizens just as we oppose government welfare payments to all other persons. 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.


===9. Internal Security and Civil Liberties===
===8. World Government===
In order to best protect the residents of the United States, it is necessary to remove the monopoly over domestic security concerns from the government, and allow open and honest discussion of potential security information with competing private contractors. In particular we call for the abolition of the Department of Homeland Security.
We support the immediate withdrawal of the United States government from, and an end to its financial support for, the United Nations. Specifically, we oppose any policy designating the UN as policeman of the world, committing troops to wars at the discretion of the UN, or placing troops under UN command. We oppose United States government participation in any world or international government. We oppose any treaty under which individual rights would be violated.


We call for the repeal of the USA PATRIOT Act, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the National Defense Authorization Act and all other legislation that authorizes secret evidence, holding people without charge, treating material witnesses like convicted criminals, engaging in searches and seizure without warrants, and other violations of individual rights under the color of national security. Additionally, we oppose the existence of internal Border Patrol checkpoints.
===9. International Money===
We favor withdrawal from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. We oppose any participation in international government-issued currencies whether regional or international in scope. 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. We strongly support all private sector units of trade and their use in international markets. We oppose any participation in international government-issued currencies whether regional or international in scope.


Individuals, companies, and government agencies should use discretion when gathering data during any investigation. Security, national or otherwise, should not be considered an automatic defense to charges against those who collect such data, nor should the protection of personal information be automatically guaranteed by the state as all individuals should be responsible for securing their personal data.
===10. 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 American citizens or not.


We support the abolition of the subpoena power as used by Congressional committees against individuals or firms. We oppose any efforts to revive the House Un-American Activities Committee or any related commitees such as House Internal Security Committee or Senate Subcommittee on Internal Security. We call for the government to sell openly data they have collected in the past, that which is not free to be sold openly should be destroyed.
Any effort, however, to extend the protection of the United States government to American 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 American 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 American citizens or businesses.


===10. Military Policy===
===11. Foreign Aid===
We call for a completely voluntary military in both funding and participation where members of the military could quit any time they choose. While borders and taxpayer funded militaries exist, their purpose should be limited to defending the borders of the United States from attack. The United States has no business being the policeman of the world. We call for the withdrawal of the United States from commitments to engage in war on behalf of other governments and for abandonment of doctrines supporting military intervention such as the Monroe Doctrine.
The federal government has used foreign aid as a tool of influencing the policy of other sovereign nations under the guise of aiding needy people in those nations. This forces American taxpayers to subsidize governments and policies of which they may not approve


We favor the repeal the Neutrality Act of 1794, and all other United States neutrality laws, which restrict the efforts of Americans to aid overseas organizations fighting to overthrow or change governments. We wish to end the incorporation of foreign nations into the American defense perimeter. Further, we call upon the federal government to cease the creation and maintenance of American installations and bases in other countries, and American military troops stationed overseas should be withdrawn as quickly as practicable.
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, and oppose the participation of the United States government in international commodity circles which restrict production, limit technological innovation, and raise prices.


===11. Negotiations===
We call for the repeal of all prohibitions on individuals or firms contributing or selling goods and services to any foreign country or organization.
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. Additionally, we favor the repeal of the Logan Act, which prohibits American citizens from engaging in private correspondence with foreign governments with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States without authorization of the United States government. However, we acknowledge that individuals involved in such communications do not have the authority to bind other individuals to any agreements.


===12. Presidential War Powers===
===12. Colonialism===
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.
American 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, to free these people from American dominance, accompanied by the termination of subsidization of them at taxpayers' expense. Land seized by the United States government should be returned to its rightful owners.


===13. Secession===
===13. Negotiations===
We recognize the right to political secession by political entities, private groups, or individuals. We believe that every person and/or group of people should be allowed to decide for themselves if and/or how they will be governed. 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.
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. Additionally, we favor the repeal of the Logan Act, which prohibits American citizens from engaging in private correspondence with foreign governments with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States without authorization of the United States government. However, we acknowledge that individuals involved in such communications do not have the authority to bind other individuals to any agreements.


===14. Sovereign Immunity===
===14. Military Policy===
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.
We call for a completely voluntary military in both funding and participation where members of the military could quit any time they choose. While borders and taxpayer funded militaries exist, their purpose should be limited to defending the borders of the United States from attack. The United States has no business being the policeman of the world. We call for the withdrawal of the United States from commitments to engage in war on behalf of other governments and for abandonment of doctrines supporting military intervention such as the Monroe Doctrine.


Government agents should be subject to civil and criminal liability for any injuries caused by their actions, without regard to whether those actions occurred during the course of their duties. Neither government agencies nor their representatives shall be exempted from laws, statutes and regulations applicable to everyone else.
We favor the repeal the Neutrality Act of 1794, and all other United States neutrality laws, which restrict the efforts of Americans to aid overseas organizations fighting to overthrow or change governments. We wish to end the incorporation of foreign nations into the American defense perimeter. Further, we call upon the federal government to cease the creation and maintenance of American installations and bases in other countries, and American military troops stationed overseas should be withdrawn as quickly as practicable.


Government agents should be personally responsible for satisfying judgments against them, and the agency should never directly pay such settlements.
===15. 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.


===15. Taxation===
===16. Conscription and the Military===
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:
We stand absolutely opposed to involuntary military or nonmilitary servitude. Recognizing that registration is the first step toward full conscription, we oppose all attempts at compulsory registration and all schemes for automatic registration through government invasions of the privacy of school, motor vehicle, or other records.


a. recognize the right of any individual to challenge the payment of taxes on moral, religious, legal, or constitutional grounds;
We oppose adding women to the pool of 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. Equality of servitude is not a positive good.


b. support the repeal of the Sixteenth Amendment, and oppose any increase in existing tax rates and the imposition of any new taxes;
We support the immediate and unconditional exoneration of all who have been accused or convicted of draft evasion, desertion from the military in cases of conscription or fraud, and other acts of resistance. Members of the military should have the same right to quit their jobs as other persons.


c. oppose all taxation, including but not limited to, personal income, corporate income, capital gains, and inheritance taxes; and
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.


d. support a declaration of unconditional amnesty for all those individuals who have been convicted of, or who now stand accused of, tax resistance.
===17. Weapons of Mass Destruction===
We believe that no government agency should be allowed to acquire, purchase, or otherwise accept for use any vehicles, equipment or weapons unless such hardware is readily available in an open commercial market. If any tool in its intended use is deemed too powerful / destructive for any individual to own, i.e. weapons that would destroy towns or neighborhoods in their applications, those tools are also too powerful for any government to own.


As an interim measure, all criminal and civil sanctions against tax evasion should be terminated immediately including, but limited to, imprisonment and asset forfeiture.
===18. 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. Political parties are private voluntary groups, and should be allowed to establish their own rules for nomination procedures, primaries, and conventions. At the same time, political parties must not be given any special privileges or subsidies in their internal decision-making process. To that end, we call for the complete abolition of primary elections that are funded or controlled by any government body. "Voters" do not own political parties — the people who invest their time and money in them do, and the state should not interfere in their right to run their parties in the manner that suits them.


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.
We urge repeal of all regulations and regulatory structures including the Federal Election Campaign Act and the FEC which suppress voluntary support of candidates and parties, compels taxpayers to subsidize some 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.


We oppose any and all increases in the rate of taxation or categories of taxpayers, including the elimination of deductions, exemptions, or credits in the spurious name of "fairness," "simplicity," or alleged "neutrality to the free market." No tax can ever be fair, simple, or neutral to the free market.
We call for an end to all government subsidies to candidates or parties and the repeal of all laws which regulate or restrict voluntary financing of election campaigns.


In the current fiscal, default is preferable to raising taxes or perpetual refinancing of growing public debt.
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 a legitimate interest to protect in this area except for the fair and efficient conduct of elections.


===16. Weapons of Mass Destruction===
Electoral systems matter. The predominant use of "winner-take-all" elections in gerrymandered, single-member districts fosters political monopolies and creates a substantial government-imposed barrier to election of non-incumbent political parties and candidates. We call upon legislative bodies to adopt electoral systems that are more representative of the electorate at the federal, state, and local levels, such as proportional voting systems with multi-member districts for legislative elections and ranked choice approval voting for single winner elections. Further we oppose implementation of the electoral system known as Top Two.
We believe that no government agency should be allowed to acquire, purchase, or otherwise accept for use any vehicles, equipment or weapons unless such hardware is readily available in an open commercial market. If any tool in its intended use is deemed too powerful / destructive for any individual to own, i.e. weapons that would destroy towns or neighborhoods in their applications, those tools are also too powerful for any government to own.


===17. World Government===
Competition in ideas and government policies is important to the electoral process and is a cornerstone of fundamental freedoms. At the national level, The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), created in 1987 by the Republican and Democratic national parties for the express purpose of keeping minor party and independent candidates out of debates, intentionally limits participation in the nationally-televised debates to the Democratic and Republican Party nominees. The presidential debates organized by the CPD exert a de facto influence on the outcome of presidential elections, because a presidential candidate who is excluded from presidential debates has virtually zero chance of winning the general presidential election. The right to form a party for the advancement of political goals means little if that party’s nominee can be arbitrarily excluded from debates and denied an equal opportunity to win votes. While we support the abolition of all intrusive election and other laws affecting the operation of private political parties, to the extent that these laws exist, they should not be manipulated to benefit the dominant parties to the exclusion of minority parties or independent candidates and to the ultimate detriment of the voters who are not presented with the range of potential choices. This effectively disenfranchises voters and violates First Amendment freedoms. Therefore, in accordance with current ballot access laws, we call upon all organizations that host debates to have fair and objective debate criteria that should: include all candidates who are legally qualified to serve and whose names appear on the ballot. Additionally for Presidential debates, candidates should also appear on enough ballots to potentially secure a majority in the Electoral College.
We support the immediate withdrawal of the United States government from, and an end to its financial support for, the United Nations. Specifically, we oppose any policy designating the UN as policeman of the world, committing troops to wars at the discretion of the UN, or placing troops under UN command. We oppose United States government participation in any world or international government. We oppose any treaty under which individual rights would be violated.


===18. International Money===
The Australian ballot system, introduced into the United States in the late nineteenth century, is an abridgment 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 their choice by marking it or by writing in an approved but unlisted candidate's name. We advocate for a strict separation of ballot and state, and call for a 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.
We favor withdrawal from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. We oppose any participation in international government-issued currencies whether regional or international in scope. 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. We strongly support all private sector units of trade and their use in international markets. We oppose any participation in international government-issued currencies whether regional or international in scope.


===19. International Travel and Foreign Investments===
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, either the elective office for that term should remain unfilled and unfunded, or there shall be a new election in which none of the losing candidates shall be eligible.
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 American citizens or not.


Any effort, however, to extend the protection of the United States government to American 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 American 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 American citizens or businesses.
===19. Secession===
We recognize the right to political secession by political entities, private groups, or individuals. We believe that every person and/or group of people should be allowed to decide for themselves if and/or how they will be governed. 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.


==V. Omissions==
==V. Omissions==
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