You saw it here first.
Platform of the National Libertarian Party
Adopted in Convention, July 2, 2006, Portland Oregon
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 -- accordingly we oppose all
government interference with private 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.
I. 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.
I.1 Freedom and Responsibility
The Issue: Personal responsibility is discouraged by government
denying individuals the opportunity to exercise it. In fact, the
denial of freedom fosters irresponsibility.
The Principle: Individuals should be free to make choices for
themselves and to accept responsibility for the consequences of the
choices they make. We must accept the right of others to choose for
themselves if we are to have the same right. Our support of an
individual's right to make choices in life does not mean that we
necessarily approve or disapprove of those choices. We believe people
must accept personal responsibility for the consequences of their
actions.
Solutions: Libertarian policies will promote a society where people
are free to make and learn from their own decisions.
Transitional Action: Repeal all laws that presume government knows
better than the individual how to run that person's life. Encourage
private sector dissemination of information to help consumers make
informed decisions on products and services. Enforce laws against
fraud and misrepresentation.
I.2 Freedom of Communication
The Issue: We oppose any abridgment of the freedom of speech through
government censorship, regulation or control of communications media,
including, but not limited to, laws concerning:
a) Obscenity, including "pornography", as we hold this to be an
abridgment of liberty of _expression despite claims that it
instigates rape or assault, or demeans and slanders women;
b) Reception and storage equipment, such as digital audio tape
recorders and radar warning devices, and the manufacture of video
terminals by telephone companies;
c) Electronic bulletin boards, communications networks, and other
interactive electronic media as we hold them to be the functional
equivalent of speaking halls and printing presses in the age of
electronic communications, and as such deserving of full freedom; d)
Electronic newspapers, electronic "Yellow Pages", file libraries,
websites, and other new information media, as these deserve full
freedom; or
e) Commercial speech or advertising. We oppose speech codes at all
schools that are primarily tax funded. Language that is deemed
offensive to certain groups is not a cause for legal action.
We strongly 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."
The Principle: We defend the rights of individuals to unrestricted
freedom of speech, freedom of the press and the right of individuals
to dissent from government itself. We recognize that full freedom of
_expression is possible only 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; the freedom to host and publish information on
the Internet; the freedom to wave or burn one's own flag; 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.
Solutions: We would provide for free market ownership of airwave
frequencies, deserving of full First Amendment protection. We oppose
government ownership or subsidy of, or funding for, any
communications organization. Removal of all of these regulations and
practices throughout the communications media would open the way to
diversity and innovation. We shall not be satisfied until the First
Amendment is expanded to protect full, unconditional freedom of
communication.
Transitional Action: We advocate the abolition of the Federal
Communications Commission.
I.3 Freedom of Religion
Issue: Government routinely invades personal privacy rights based
solely on individuals' religious beliefs. Arbitrary tax structures
are designed to give aid to certain religions, and deny it to others.
Principle: We defend the rights of individuals to engage in (or
abstain from) any religious activities that do not violate the rights
of others.
Solution: In order to defend freedom, we advocate a strict separation
of church and State. We oppose government actions that either aid or
attack 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 or conservatorships -- to
force children to conform to any religious views. Government
harassment or obstruction of religious groups for their beliefs or
non-violent activities must end.
Transitional Action: We call for an end to the harassment of churches
by the Internal Revenue Service through threats to deny tax-exempt
status to churches that refuse to disclose massive amounts of
information about themselves.
I.4 Property Rights
The Issue: The right to property and its physical resources, which is
the fundamental cornerstone of a free and prosperous society, has
been severely compromised by government at all levels. Public Policy
instruments including eminent domain, zoning laws, building codes,
rent control, regional planning, property taxes, resource management
and public health legislation remove property rights from owners and
transfer them to the State, while raising costs of property
ownership. Public ownership of real property, beyond that which is
explicitly authorized in the Constitution, and claims against
resources both owned and unowned (such as the oceans or waterways) is
illegitimate and creates scarcity and conflict where none would
otherwise exist.
The Principle: Only individuals and private entities 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 on the valid rights of others. Resource management
and planning are the responsibility and right of the legitimate
owners of land, water and other natural resources. Individuals have
the right to homestead unowned resources, both within the
jurisdictions of governments and within such unclaimed territory as
the ocean, Antarctica and extraterrestrial bodies.
Solutions: All public lands and resources, as well as claims thereto,
except as explicitly allowed by the Constitution, shall be returned
to private ownership, with the proceeds of sale going to retire
public liabilities. Resource rights shall be defined as property
rights, including riparian rights. All publicly owned infrastructures
including dams and parks shall be returned to private ownership and
all taxing authority for such public improvements shall sunset.
Property related services shall be supplied by private markets and
paid for by user fees, and regulation of property shall be limited to
that which secures the rights of individuals. There will be no legal
barriers to peaceful, private, voluntary attempts to explore,
industrialize and colonize any extra-terrestrial resources. The
federal government shall be held as liable as any individual for
pollution or other transgression against property or resources.
Transitional Action: Rescind all taxation of real property. Property,
resources and rights taken from their legitimate owners by government
or by government supported private action, shall be restored to the
rightful owners. Reverse the Supreme Court decision regarding eminent
domain - Kelo v City of New London. Repeal all legislation that
transfers property rights to the state, including those enacted in
the name of aesthetic values, risk, moral standards, cost-benefit
estimates, the promotion or restriction of economic growth, health or
national security claims. Sunset all federal agencies that own,
regulate or administer property, as well as agencies at the local
level which exercise control over private property and resources.
Rescind and oppose all international treaties that exercise
government control over unowned resources.
I.5 The Right to Privacy
The Issue: Privacy protections have been eroded gradually over many
years. The Social Security Number has become a universal ID number,
causing rampant and massive identity theft. Government routinely
keeps records on the bank accounts, travel plans, and spending habits
of law-abiding civilians, for no other reason than they "might"
commit a crime in the future.
The Principle: The individual's right to 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 without
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.
Private contractual arrangements, including labor contracts, must be
founded on mutual consent and agreement in a society that upholds
freedom of association. On the other hand, we oppose any use of such
screening by government or regulations requiring government
contractors to impose any such screening.
Solutions: We support the protections provided by the Fourth
Amendment and oppose any government use of search warrants to examine
or seize materials belonging to innocent third parties. We oppose all
restrictions and regulations on the private development, sale, and
use of encryption technology. We specifically oppose any requirement
for disclosure of encryption methods or keys, including the
government's proposals for so-called "key escrow" which is truly
government access to keys, and any requirement for use of government-
specified devices or protocols. We also oppose government
classification of civilian research on encryption methods. If a
private employer screens prospective or current employees via
questionnaires, polygraph tests, urine tests for drugs, blood tests
for AIDS, or other means, this is a condition of that employer's
labor contracts. Such screening does not violate the rights of
employees, who have the right to boycott such employers if they
choose. We oppose the issuance by the government of an identity card,
to be required for any purpose, such as employment, voting, or border
crossing. We further oppose the nearly universal requirement for use
of the Social Security Number as a personal identification code,
whether by government agencies or by intimidation of private
companies by governments.
Transitional Action: We also oppose police roadblocks aimed at
randomly, and without probable cause, testing drivers for
intoxication and police practices to stop mass transit vehicles and
search passengers without probable cause. 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 government regulations that require employers to
provide health insurance coverage for employees, which often
encourage unnecessary intrusions by employers into the privacy of
their employees.
I.6 The Right to Keep and Bear Arms
The Issue: Governments at all levels often violate their citizens'
right of self defense with laws that restrict, limit or outright
prohibit the ownership and use of firearms. These "gun control" laws
are often justified by the mistaken premise that they will lead to a
reduction in the level of violence in our society.
The Principle: The Bill of Rights recognizes that an armed citizenry
is essential to a free society. We affirm the right to keep and bear
arms.
Solutions: We oppose all laws at any level of government restricting,
regulating or requiring the ownership, manufacture, transfer or sale
of firearms or ammunition. We oppose all laws requiring registration
of firearms or ammunition. We support repeal of all gun control laws.
We demand the immediate abolition of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco
and Firearms.
Transition: We 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 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") and
semi-automatic or so-called assault weapons and their magazines or
feeding devices.
I.7 Conscription
The Issue: Any form of coerced national service program is a type of
involuntary servitude. Examples include conscription into the
military and compulsory youth labor programs.
The Principle: Coerced national service programs presume the
government can claim ownership of the lives of individuals. Such
programs are a form of involuntary servitude and are a clear
violation of the US Constitution 13th Amendment.
Solutions: All forms of national service will be staffed by willing
participants without the need for conscription or other means of
mandating such service. When people perceive a just cause, history
has shown that they willingly volunteer to serve.
Transitional Action: All schemes for automatic registration through
government invasions of the privacy of school, motor vehicle or other
records should be immediately eliminated. The still-functioning
elements of the Selective Service System should be abolished and all
associated records should be destroyed. The President should
immediately pardon, providing unconditional exoneration, for all who
have been accused or convicted of draft evasion, desertion from the
military in cases of conscription or fraud and other acts of civil
resistance.
I.8 Reproductive Rights
The Issue: The tragedies caused by unplanned, unwanted pregnancies
are aggravated and sometimes created by government policies of
censorship, restriction, regulation and prohibition.
Recognizing that abortion is a sensitive issue and that people can
hold good-faith views on both sides, we believe that government
should be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to each person
for their conscientious consideration.
The Principle: Individual rights should not be denied nor abridged on
the basis of sex, age, dependency, or location. Taxpayers should not
be forced to pay for other people's abortions, nor should any
government or individual force a woman to have an abortion. It is the
right and obligation of the pregnant woman regardless of age, not the
state, to decide the desirability or appropriateness of prenatal
testing, Caesarean births, fetal surgery, voluntary surrogacy
arrangements and/or home births.
Solutions: We oppose government actions that either compel or
prohibit abortion, sterilization or any other form of birth control.
Specifically we condemn the practice of forced sterilization of
welfare recipients, or of mentally retarded or "genetically
defective" individual. We support the voluntary exchange of goods,
services or information regarding human sexuality, reproduction,
birth control or related medical or biological technologies. We
oppose government laws and policies that restrict the opportunity to
choose alternatives to abortion.
Transitional Action: We support an end to all subsidies for
childbearing or child prevention built into our present laws.
I.9 Sexuality and Gender
The Issue: Politicians use popular fears and taboos to legally impose
a particular code of moral and social values. Government regularly
denies rights and privileges on the basis of sexual orientation or
gender identity.
The Principle: Consenting adults should be free to choose their own
sexual practices and personal relationships. Government does not have
legitimate authority to define or license personal relationships.
Sexuality or gender should have no impact on the rights of
individuals.
Solutions: Culture wars, social friction and prejudice will fade when
marriage and other personal relationships are treated as private
contracts, solely defined by the individuals involved, and government
discrimination is not allowed.
Transitional Action: Repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act and
state laws and amendments defining marriage. Oppose any new laws or
Constitutional amendments defining terms for personal, private
relationships. Repeal any state or federal law assigning special
benefits to people based on marital status, family structure, sexual
orientation or gender identification. Repeal any state or federal
laws denying same-sex partners rights enjoyed by others, such as
adoption of children and spousal immigration. End the Defense
Department practice of discharging armed forces personnel for sexual
orientation. Upgrade all less-than-honorable discharges previously
assigned solely for such reasons to honorable status, and delete
related information from military personnel files. Repeal all laws
discriminating by gender, such as protective labor laws and marriage,
divorce, and custody laws which deny the full rights of each
individual.
II. Trade and the Economy
We believe that each person has the right to offer goods and services
to others on the free market. Therefore 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.
We believe that all individuals have the right to dispose of the
fruits of their labor as they see fit and that government has no
right to take such wealth. We oppose government-enforced charity such
as welfare programs and subsidies, but we heartily applaud those
individuals and private charitable organizations that help the needy
and contribute to a wide array of worthwhile causes through voluntary
activities.
II.1 Government Debt
The Issue: The national debt imposes debt upon Americans without
their consent, and loads our economy with a fiscal anchor that will
burden many future generations. Our escalating national debt is
nothing less than theft from our grandchildren.
The Principle: The government should operate on a "pay as you go"
basis, and not incur debt.
Solutions: A debt-free government frees up economic resources,
allowing for lower taxes, economic growth and lower interest rates.
Transitional Action: Eliminate the national debt using an incremental
approach, being careful to avoid social disruption. We support the
passage of a "Balanced Budget Amendment" to the US Constitution that
restricts Congress from spending any more than it collected in
revenue the previous year.
Eliminate earmarks, pork-barrel spending, and other forms of
political corruption.
Congress should sell assets and reduce spending on non-essential
functions to pay off the national debt as quickly as possible.
II.2 Corporate Welfare, Monopolies & Subsidies
The Issue: Subsidies, government-granted monopolies, and other forms
of corporate welfare today exist as privileges granted by government
to those with political access. These destroy the level playing field
that free markets depend on, create a corrupt relationship between
government authority and special interests, and are unconstitutional.
Furthermore, the loans by government-sponsored entities, even when
not guaranteed by the government, constitute another form of subsidy.
The Principle: Individuals must be free to be aggressive competitors
and form corporations, cooperatives and other types of companies
based on voluntary association in the market place, and must enjoy no
state-sponsored advantage. Those who best supply a good or service in
the market will enjoy natural dominance only as long as they continue
to benefit consumers. Subsidies and government-granted monopolies
protect the non-competitive from market forces.
Solutions: Replacement of all government-granted monopolies and
subsidies with deregulated free markets and informed consumers will
benefit both consumers and producers, eliminate political favoritism,
and maintain a strict separation of markets and state authority.
Genuine crimes committed to create a monopoly, such as blackmail,
bribery, fraud, libel or slander are prosecuted as any other crime.
Transitional Action: Eliminate all federal grants of monopoly or
subsidy to any private companies, such as utilities, airlines, energy
companies, agriculture, science, medicine, broadcasting, the arts and
sports teams. Repeal all anti-trust laws. All federal agencies whose
primary function is to make or guarantee corporate loans must be
abolished or privatized.
II.3 Public Services
The Issue: Federal, state and local governments have created
inefficient service monopolies throughout the economy. From the US
Postal Service to municipal garbage collection and water works,
government is forcing citizens to use monopoly services. These are
services that the private sector is already capable of providing in a
manner that gives the public better service at a competitive price.
The Principle: A free and competitive market allocates resources in
the most efficient manner.
Consumers of services should not have their choices arbitrarily
limited by law.
Solutions: Libertarian policies will seek to divest government of all
functions that can be provided by non-governmental organizations or
private individuals.
Transitional Actions: All rate regulation in utilities should
transition to free market pricing.
End the Postal Service's monopoly and allow for the free competition
in all aspects of mail delivery.
State and local monopoly services should be opened to free-market
competition.
Local and state governments can auction assets such as utility
systems and landfills to private industry, thereby immediately
reducing the tax burden on their citizens.
III. 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.
III.1 Crime and Victimless Crime
The Issue: Violent crime and fraud threaten the lives, happiness and
belongings of Americans. Government's ability to protect the rights
and property of individuals from crimes of violence and fraud is
compromised because resources are focused on vice rather than on real
crimes. Laws that codify "victimless crimes" turn those who simply
conduct voluntary transactions and exercise free choice into
criminals. This results in the United States having one of the
highest percentages of the population in prison of any country in the
world; yet real crime remains prevalent in many parts of the country.
Principle: Government exists to protect the rights of every
individual including life, liberty and property. Criminal laws should
be limited to violation of the rights of others through force or
fraud, or deliberate actions that place others involuntarily at
significant risk of harm. Individuals retain the right to voluntarily
assume risk of harm to themselves in the exercise of free choice.
Solution: The appropriate way for the federal government to address
crime is through consistent and impartial enforcement of laws that
protect individual rights. The law enforcement resources of the
federal government can be used most efficiently if limited to
appropriate federal concerns. Limiting law enforcement to true crime
will restore respect for the law and those who enforce it.
Transitional Action: Immediately reform the justice system's
mandatory sentencing policies to ensure that violent offenders are
not released from jail to make room for non-violent offenders. Repeal
criminal laws which work against the protection of the rights and
freedom of American citizens, residents or visitors, particularly
laws which create a crime where no victim exists.
III.2 The War on Drugs
The Issue: The suffering that drug misuse has brought about is
deplorable; however, drug prohibition causes more harm than drugs
themselves. The so-called "War on Drugs" is in reality a war against
the American people, our Constitution and the Bill of Rights. It is a
grave threat to individual liberty, to domestic order and to peace in
the world.
The Principle: Individuals should have the right to use drugs,
whether for medical or recreational purposes, without fear of legal
reprisals, but must be held legally responsible for the consequences
of their actions only if they violate others' rights.
Solutions: Social involvement by individuals is essential to address
the problem of substance misuse and abuse. Popular education and
assistance groups are a better approach than prohibition, and we
support the activities of private organizations as the best way to
move forward on the issue.
Transitional Action: Repeal all laws establishing criminal or civil
penalties for the use of drugs. Repeal laws that infringe upon
individual rights to be secure in our persons, homes, and property as
protected by the Fourth Amendment. Stop the use of "anti-crime"
measures such as profiling or civil asset forfeiture that reduce the
standard of proof historically borne by government in prosecutions.
Stop prosecuting accused non-violent drug offenders, and pardon those
previously convicted.
IV. 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.
IV.1 Immigration
The Issue: Our borders are currently neither open, closed, nor
secure. This situation restricts the labor pool, encouraging
employers to hire undocumented workers, while leaving those workers
neither subject to nor protected by the law. A completely open border
allows foreign criminals, carriers of communicable diseases,
terrorists and other potential threats to enter the country
unchecked. Pandering politicians guarantee access to public services
for undocumented aliens, to the detriment of those who would enter to
work productively, and increasing the burden on taxpayers.
The Principle: The legitimate function and obligation of government
to protect the lives, rights and property of its citizens, requires
awareness of and control over the entry into our country of foreign
nationals who pose a threat to security, health or property.
Political freedom and escape from tyranny demands that individuals
not be unreasonably constrained by government in the crossing of
political boundaries. Economic freedom demands the unrestricted
movement of human as well as financial capital across national
borders.
Solutions: Borders will be secure, with free entry to those who have
demonstrated compliance with certain requirements. The terms and
conditions of entry into the United States must be simple and clearly
spelled out. Documenting the entry of individuals must be restricted
to screening for criminal background and threats to public health and
national security. It is the obligation of the prospective immigrant
to demonstrate compliance with these requirements. Once effective
immigration policies are in place, general amnesties will no longer
be necessary.
Transitional Action: Ensure immigration requirements include only
appropriate documentation, screening for criminal background and
threats to public health and national security. Simplifying the
immigration process and redeployment of surveillance technology to
focus on the borders will encourage the use of regular and monitored
entry points, thus preventing trespass and saving lives. End federal
requirements that benefits and services be provided to those in the
country illegally. Repeal all measures that punish employers for
hiring undocumented workers. Repeal all immigration quotas.
END
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