LP Platform Plank
Text of Transitional Action Agree/Disagree? and Comments
I.1 Freedom and Responsibility 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. Agree.
I.2 Freedom of Communication We advocate the abolition of the Federal
Communications Commission. Agree,conditionally. There needs to be
regulation of the use of assigned frequencies, but that is all!
I.3 Freedom of Religion 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. Absolutely agree.
I.4 Property Rights 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.
Agreee, conditionally, There are legitimate governmental needs for
property, such as roads, but these should be strictly defined, which was
the major problem with the Kelo decision. This nation, as one of its
founding princip[les, espoused property rights as fundamental. If
government has the right to tax property, then it has the power to
destroy those rights. As it is, no one owns their own real property.
They are merely renting it from the government!
I.5 The Right to Privacy 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. Agree.
I.6 The Right to Keep and Bear Arms 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. Agree. I would go even further and
contend that the right to own an automatic weapon (machine gun) is also
protected. As it is, the only people who have these weapons without a
license are criminals.
I.7 Conscription 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. Disagree. Defense is one of the prime responsibilities of
the national government as enumerated in the Constitutiion. As
distasteful as the draft is, and I was drafted, the tradition of the
citizen-soldier is far preferable to the system of the mercenary soldier
which we presently have.
I.8 Reproductive Rights We support an end to all subsidies for
childbearing or child prevention built into our present laws. Agree.
I.9 Sexuality and Gender 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.
I partially agree, except that redefining marriage as any relationship
other than between a man and a woman is changing a religious and
biological relationship that has been consistent throughout the history
of mankind, notwithstanding certain aberrations, like polygamy. Children
need both a male figure and a female figure.
The federal law that results in the worst gender discrimination and
enables the calculated destruction of the family in order to finance the
shysters and judges in the persecutorial system of Family Law is Social
Security Title IV-D. It is the indirect reason for courts at which the
defendant has no right to counsel, nor even to be present, for the
presumption of guilt, not innocence, for the suspension of Fifth
Amendment protections against self-incrimination, and for the
unconstitutional imposition of debtor's prisons in the United States.
Debates about gay rights to adopt or get married are simply distractions
beside the monstrous reality of this system, its tyrannical
implementation, and its deprivation of constitutional rights
II.1 Government Debt 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. I agree,
but would start by repealing the Sixteenth Amendment and instituting the
Fair Tax.
II.2 Corporate Welfare, Monopolies & Subsidies 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.
AGREE ! II.3 Public Services 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.
Agree. III.1 Crime and Victimless Crime 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.
I agree, with the caveat that illegal aliens have no civil rights, only
human rights. Illegal immigration should be criminalized, and they
should be billed for any services, such as child birth, that they access
in this country. If they cannot pay, the country of their origin should
be billed by taking the money out of any aid we give them, when
possible. Snce they do not inherently have the rights of citizens, they
should be deported and the children born to them illegally in this
country should not receive American citizenship. This may require a
constitutional amendment, which process needs to be started.
The border needs to be protected with physical barriers and military
patrols, with the use of deadly force authorized to protect this
nation's sovereignty. It's ridiculous that this is not obvious, as it
was in the past.
III.2 The War on Drugs 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. I agree with most of this, except for profiling.
This is a useful law-enforcement tool and violates no constitutional
principles when used properly. The idea that mullahs shouting "Allah
akba" should not be thrown off an aircraft, while an 80 year old woman
is searched is ludicrous.
IV.1 Immigration 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.
Disagree. My views are largely covered in a previous comment. Employer
sanctions need to be strengthened and enforced. If illegals cannot get
jobs, they will leave on their own. We should spend no tax money on a
futile program of mass deportation. You need to rethink the Libertarian
stance on this one if we have as an objective the preservation and
protection of our liberty by ensuring our national sovereignty. I lived
on the Mexican border for 39 years, and monitoring entry points is
simply a aridiculous approach unless that is backed by enforcement and
the force of arms! Other Considerations
[Please use the comments area to make comments about other issues,
administrative experience, and any other considerations or issues you
believe are important. In particular, it would be good if you addressed
you position on the US wars against Iraq, Afghanistan, and (potentially)
Iran, as well as mentioning platform planks from 2004 that you would
like to see restored.]
Congress needs to be reauired to declare war. Otherwise, the President
should not be allowed to deploy armed forces in a belligerent area. He
could still deploy to friendly countries, but a declaration of war would
be required within a short time if hostilities broke out in a place like
Korea. The problem is that Congress will not accept its responsibility!
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
