Libertarian National Committee, Inc.
2600 Virginia Ave, N.W. Suite 200
Washington D.C. 20037
Platform
National Platform of the Libertarian Party
Adopted in Convention, May 2008, Denver, Colorado
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.
1.0 Personal Liberty
Individuals should be free to make choices for
themselves and to accept responsibility for the consequences of the
choices they make. No individual, group, or government may initiate
force against any other individual, group, or government. Our support
of an individual's right to make choices in life does not mean that we
necessarily approve or disapprove of those choices.
1.1 Expression and Communication
We support full freedom of expression and oppose
government censorship, regulation or control of communications media
and technology. We favor the freedom to engage in or abstain from any
religious activities that do not violate the rights of others. We
oppose government actions which either aid or attack any religion.
1.2 Personal Privacy
We support the protections provided by the Fourth
Amendment to be secure in our persons, homes, and property. Only
actions that infringe on the rights of others can properly be termed
crimes. We favor the repeal of all laws creating "crimes" without
victims, such as the use of drugs for medicinal or recreational
purposes.
1.3 Personal Relationships
Sexual orientation, preference, gender, or gender
identity should have no impact on the rights of individuals by
government, such as in current marriage, child custody, adoption,
immigration or military service laws. Consenting adults should be free
to choose their own sexual practices and personal relationships.
Government does not have the authority to define, license or restrict
personal relationships.
1.4 Abortion
Recognizing that abortion is a sensitive issue and
that people can hold good-faith views on all sides, we believe that
government should be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to
each person for their conscientious consideration.
1.5 Crime and Justice
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. We support restitution of the victim to the
fullest degree possible at the expense of the criminal or the negligent
wrongdoer. We oppose reduction of constitutional safeguards of the
rights of the criminally accused. The rights of due process, a speedy
trial, legal counsel, trial by jury, and the legal presumption of
innocence until proven guilty, must not be denied. We assert the
common-law right of juries to judge not only the facts but also the
justice of the law.
1.6 Self-Defense
The only legitimate use of force is in defense of
individual rights — life, liberty, and justly acquired property —
against aggression. This right inheres in the individual, who may agree
to be aided by any other individual or group. We affirm the right to
keep and bear arms, and oppose the prosecution of individuals for
exercising their rights of self-defense. We oppose all laws at any
level of government requiring registration of, or restricting, the
ownership, manufacture, or transfer or sale of firearms or ammunition.
2.0 Economic Liberty
A free and competitive market allocates resources in
the most efficient manner. Each person has the right to offer goods and
services to others on the free market. The only proper role of
government in the economic realm is to protect property rights,
adjudicate disputes, and provide a legal framework in which voluntary
trade is protected. All efforts by government to redistribute wealth,
or to control or manage trade, are improper in a free society.
2.1 Property and Contract
Property rights are entitled to the same protection as all other human
rights. 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 controls on wages, prices,
rents, profits, production, and interest rates. We advocate the repeal
of all laws banning or restricting the advertising of prices, products,
or services. We oppose all violations of the right to private property,
liberty of contract, and freedom of trade. The right to trade includes
the right not to trade — for any reasons whatsoever. 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.
2.2 Environment
We support a clean and healthy environment and
sensible use of our natural resources. Private landowners and
conservation groups have a vested interest in maintaining natural
resources. Pollution and misuse of resources cause damage to our
ecosystem. Governments, unlike private businesses, are unaccountable
for such damage done to our environment and have a terrible track
record when it comes to environmental protection. Protecting the
environment requires a clear definition and enforcement of individual
rights in resources like land, water, air, and wildlife. Free markets
and property rights stimulate the technological innovations and
behavioral changes required to protect our environment and ecosystems.
We realize that our planet's climate is constantly changing, but
environmental advocates and social pressure are the most effective
means of changing public behavior.
2.3 Energy and Resources
While energy is needed to fuel a modern society,
government should not be subsidizing any particular form of energy. We
oppose all government control of energy pricing, allocation, and
production.
2.4 Government Finance and Spending
All persons are entitled to keep the fruits of their
labor. We call for the repeal of the income tax, the abolishment of the
Internal Revenue Service and all federal programs and services not
required under the U.S. Constitution. We oppose any legal
requirements forcing employers to serve as tax collectors. Government
should not incur debt, which burdens future generations without their
consent. We support the passage of a "Balanced Budget Amendment" to the
U.S. Constitution, provided that the budget is balanced exclusively by
cutting expenditures, and not by raising taxes.
2.5 Money and Financial Markets
We favor free-market banking, with unrestricted
competition among banks and depository institutions of all types.
Individuals engaged in voluntary exchange should be free to use as
money any mutually agreeable commodity or item. We support a halt to
inflationary monetary policies, the repeal of legal tender laws and
compulsory governmental units of account.
2.6 Monopolies and Corporations
We defend the right of individuals to form
corporations, cooperatives and other types of companies based on
voluntary association. We seek to divest government of all functions
that can be provided by non-governmental organizations or private
individuals. We oppose government subsidies to business, labor, or any
other special interest. Industries should be governed by free markets.
2.7 Labor Markets
We support repeal of all laws which impede the
ability of any person to find employment. We oppose government-fostered
forced retirement. We support the right of free persons to associate or
not associate in labor unions, and an employer should have the right to
recognize or refuse to recognize a union. We oppose government
interference in bargaining, such as compulsory arbitration or imposing
an obligation to bargain.
2.8 Education
Education, like any other service, is best provided
by the free market, achieving greater quality and efficiency with more
diversity of choice. Schools should be managed locally to achieve
greater accountability and parental involvement. Recognizing that the
education of children is inextricably linked to moral values, we would
return authority to parents to determine the education of their
children, without interference from government. In particular, parents
should have control of and responsibility for all funds expended for
their children's education.
2.9 Health Care
We favor restoring and reviving a free market health
care system. We recognize the freedom of individuals to determine the
level of health insurance they want, the level of health care they
want, the care providers they want, the medicines and treatments they
will use and all other aspects of their medical care, including
end-of-life decisions.
2.10 Retirement and Income Security
Retirement planning is the responsibility of the
individual, not the government. We favor replacing the current
government-sponsored Social Security system with a private voluntary
system. The proper source of help for the poor is the voluntary efforts
of private groups and individuals.
3.0 Securing Liberty
The protection of individual rights is the only
proper purpose of government. Government is constitutionally limited so
as to prevent the infringement of individual rights by the government
itself. The principle of non-initiation of force should guide the
relationships between governments.
3.1 National Defense
We support the maintenance of a sufficient military
to defend the United States against aggression. The United States
should both abandon its attempts to act as policeman for the world and
avoid entangling alliances. We oppose any form of compulsory national
service.
3.2 Internal Security and Individual Rights
The defense of the country requires that we have
adequate intelligence to detect and to counter threats to domestic
security. This requirement must not take priority over maintaining the
civil liberties of our citizens. The Bill of Rights provides no
exceptions for a time of war. Intelligence agencies that legitimately
seek to preserve the security of the nation must be subject to
oversight and transparency. We oppose the government's use of secret
classifications to keep from the public information that it should
have, especially that which shows that the government has violated the
law.
3.3 International Affairs
American foreign policy should seek an America at
peace with the world and its defense against attack from abroad. We
would end the current U.S. government policy of foreign intervention,
including military and economic aid. We recognize the right of all
people to resist tyranny and defend themselves and their rights. We
condemn 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 or revolutionary groups.
3.4 Free Trade and Migration
We support the removal of governmental impediments
to free trade. Political freedom and escape from tyranny demand
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. However, we support control over the entry into
our country of foreign nationals who pose a threat to security, health
or property.
3.5 Rights and Discrimination
We condemn bigotry as irrational and repugnant.
Government should not deny or abridge any individual's rights based on
sex, wealth, race, color, creed, age, national origin, personal habits,
political preference or sexual orientation. Parents, or other
guardians, have the right to raise their children according to their
own standards and beliefs.
3.6 Representative Government
We support electoral systems that are more
representative of the electorate at the federal, state and local
levels. As private voluntary groups, political parties should be
allowed to establish their own rules for nomination procedures,
primaries and conventions. We 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. We oppose laws that
effectively exclude alternative candidates and parties, deny ballot
access, gerrymander districts, or deny the voters their right to
consider all legitimate alternatives.
3.7 Self-Determination
Whenever any form of government becomes destructive
of individual liberty, it is the right of the people to alter or to
abolish it, and to agree to such new governance as to them shall seem
most likely to protect their liberty.
4.0 Omissions
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. |
Tony King Likes Libertarians