The Libertarian Party is a minor “conservative” political
party that has not returned to the Republican fold. With no path forward to
elect their candidates, I expect them to decline. MAGA Republicans will agree
with some of their Principles, but will disagree with the rest. They are more
ideological and less pragmatic. They dropped their founding issue. They were
formed to promote a better economic system that would support the US Capitalist
Free Market System. That would replace the Fabian Socialist Managed Economy
System adopted by Woodrow Wilson in 1913.
The Libertarian Party claims to have 741,930 members in 2023.
They are a small conservative political party with only a few candidates being
elected. Most Conservatives are going to vote for Trump, whose cause-and-effect
solutions aimed at high priority issues and are rock solid. Their Platform is
driven by grievances against government overreach that are valid, but their
implementation is often problematic and difficult to accept. They propose
legalizing pot and prostitution. Some of their Principles are at
cross-purposes. They are anti-abortion, but pro-self-ownership. They demand
religious freedom, but don’t define religion. They oppose government
involvement in trade, but don’t recognize that trade embargos can replace war.
Their government overreach grievances are valid and compelling and should be
addressed by less sloppy legislation to tweak back the abuse. They never
mention the US Constitution and may believe it no longer exists. They seem to
support open borders and oppose Tariffs. Their Principles are less relevant in
2024 than they were when Clinton and Obama were attacking back-woods hermits,
church cults, pig farmers and anyone defending their property.
The Libertarian Party
Platform emphasizes individual liberty in personal and economic affairs,
avoidance of "foreign entanglements" and military and economic
intervention in other nations' affairs, and free trade and migration. The party
opposes gun control.
PREAMBLE
As Libertarians, we seek a world of liberty: a world in which all
individuals are sovereign over their own lives and are not forced to sacrifice
their 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 set forth our basic principles and enumerate 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
are inherently free to make choices for themselves and must accept
responsibility for the consequences of the choices they make. Our support of an
individual’s right to make choices in life does not mean that we necessarily
approve or disapprove of those choices. No individual, group, or government may
rightly initiate force against any other individual, group, or government.
Libertarians reject the notion that groups have inherent rights. We support the
rights of the smallest minority, the individual.
1.1
Self-Ownership
Individuals
own their bodies and have rights over them that other individuals, groups, and
governments may not violate. Individuals have the freedom and responsibility to
decide what they knowingly and voluntarily consume, and what risks they accept
to their own health, finances, safety, or life.
1.2
Expression and Communication
We
support full freedom of expression and oppose government censorship,
regulation, or control of communications media and technology. Language that is
perceived to be offensive to certain groups or individuals is not a cause for
any legal action. Speech that is not literally a threat of aggression or
violence is not in itself aggression or violence and can never be used to
justify aggression or violence. Individuals are responsible for their own
reactions to speech. 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 that either aid or attack any religion
1.3
Privacy
Libertarians
advocate individual privacy and government transparency. We are committed to
ending government’s practice of spying on everyone. We support the rights
recognized by the Fourth Amendment to be secure in our persons, homes,
property, and communications. Protection from unreasonable search and seizure
should include records held by third parties, such as email, medical, and
library records.
1.4
Personal Relationships
Sexual
orientation, preference, gender, or gender identity should have no impact on
the government’s treatment of individuals, such as in current marriage, child
custody, adoption, immigration, or military service laws. Government does not
have the authority to define, promote, license, or restrict personal
relationships, regardless of the number of participants. Consenting adults
should be free to choose their own sexual practices and personal relationships.
Until such time as the government stops its illegitimate practice of marriage
licensing, such licenses must be granted to all consenting adults who apply.
1.5
Parental Rights
Parents,
or other guardians, have the right to raise their children according to their
own standards and beliefs, provided that the rights of children to be free from
abuse and neglect are also protected.
1.6
Adult Rights and Responsibilities
Once
individuals are presumed to have adequate judgment to vote and serve on a jury
or in the military, they should also be presumed to have sufficient judgment to
decide their own purchase and use of alcohol, tobacco, firearms, cannabis, and
engage in other activities currently restricted by government due to age.
1.7
Crime and Justice
Government
force must be limited to the protection of the rights of individuals to life,
liberty, and property, and governments must never be permitted to violate these
rights. Laws should be limited in their application to violations of the rights
of others through force or fraud, or to deliberate actions that place others
involuntarily at significant risk of harm. Therefore, we favor the repeal of
all laws creating “crimes” without victims, such as gambling, the use of drugs
for medicinal or recreational purposes, and consensual transactions involving
sexual services.
We support restitution to the victim to the
fullest degree possible at the expense of the criminal or the negligent
wrongdoer. The constitutional rights of the criminally accused, including due
process, a speedy trial, legal counsel, trial by jury, and the legal
presumption of innocence until proven guilty, must be preserved. We assert the
common-law right of juries to judge not only the facts but also the justice of
the law. We oppose the prosecutorial practice of “over-charging” in criminal
prosecutions so as to avoid jury trials by intimidating defendants into
accepting plea bargains. Additionally, we support the abolition of qualified
immunity so that law enforcement and prosecutors would be held legally
accountable for misconduct that leads to wrongful convictions or other acts of
injustice.
1.8
Death Penalty
We
oppose the administration of the death penalty by the state.
1.9
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 individual right recognized by the Second Amendment to keep and
bear arms, and oppose the prosecution of individuals for exercising their
rights of self-defense. Private property owners should be free to establish
their own conditions regarding the presence of personal defense weapons on
their own property. We oppose all laws at any level of government restricting,
registering, or monitoring the ownership, manufacture, or transfer of firearms,
ammunition, or firearm accessories.
2.0
ECONOMIC LIBERTY
Libertarians
want all members of society to have abundant opportunities to achieve economic
success. 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
Aggression, Property, and Contract
Aggression
is the use, trespass against, or invasion of the borders of another person’s
owned resource (property) without the owner’s consent; or the threat thereof.
We oppose all acts of aggression as illegitimate and unjust, whether committed
by private actors or the state.
Each
person is the presumptive owner of his or her own body (self-ownership), which
right may be forfeited only as a consequence of committing an act of
aggression. Property rights in external, scarce resources are determined in
accordance with the principles of original appropriation or homesteading
(whereby a person becomes an owner of an unowned resource by first use and
transformation), contract (whereby the owner consensually transfers ownership
to another person), and rectification (whereby an owner’s property rights in
certain resources are transferred to a victim of the owner’s tort, trespass, or
aggression to compensate the victim)
As respect for property rights is fundamental to maintaining a free and
prosperous society, it follows that the freedom to contract to obtain, retain,
profit from, manage, or dispose of one’s property must also be upheld.
Libertarians would free property owners from government restrictions on their
rights to control and enjoy their property, as long as their choices do not
harm or infringe on the rights of others. Eminent domain, civil asset
forfeiture, governmental limits on profits, governmental production mandates,
and governmental controls on prices of goods and services (including wages,
rents, and interest) are abridgements of such fundamental rights. For voluntary
dealings among private entities, parties should be free to choose with whom
they trade and set whatever trade terms are mutually agreeable.
2.2
Environment
Competitive
free markets and property rights stimulate the technological innovations and
behavioral changes required to protect our environment and ecosystems. Private
landowners and conservation groups have a vested interest in maintaining
natural resources. Governments are unaccountable for 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 and responsibilities regarding resources like
land, water, air, and wildlife. Where damages can be proven and quantified in a
court of law, restitution to the injured parties must be required.
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
Since
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 and strive for the
eventual repeal of all taxation. To further that end, 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
forcing employers to serve as tax collectors. We support any initiative to
reduce or abolish any tax, and oppose any increase on any tax for any reason.
To the extent possible, we advocate that all public services be funded or
allowed to be provided in a voluntary manner.
2.5
Government Debt
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.
2.6
Government Employees
We
favor repealing any requirement that one must join or pay dues to a union as a
condition of government employment. We advocate replacing defined-benefit
pensions with defined-contribution plans, as are commonly offered in the
private sector, so as not to impose debt on future generations without their
consent.
2.7
Money and Financial Markets
We
favor free-market banking, with unrestricted competition among banks and
depository institutions of all types. Markets are not actually free unless
fraud is vigorously combated. Those who enjoy the possibility of profits must
not impose risks of losses upon others, such as through government guarantees
or bailouts. We support ending federal student loan guarantees and special
treatment of student loan debt in bankruptcy proceedings. 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 and
unconstitutional legal tender laws.
2.8
Marketplace Freedom
Libertarians
support free markets. We defend the right of individuals to form commercial
enterprises based on voluntary association. We oppose all forms of government
subsidies and bailouts to business, labor, or any other special interest.
Government should not compete with private enterprise. We reject government
charter of corporations. We call for a separation of business and state.
2.9
Licensing
Libertarians
support the right of every person to earn an honest and peaceful living through
the free and voluntary exchange of goods and services. Accordingly, we oppose
occupational and other licensing laws that infringe on this right or treat it
as a state-granted privilege. We encourage certifications by voluntary
associations of professionals.
2.10
Sex Work
The
Libertarian Party supports the decriminalization of prostitution. We assert the
right of consenting adults to provide sexual services to clients for
compensation, and the right of clients to purchase sexual services from
consenting sex workers.
2.11
Labor Markets
Employment
and compensation agreements between private employers and employees are outside
the scope of government, and these contracts should not be encumbered by
government-mandated benefits or social engineering. We support the right of
private employers and employees to choose whether or not to bargain with each
other through a labor union. Bargaining should be free of government
interference, such as compulsory arbitration or imposing an obligation to
bargain.
2.12
Education
Education
is best provided by the free market, achieving greater quality, accountability,
and efficiency with more diversity of choice. Recognizing that the education of
children is a parental responsibility, we would restore authority to parents to
determine the education of their children, without interference from
government. Parents should have control of and responsibility for all funds
expended for their children’s education.
2.13
Health Care
We
favor a free market health care system. Medical facilities, medical providers,
and medical products (including drugs) must be freely available in the
marketplace without government restrictions or licenses. We recognize the
freedom of individuals to determine the level of health insurance they want (if
any), 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. People should be free to purchase health
insurance across state lines. We oppose governments either mandating, or
restricting voluntary access to, medical treatments or procedures including
vaccines.
2.14
Retirement and Income Security
Retirement
planning is the responsibility of the individual, not the government.
Libertarians would phase out the current government-sponsored Social Security
system and transition to a private voluntary system. The proper and most
effective source of help for the poor is the voluntary efforts of private
groups and individuals. We believe members of society will become even more
charitable and civil society will be strengthened as government reduces its
activity in this realm.
3.0
SECURING LIBERTY
In
the United States, constitutional limits on government were intended to prevent
the infringement of individual rights by those in power. The only proper
purpose of government, should it exist, is the protection of individual rights.
The principle of non-initiation of force should guide 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 avoid entangling alliances
and abandon its attempts to act as policeman for the world. We oppose any form
of compulsory national service.
3.2
Internal Security and Individual Rights
Individual
rights shall not be curtailed, whether based on circumstances of war, epidemic,
natural disaster or emergency, or any other pretense. 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. We oppose
the use of torture and other cruel and unusual punishments, without exception.
3.3
International Affairs
American
foreign policy should emphasize peace with all nations, entangling alliances
with none. We would end the current U.S. government policies of foreign
intervention including military and economic aid; tariffs; economic sanctions;
and regime change. 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.
3.5
Rights and Discrimination
Libertarians
embrace the concept that all people are born with certain inherent rights. We
reject the idea that a natural right can ever impose an obligation upon others
to fulfill that “right.” We uphold and defend the rights of every person,
regardless of their race, ethnicity, or any other aspect of their identity.
Government should neither deny nor abridge any individual’s human right based
upon sex, wealth, ethnicity, creed, age, national origin, personal habits,
political preference, or sexual orientation. Members of private organizations
retain their rights to set whatever standards of association they deem
appropriate, and individuals are free to respond with ostracism, boycotts, and
other free market solutions.
3.6
Representative Government
We
staunchly defend the rights to petition the government for redress of
grievances and to express dissent. These rights are thwarted when government
acts behind closed doors. We support election systems that are more
representative of the electorate at the federal, state, and local levels, such
as proportional representation, alternative voting systems, and explicit
inclusion of “none of the above” on all ballots. As private voluntary groups,
political parties should be free 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 that 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 alternatives. We
advocate initiative, referendum, recall, repeal, and oppose any effort to deny these
options when used as popular checks on government.
3.7
Self-Determination
Whenever
any form of government becomes destructive of individual liberty, it is the
right of the people to alter, abolish, or withdraw from it, and to agree to
such new governance, or none, as to them shall seem most likely to protect
their liberty. We recognize the right to political self-determination,
including secession. Exercise of this right does not require permission from
others.
4.0
OMISSIONS
In
every matter, we advocate the consistent application of the principle of the
non-initiation of coercion, physical force, or fraud. 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.
https://www.lp.org/platform/https://www.lp.org/platform/
Comments
The Libertarian Party was
formed in 1971 by a group that promoted Free Enterprise Capitalism described in
the Austrian School of Economics. They opposed the Fabian Socialist Managed
Economy model. I still support their original position. My first contact with them was when they
called me to ask permission to reprint one of the columns I wrote for Kansas
Business News in 1980. I noticed that Republican Congressman Ron Paul ran for
President as the Libertarian Party candidate in 1988. Ron Paul voted NO on all
bills that were not in compliance with the US Constitution. The next time I
connected with the Libertarian Party was in 2012 while serving on the Georgia
Tea Party committee that defeated the TSPLOST in 2012. One of my jobs was to
contact other groups who opposed the wasteful $18 billion TSPLOST boondoggle. I
made a presentation to the Libertarian Party and they joined our coalition.
Most of them were backing Ron Paul as the Republican Candidate for President in
2012. When Ron Paul lost, they returned to the Republican Party to save it.
Since then, the Libertarian Party added Principles to their Platform that are
not workable. I suspect their national leadership group has been sabotaged by
infiltrators.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea
Party Leader
