all I'm saying is that I'm a libertarian conservative, I'm pro-life because a fetus is a human and abortion violates that human's rights with the initiation of force by abortion, and that I vote for CONSERVATIVE Republican candidates because I don't vote for liberals. PERIOD.
It's sad that my choice of actual conservatives gets less and less with every election. I just want to be able to vote for conservatives, but I see a trend that the more left the Democrats go, the more left the GOP goes just to keep up. Time to grow a pair, take a stand, and do the right thing.
The Libertarian Party's Statement of PrinciplesWe, 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. |
The Right to Keep and Bear ArmsNational Platform of the Libertarian Party Adopted in Convention, July 2000, Anaheim, CA I. Individual Rights and Civil Order The Right to Keep and Bear Arms The Bill of Rights recognizes that an armed citizenry is essential to a free society. We affirm the right to keep and bear arms and 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 also 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 support repeal of all gun control laws and we demand the immediate abolition of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. 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. |
TaxiationNational Platform of the Libertarian Party Adopted in Convention, July 2000, Anaheim, CA II. Trade and the Economy 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: recognize the right of any individual to challenge the payment of taxes on moral, religious, legal, or constitutional grounds; oppose all personal and corporate income taxation, including capital gains taxes; support the repeal of the Sixteenth Amendment, and oppose any increase in existing tax rates and the imposition of any new taxes; support the eventual repeal of all taxation; and support a declaration of unconditional amnesty for all those individuals who have been convicted of, or who now stand accused of, tax resistance. As an interim measure, all criminal and civil sanctions against tax evasion should be terminated immediately. 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 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. In the current fiscal crisis of states and municipalities, default is preferable to raising taxes or perpetual refinancing of growing public debt. |
Families and ChildrenNational Platform of the Libertarian Party Adopted in Convention, July 2000, Anaheim, CA I. Individual Rights and Civil Order Families and Children We believe that families and households are private institutions, which should be free from government intrusion and interference. We believe that government involvement in traditional parenting responsibilities has weakened families and replaced family-taught morals with government-taught morals. Parents, or other guardians, have the right to raise their children according to their own standards and beliefs, without interference by government, unless they are abusing the children. We recognize that the determination of child abuse can be very difficult. Only local courts should be empowered to remove a child from his or her home, with the consent of the community. This is not meant to preclude appropriate action when a child is in immediate physical danger. Because parents have these rights, a child may not be able to fully exercise his or her rights in the context of family life. However, children always have the right to establish their maturity by assuming administration and protection of their own rights, ending dependency upon their parents or other guardians, and assuming all responsibilities of adulthood. Parents have no right to abandon or recklessly endanger their children. Whenever they are unable or unwilling to raise their children, they have the obligation to find other person(s) willing to assume guardianship. Accordingly, we oppose all laws that impede these processes, notably those restricting private adoption services. In particular, we call for the repeal of all laws restricting transracial adoption. A child is a human being and, as such, deserves to be treated justly. We oppose laws infringing on children's rights to work or learn, such as child labor laws and compulsory education laws. We also oppose the use of curfews based on age. We call for an end to the practice in many states of jailing children not accused of any crime. We call for repeal of all "children's codes" or statutes which abridge due process protections for young people. . |
Government DebtNational Platform of the Libertarian Party Adopted in Convention, July 2000, Anaheim, CA II. Trade and the Economy. Government Debt. We support the drive for a constitutional amendment requiring the national government to balance its budget, and also support similar amendments to require balanced state budgets. To be effective, a balanced budget amendment should provide: . that neither Congress nor the President be permitted to override this requirement; . that all off-budget items are included in the budget; . that the budget is balanced exclusively by cutting expenditures, and not by raising taxes; and . that no exception be made for periods of national emergency. . The Federal Reserve should be forbidden to acquire any additional government securities, thereby helping to eliminate the inflationary aspect of the deficit. Governments facing fiscal crises should always default in preference to raising taxes. At a minimum, the level of government should be frozen. . |
World GovernmentNational Platform of the Libertarian Party Adopted in Convention, July 2000, Anaheim, CA . IV. FOREIGN AFFAIRS. Diplomatic Policy . World Government. We support withdrawal of the United States government from, and an end to its financial support for, the United Nations. Specifically, we oppose any U.S. policy designating the United Nations as policeman of the world, committing U.S. troops to wars at the discretion of the U.N., or placing U.S. troops under U.N. command. We oppose U.S. government participation in any world or international government. We oppose any treaty under which individual rights would be violated. . |