The most frequent complaint heard about the Libertarian Party platform is that it is too negative and talks more about what we are against than what we are for.  As a solution I offer this draft "Positive" Libertarian Party platform.  Current Libertarian National Committee Secretary Steve Givot stated at the December 2001 LNC meeting stated he believes the 2002 Convention can suspend the rules and replace the old platform with a brand new one.  Let's make it a platform that tells people what we believe in a positive and detailed fashion!!

What this new Libertarian Platform does:
*   It cuts excess verbiage, redundant rhetoric, pedantic or particularistic examples, issues, or programs and some sectarian ideological baggage. The platform is about 90% of its former size.
*   It presents the positive details of our principles and proposals in a separate and introductory section.
*   It clarifies some concepts and adds others that were not noticed to be missing until the attempt was made to cast the philosophy in a positive light.
*   It divides issues into life, liberty and property per our Preamble and (corrected) Statement of Purpose.
*   It includes a clear separate listing of the laws, taxes and programs we want repealed or abolished.

    This is a first draft.  I'm sure I've missed a few issues.  And there certain are areas of controversy that can be debated.  There is a move afoot to revise the Libertarian Party platform per the Strategic Plan.  Some worry that this is just an excuse to gut the platform and turn it into a short-term intermediary program and then basically forbid libertarian candidates from running on any program that might be more radical.  Let's make sure any new platform encourages people to run the kind of campaigns they want to run and give them a solid and positive platform to support their efforts.   Comments welcome!  Email to info@carolmoore.net

NOTE:  New concepts not formerly in the platform or significant variations on existing concepts are in BLUE.Omitted or moved language is not noted. Sections where I have questions are in RED.

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 to life, liberty and property 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.
    The libertarian principle is that individuals should be free to do whatever they please as long as they don't use force or fraud against others.  This principle is a variation on the ethical "Golden Rule," often stated as “do unto others,” promoted by most religions and ethical systems.
        Based on this truly universal principle, 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. It is a world where individuals freely exercise their right to form self-governing, contractual communities that actualize and protect family, cultural, ideological or other values.
        In the following pages we outline the principles of life, liberty and property we support, as well as the legal procedures we believe are necessary to protect them.  All are consistent with our libertarian “Golden Rule.”  We then outline the categories of governmental laws, regulations, taxes and agencies which we would repeal or abolish because they seriously jeopardize life, liberty, property and legal protections.
        As a political party our goal is to elect officials and to influence policy.  We support candidates who run on gradualist platforms stressing various interim measures and those who run on more radical platforms stressing immediate repeal or abolition of laws and taxes.  In addition, we support the right of individuals to nonviolently protest and resist any and all laws which violate individual rights, even if those laws are enforced by Libertarian Party office holders.
         We encourage peoples worldwide to form Libertarian parties based on our principles.  We call upon all the world's  governments to fully implement the principles and prescriptions contained in this platform and thereby  usher in a new age of international harmony based upon the universal reign of liberty.  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.

Table of Contents

I. INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS TO LIFE, LIBERTY AND PROPERTY

A.   Right to Life
    1.   Self-ownership
    2.   Abortion and Obligation Towards Children
    3.   Self-Defense
    4.   Military Defense and Non-intervention

B.  Right to Liberty
    1.  Freedom of Belief and Speech
    2.  Freedom of Action
    3.  Freedom of Association
    4.  The Right to Contract
    5.  Free and Fair Elections

C.  Right to Property
    1.  Right to Justly Acquired Property
    2.  Right to Control Property
    3.  Right to Protect Property

D.  Full Legal Protections
    1.  Right to Due Process Protections
    2.  Rights of Jurors
    3.  Rights of Victims of Crime
    4.  Rights of Victims of Government Crimes

II. ENDING GOVERNMENT INFRINGEMENTS OF RIGHTS

A.  Repeal Laws, Taxes and Programs Depriving Us of Our Right to Life
    1.   Repeal Laws Giving Government Ownership over Individuals
    2.  Repeal Laws Controlling Reproduction
    3.  Repeal Laws that Limit the Right or Ability to Engage in Self-defense
    4.  Repeal Laws, Treaties and Programs Supporting U.S. Interventionism

B.  Repeal Laws, Taxes and Programs Depriving Us of Our Right to Liberty
    1. Repeal Restrictions on Freedom of Belief and Speech
    2. Repeal Restrictions on Freedom of Action
    3. Repeal Restrictions on Freedom of Association
    4. Repeal Restrictions on the Right to Contract
    5. Repeal Restrictions on Free and Fair Elections

C.  Repeal Laws, Taxes and Programs Jeopardizing Our Right to Property
    1. Repeal Government Privilege and Monopolies
       a.  Police, Courts and Military Defense
       b.  Land, Water and Resource Use
       c.  Money and Banking
       d.  Taxation
       e.  Government Debt
       f.   Social Security and Welfare
       g.  Health Care
       h.  Postal Service
       i.   Child Care and Education
       j.   Public Utilities
       k.  Transportation
       l.   Consumer Protection
       m. Unions, Collective Bargaining and Civil Service

    2. Repeal of Laws, Taxes and Programs Creating Private Economic Privileges and Monopolies
      a. Monopolies and Corporate Growth and Power
      b. Subsidies
      c. Regulation of Financing
      d. Trade Barriers
      e. Energy
      f.  Agriculture

D.  Repeal Laws, Taxes and Programs Jeopardizing Our Right to Full Legal Protections
    1.  Repeal Restrictions on Due Process Protections
    2. Repeal Restrictions on Rights of Jurors
    3. Repeal Restrictions on Rights of Victims
    4. Repeal Restrictions on Rights of Victims of Government Crimes

Statement of Principles [NOTE: ADD LIBERTY AS BELOW]
       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, liberty 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 TO LIFE, LIBERTY AND PROPERTY
       We believe the only function of governments, when they are constituted, is to protect rights.  We believe that individuals should not be deprived of such rights except in situations of self-defense, or through civil or criminal legal proceedings according to due process which protect individual rights.  We extend such rights to both citizens and non-citizens.  Recognizing that the greatest threat to life and self-ownership is mass murder by and war between governments, and that nuclear war could kill billions in the Twenty-First century, we urge the adoption of these life-saving principles.

    A.     Right to Life
    The right to own and control one’s life and to live free of injury or death by intentional or reckless acts of violence is the most basic right; the right to protect oneself from such harm is inherent in this right.  Many hold that the right to life includes certain economic rights to a specific quality of life.  However, history shows that most attempts to enforce economic justice ideologies themselves have resulted in massive injury and loss of life.  Only voluntary efforts to improve quality of life can protect human life.

            1.     Self-ownership
                    One owns ones own life and no state or person can force one into involuntary servitude or slavery.  Contractual relationships entered into out of force or fraud are a form of slavery and therefor invalid.  While individuals may contract away many rights in voluntary association, at the point such contracts significantly impinge upon the right to self-ownership they become defacto involuntary servitude and are likely to be rendered invalid should individuals decide to contest them.
        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.  However, children have the right to establish their maturity by assuming administration and protection of their own rights.
                  We recognize the right of individuals to determine the level of medical care and the care providers they want, the medicines and treatments they will use, and all other aspects of their medical care.
      The right to terminate ones life, and to have someone assist with that termination if so desired, is the ultimate right of an individual to ownership of his or her own life.  However, attempts to coerce others into committing suicide may be considered attempted murder under criminal law.
                  It would be aggression to force others to care for those incompetent to care for themselves.  However, many would consider abandonment of them to be murder.  We therefore urge personal responsibility in making legal and economic preparations for possible future mental or physical incapacitation.  And we encourage the creation of private and voluntary means of aiding incapacitated persons.

            2.     Abortion and Obligation Towards Children
                    Recognizing that abortion is a very sensitive issue and that people, including libertarians, can hold good-faith views on both sides, we believe the government should be kept out of the question.  Similarly, government should not interfere in decisions of parents and medical professionals about continuation of the lives of severely incapacitated infants or children.
                    However, parents have no right to recklessly abandon or endanger the lives of their children. Whenever they are unable or unwilling to raise their children, they have the obligation to make good faith efforts to find other person(s) willing to assume temporary or permanent guardianship.

            3.     Self-Defense
                   The only legitimate use of force is in defense of individual rights -- life, liberty, and justly acquired property --  against force or fraud by those with criminal intent. This right inheres in the individual, who -- with his or her consent –  may be aided by any other individual or group.
                  We affirm the right to keep and bear arms, in accordance with the Bill of Rights which recognizes that an armed citizenry is essential to a free society.  We encourage private protection services and voluntary community crime control groups.
                   Force used in self-defense should be proportional to the injury attempted or done, though the definition of proportionality may vary depending on contract or community standards.  Individuals, groups or governments who engage in vengeful retaliation themselves become initiators of force.
                   The right of self-defense extends to defense against aggressive acts of ones own or other governments.  While we support political and revolutionary actions against government aggression, we encourage resisters to exercise the full range of nonviolent action strategies.  We condemn the use of force, and especially the use of terrorism, against the innocent, either by governments or by political and revolutionary groups.
                   We recognize that outside parties or government sometimes must come to the defense of children abused by parents or other guardians.  Because the determination of child abuse can be very difficult,  only local courts should be empowered to remove a child from the home, with the consent of the community. This is not meant to preclude appropriate action when a child is in immediate physical danger.

            4.      Military Defense and Non-intervention
                  Most of today’s wars are internal struggles for religious, ethnic and national self-determination and independence which spill over into relations between nations.  Nations must recognize principles of peaceful separation of peoples in order to end such wars.
                    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 and abstaining totally from foreign quarrels and imperialist adventures, even in the name of “humanitarian” or “peacekeeping” efforts. Nor should it be responsible for defending the lives or property of those who travel or do business abroad.   Non-intervention in other nations affairs is the best way to prevent attacks by terrorists and rogue or other nations.
                    The United States should not participate in the United Nations or any other world governmental organization which imposes its vision of international order through military or police force.  However, it should negotiate with any foreign government, regarding any matter, without necessarily conceding moral legitimacy to that government. The United States may be a party to treaties regarding any matter, including military disarmament and criminal justice, as long as the treaties respect individual rights.  We also encourage voluntary support for human rights organizations and non-governmental, non-violent conflict resolution and peacekeeping efforts to resolve disputes within and between nations.
                     Any U.S. military policy should have the objective of providing security for the lives, liberty and property of the American people on U.S. soil against the risk of attack by a foreign power. This objective should be achieved as inexpensively as possible and without undermining the liberties it is designed to protect.  Attacks on foreign nations or any groups within them should be undertaken only after a Congressional declaration of war.  Any military surveillance for defensive purposes should be done only by satellite or by vessels or airplanes within national waters or through private contractors.  Provision of military defense must respect the individual rights of people everywhere.
                    The U.S. government should continue negotiations toward multi-lateral reduction of nuclear  armaments, to the end that all such weapons will ultimately be eliminated, under such conditions of  verification as to ensure multi-lateral security. During arms reduction negotiations, and to enhance their  progress, the U.S. should begin the retirement and destruction of a large proportion of its thousands of nuclear weapons as proof of its commitment.  Weapons of indiscriminate mass destruction should be replaced with smaller weapons aimed solely at military targets and not designed or targeted to kill millions of civilians.
                    We support termination of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty which prevents defensive systems on U.S. territory or in earth orbit and encourage private companies to develop cost-effective defensive ballistic missile systems.  We believe private entities, cities and states, as well as by the federal government, have the right to deploy these. However, we reiterate that the best defense against war is a policy of non-intervention and the recognition of the right to self-determination of individuals, groups and communities within nation states.

    B.      Right to Liberty
             We believe that individuals should be free to make choices for themselves and to accept responsibility for the consequences of the choices they make.  Libertarian policies will promote a society where people are free to make and learn from their own decisions. Personal responsibility is discouraged by government denying individuals the opportunity to exercise it.

            1.     Freedom of Belief and Speech
                    We defend the rights of individuals to unrestricted freedom of speech and freedom of the press in disseminating their religious, social, economic, political or other beliefs.  While we condemn beliefs or speech which encourage force or fraud, including by governments, we would use voluntary means to counter such speech, rather than government force.  We also recognize that freedom of communication does not extend to the use of other people's property to promote ones ideas without the voluntary consent of the owners.

            2.     Freedom of Action
                    We believe individuals have the right to engage in any action which does not constitute force or fraud upon others. Because only actions that infringe on the rights of others can properly be termed crimes, we believe freedom of action includes the right to engage in so-called “victimless crimes,” such as to  produce, sell, possess or use psychoactive drugs, to use medicinal drugs without a doctor’s prescription, to engage in consensual sex with any partner, to engage in all forms of sexual work, to use sexually explicit materials, to be married to more than one individual at a time (polygamy or polyandry), to marry a person of the same sex, to gamble, or to engage in any risky behavior that does not endanger others.
                   We believe that each person has the right to offer goods and services in the free market and engage in all manner of trade and enterprise, as well as the profession of their choice.   We also believe individuals have the right to freely engage in (or abstain from) any religious activities that do not violate the rights of others.

            3.     Freedom of Association
         We believe in freedom of association for individuals in joining, forming, associating or trading with groups, businesses, communities and nation states without government interference except to deal with specific complaints of force or fraud.  We believe that families and households are private institutions, which should be free from government intrusion and interference.
        We hold that discrimination based on hate or fear is a social problem to be solved by voluntary means.  Discrimination based on the desire to actualize, share or protect family, religious, ideological or other cultural values or heritage is part of the right to free association. The right to associate or to trade includes the right not to do associate or trade.  All relationships should be based upon mutual consent.
                   We support the right of free persons to voluntarily establish, associate in, or not associate in, labor unions.  An employer should have the right to recognize, or refuse to recognize, a union as the collective bargaining agent of some, or all, of its employees. Nevertheless, boycotts or strikes do not justify the initiation of violence against other workers, employers, strike-breakers, and innocent bystanders.
                   We believe in the individual's right to emigrate or immigrate into any nation where individuals or groups are willing to associate or trade with them. We look forward to an era in which American citizens and  foreigners can travel anywhere in the world without passports, visas, or other papers required to cross borders.
                  We recognize the right to political secession by political entities, private groups, or individuals. Exercise of this right, like the exercise of all other rights, does not remove legal and moral obligations not to violate the rights of others.

        4.      The Right to Contract
                 The right to form contracts that satisfy mutual needs is basic to freedom of association. We believe voluntary contracts are the only legitimate basis for governance and all forms of governance and government eventually must be reconstituted in light of that fact.  We reject the notion that all citizens are bound to the government of any territory by a “social contract” because of birth or citizenship.
          Voluntary groups, organizations, businesses and communities, and those with whom they associate or trade, may set their own decision-making processes and rules.  These may restrict the activities of their members, limit liability in personal or business transactions, or chose arbiters of justice and describe just penalties, and collect user fees, tithes or other contributions for community projects and services.  Similarly, marriage contracts will specify the disposition of possessions, children and support payments in case of divorce.
                 Private employers, insurance companies and other contractors have a right to ask for personal information, references, polygraph tests, urine or blood tests as a condition of contract.  Similarly, employees can ask to be represented by a union, to have some ownership claim on the company, to have access to private company information, or for special benefits or work arrangements.  Neither sets of demands violate rights, since potential employees or employers have the right to refuse to contract if they choose. However, any personal, business or community contract entered into because of force or fraud or that impinges on self-ownership and fails to respect certain standards of due process might not be recognized as enforceable by any court.

        5.      Free and Fair Elections
                 As private and voluntary groups, political parties should be free of government control and allowed to establish their own rules for nomination procedures, primaries, and conventions.  Elections at all levels should be in the control of those who wish to participate in or support them voluntarily. Only nonpartisan commissions with clear criteria should redistrict electoral districts. The media and private watchdog groups are best suited to investigate and report candidate contributions and expenditures, as well as candidate conflicts of interest, false promises and misuse of donor money.
    We call for a truly free electoral system where  voters can register on election day and where candidates do not need government approved ballot access campaigns to run for office.  Voters should be able to submit their choices through use of "tickets" or cards printed by candidates or political parties.  Similarly, we propose that referendums and intiatives be conducted in the same manner.
    We call for exploration of improved and alternative voting processes, such as: electronic voting via home computer; instant run off voting where voters rank candidates as their first, second, third, etc. choice, and those votes are used to pick the winning candidate; proportional representation where like-minded voters win legislative seats in proportion to their share of the popular vote.   We further propose that in order to grant voters a full range of choice, that in all elections votes for "None of the above is acceptable" be counted.  Should this choice receive a plurality of votes, either the elective office should remain unfilled and unfunded, or there should be a new election in which none of the losing candidates would be eligible.
           We call for exploration of direct democracy processes where voters themselves approve all laws and elected officials merely administer them; super-majority voting where two-thirds, three-quarters or more of representatives or voters must approve implementionation of a law; minority recision laws which allow a minority of voters to repeal laws and taxes which they consider to be oppressive.

    C.      Right to Property
             The right to belief, speech, action and association are meaningless without the right to own private property with which to exercise these rights, i.e., the freedom to hire a hall; to own a printing press, a broadcasting station, or a transmission cable; to host and publish information on the Internet; to wave or burn one's own flag. Property rights are the rights of humans with respect to property, and as such, are entitled to the same respect and protection as all other human rights. 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.

            1.     Right to Justly Acquired Property
        Property is justly acquired by individuals through settlement of unclaimed or voluntarily abandoned property, through redistribution of traditional communal or government-owned property, or through acquisition by trade, gift or donation. Individuals have the right to homestead unowned resources, both within the jurisdictions of  national governments and within such unclaimed territory as the ocean, Antarctica, and the volume of  outer space.
                    We urge the development of objective international standards for recognizing homesteaded claims to private ownership of such forms of property as transportation lanes, broadcast bands, mineral  rights, fishing rights, and ocean farming rights.  We similarly support such standards for private exploration, industrialization, and colonization of the moon, planets, asteroids and any other extra-terrestrial resources.

            2.      Right to Control Property
                     We hold that 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.  Resource management is properly the responsibility and right of the legitimate owners of land, water, and other natural resources.  Government should own only the minimal amount of property necessary to perform its legitimate functions.
                     We advocate the establishment of an efficient and just system of private water rights, applied to all bodies of water, surface and underground. Such a system should be built upon a doctrine of first claim and use. Allocation of water governed by unrestricted competition and unregulated prices is most likely to produce new technologies for producing ample and affordable supplies worldwide.
        While individuals have a right to own property which is capable of causing harm to others, they remain legally responsible for any injuries or damages caused by their use of such property. They also may be subject to banning by individuals, groups, businesses or contractual communities which seek to protect themselves.
                    Individuals engaged in voluntary exchange should be free to use as money any mutually agreeable commodity or item, such as gold coins denominated by units of weight or cybercash. We favor free-market banking where individuals, corporations, cooperatives and credit unions can offer services to their members, regulated by contract and private consumer protection associations.

            3.      Right to Protect Property
         Individuals, as consumers or as property owners, need to protect themselves from fraudulent claims, sale of faulty or injurious products or services, and intentional, reckless or accidental damage to property.  The most efficient and just way to do this is access to a responsive legal system which quickly and accurately assigns blame and determines just restitution.  We support strong and effective laws against fraud and misrepresentation.  Private certification and regulation and open access to information about providers are the best protection for consumers.
        Pollution of other people's property is a violation of individual rights which one must be able to redress through the legal system. We support the development of an objective legal system defining  property rights to air and water and damages caused by air, water, radiation, and noise pollution. Strict liability by individual property owners and corporate employees, not government agencies and arbitrary government standards, should regulate and prevent pollution.  Claiming that one has abandoned a piece of property does not absolve one of the responsibility for actions one has set in motion.

    D.      Full Legal Protections
             Persons accused of crimes or those sued for damages in civil suits should be accorded full legal protections which should not be restricted for any reason.

            1.      Right to Due Process Protections
                     These include: no deprivation of liberty or property, without due process of law; no warrants for arrest, search or seizure without a court’s finding probable cause; no holding of accused persons unless on indictment of a grand jury; no double jeopardy; no compelling to bear witness against oneself. These include also the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury; the right to be confronted with witnesses; the right to compel witnesses in ones favor; the right to have the assistance of counsel for defense; the right to trial by jury; the right to challenge the seating of both jurors and the judge; the right to reasonable bail; the right to not be subjected to excessive or cruel or unusual punishment.  Given that government legal systems are fallible, that government officials often abuse their power, and that governments worldwide repeatedly convict, imprison and even execute innocent people, we oppose the death penalty.
                     We believe members of the armed forces also deserve such equal protection and should not be subject to a separate Uniform Military Code.  We believe that this will promote morale, dignity, and a sense of justice within the military.

            2.      Rights of Jurors
                     We favor all-volunteer juries and support the common-law right of juries to judge not only the facts but also the justice of the law, including in cases where the government is a party.

            3.     Rights of Victims of Crime
                    The rights of victims include the right to direct the prosecution on charges to be filed; the right to ask for private adjudication of injuries or disputes by mutually acceptable judges; the right to pardon the criminal or wrongdoer, barring threats to the victim for this purpose; the right to restitution to the fullest degree possible at the expense of the criminal or wrongdoer.

            4.     Rights of Victims of Government Crimes
                    The government should not possess “Sovereign Immunity” and individuals should have the right to sue the government and all government employees.  We support full restitution for all loss suffered by persons arrested, indicted, tried, imprisoned, or otherwise  injured in the course of criminal proceedings against them that do not result in their conviction. When they are responsible, government police employees or agents should be liable for this restitution.  Property expropriated by governments belongs to those who can prove past ownership as an individual or member of a group, association, business or community with ownership rights.  Such governments also are responsible to provide restitution to innocent parties who bought or built upon government expropriated land, if these parties cannot convince the original owners to accept payment for it.

II.     ENDING GOVERNMENT INFRINGEMENTS OF RIGHTS
    There are tens of thousands of federal, state and local laws, regulations and taxes which libertarians believe should be repealed in order to protect our rights to life, liberty and property and ensure our right to due process.   Most of these are promoted by special interest groups, be they religious, business, professional, governmental or social welfare oriented.  However, whether intentions are selfish or altruistic, the results of these laws, regulations and taxes overwhelmingly have been to deprive citizens of rights and to worsen conditions they were meant to ameliorate.  Too often these laws are selectively enforced against the poor and those who become targets of government interest, for whatever reasons. Many government agencies established with good intentions are taken over by the special interests they were meant to control or are run for the benefit of the bureaucrats and not the intended beneficiaries.
     We support interim and immediate programs of repeal of all taxes and most laws and the abolition of most agencies.  We also support sunset laws which automatically repeal laws or taxes after a set period of time.  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.

    A.     Repeal Laws, Taxes and Programs Depriving Us of Our Right to Life
            People have demanded or allowed government to pass laws and raise taxes in the name of personal, public or national safety and security.  However many of these are a greater threat to life than the condition they were meant to ameliorate.

            1.     Repeal Laws Giving Government Ownership over Individuals
                   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 use of the Social Security Number as a government-imposed personal  identification code.  We favor abolition of state laws setting specific legal age of consent or age of maturity.  As 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.
                  Believing that impressment of individuals into the armed forces is involuntary servitude we oppose conscription (the military draft) for men or women.  Members of the military should have the same right to quit their jobs as other persons. We call for the end to the current compulsory registration system, for abolition of the Selective Service System and for destruction of all its computer-readable or hard-copy files.  We also oppose any form of national service, such as a compulsory youth labor programs.  We support the immediate and unconditional exoneration of all who have been accused or convicted of draft evasion or desertion from the military in cases of conscription.
                  We oppose the involuntary commitment of any person to a mental institution or threats to commit those who do not accept outpatient treatment.  We oppose all other forms of forced medical treatment, including immunization, for school children, the elderly, the head-injured, or those with diminished capacity.  We support the repeal of all laws interfering with the right to commit suicide, or have that suicide be assisted, as infringements of the ultimate right of an individual to his or her own life.

            2.       Repeal Laws Controlling Reproduction
                      Governments should not be involved in any form of population control or state mandated sterilization or abortion. Nor should state laws restrict the opportunity to choose alternatives to abortion, notably private adoption services or transracial or homosexual adoption. We oppose all legislation restricting or subsidizing women's access to abortion, abortifacient medicines or other reproductive health services; this includes requiring consent of the prospective father, waiting periods, and mandatory indoctrination on fetal development.  We oppose Medicaid or any other taxpayer funding for abortion. It is particularly harsh to force someone who believes that abortion is murder to pay for another's abortion.  We oppose laws allowing third parties to intercede between doctors and parents regarding the life of severely incapacitated infants or children.
                     We call for the repeal of all laws that restrict anyone, including children, from engaging in voluntary exchanges of goods, services, or information regarding human sexuality, reproduction, birth control, or related medical or biological technologies.  Such laws only increase unwanted pregnancy and spread of disease. Government should not decide the desirability or appropriateness of prenatal testing, Caesarean births, fetal surgery, voluntary surrogacy arrangements, and/or home births.
                     We support an end to all subsidies for childbearing built into our present laws, including welfare plans and the provision of tax-supported services for children. We urge the elimination of special tax burdens on single people and couples without children.

            3.       Repeal Laws that Limit the Right or Ability to Engage in Self-defense
                      We oppose the prosecution of individuals for exercising their rights of self-defense.  We support the repeal of all laws at any level of government requiring gun registration or restricting or regulating the ownership, manufacture, transfer, sale, registration or carrying of firearms or ammunition, including inexpensive handguns, semi-automatic or so-called assault weapons, their magazines or feeding devices, as well as of tear gas, "mace," or other self-protection devices.  We demand the immediate abolition of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.

            4.      Repeal Laws, Treaties and Programs Supporting U.S. Interventionism
                     We would end the current U.S. government policy of foreign intervention, including military aid and diplomatic meddling.  We would cease maintaining U.S. bases and sites for the pre-positioning of military material in other countries and cease stationing American military troops overseas. We call for withdrawal of all American military personnel stationed abroad, including in Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East,  Asia, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan and South Korea.
                      We call for the withdrawal of the U.S. from commitments to supply military aid to, underwrite arms sales for or engage in war on behalf of other  governments.  We support the elimination of tax-supported economic, technical, and scientific aid to foreign governments or other organizations.  We favor a drastic reduction in cost and size  of our total diplomatic establishment. We support withdrawal of the United States government from, and an end to its financial support for, the United Nations.
                     We favor immediate self-determination for all people living in United States colonial  dependencies, such as Samoa, Guam, Palau, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands. Land seized by the U.S. government should be returned to its rightful owners. We oppose the use of the military to suppress those who choose to secede from any state or the union.
                      We would repeal the Neutrality Act of 1794 and all other U.S. neutrality laws which restrict the efforts of  Americans to aid overseas organizations opposing government violations of rights or working to change or secede from government. We call for the repeal of all prohibitions on anyone contributing or selling goods and services to any foreign country or organization.
                      We call for the reform of the Presidential War Powers Act to end the President's power to initiate military  action and for the abrogation of all Presidential declarations of "states of emergency."  We favor a Constitutional amendment limiting the presidential role as Commander-in-Chief to its original  meaning, namely that of the head of the armed forces in wartime.

    B.      Repeal Laws, Taxes and Programs Depriving Us of Our Right to Liberty
    People have demanded restrictions of others’ liberty for economic, political, religious other reasons, often using as an excuse personal, public or national safety and security.  However, these unnecessary laws increasingly rob us of our freedom of belief, speech, action, association, contract, trade and our rights to due process.

            1.     Repeal Restrictions on Freedom of Belief and Speech
                   We oppose any abridgment of the freedom of speech through government censorship, including, but not limited to, laws concerning obscenity, pornography, commercial speech or advertising, speech codes at tax funded schools, or seditious or “unpatriotic” speech.  We call for an end to "hate crime" laws that punish people for their thoughts and speech, distract us from real crimes, and give some individuals special victim status under the law.
                   We oppose government regulation or control of communications media, such as broadcasting, reception and storage equipment and radar warning devices; telephone and cable company equipment and services; electronic communications networks, bulletin boards, file libraries and web sites.  We favor the abolition of the Federal Communications Commission which is irrelevant now that technology makes it possible to operate dozens of radio and television stations in the same geographical area.  These frequencies should be bought and sold in the free market.  We deplore any efforts to impose thought control on the media through threats to revoke licenses, impose anti-trust laws, stop bias, etc.  We oppose government control of, subsidy of, or funding for, any communications organization.
                  We strongly oppose the government's invading newsrooms in the name of law enforcement. We further oppose court orders gagging news coverage of  criminal proceedings. Libel laws and legally enforced professional regulations should not be used to stop the collection and dissemination of trade and consumer information.
                  We advocate a strict separation of church and State and oppose government actions that either aid or attack any religion. We oppose taxation of church property and Internal Revenue Service harassment of churches through threats to deny tax-exempt status if they refuse to disclose information. Government harassment or obstruction of religious groups for their non-traditional beliefs or non-violent activities must end.
                 We call for repeal of the year 2001 Patriot Act, that broadly defines terrorism and deprives Non-citizens government spying on and disrupting dissident political and religious groups.  We oppose congressional committees on internal security which use subpoena power against individuals to investigate their political activity.

            2.     Repeal Laws Restrictions on Freedom of Action
                    We call for the repeal of all so-called “victimless crime” laws , i.e., laws criminalizing behavior that does not infringe on the rights of others but which offend some religious or cultural mores.  These include the repeal of all laws prohibiting the production, sale, possession, or use of psychoactive drugs; prohibiting consensual sexual relations, including prostitution, solicitation, sodomy or homosexual relations; regulating or prohibiting gambling. We demand the use of executive pardon to free and exonerate all those presently incarcerated or ever convicted solely for the commission of these "crimes."  We also call for the repeal of laws regulating legal actions by requiring prescriptions for the purchase of drugs or regulating the use or sale of alcohol or cigarettes.
                   We particularly note that the so-called "War on Drugs" is in reality a war on the American people, our Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.  While we deplore the suffering that drug misuse has brought about, we believe drug prohibition-related health, crime and social problems are more dangerous than the drugs themselves.
                   We support repeal of all laws that impede the ability of any person to find employment, such as minimum wage laws, so-called "protective" labor legislation for women and children and the National Labor Relations Act. We deplore government-fostered forced retirement, which robs the elderly of the right to work. We seek the elimination of occupational licensure, which prevents individuals from working in whatever trade  they wish. We call for the abolition of all federal, state, and local government agencies that restrict entry into any profession, such as education, medicine and law, through licensure, or regulate its practice.  Voluntary cooperation with any economic boycott should not be treated as a crime.
                 The United States government should not require individuals to possess passports, visas, or other papers to leave or enter the United States. So long as such passports are issued, they should be issued to all individuals without discrimination and should not be revoked for any reason.

            3.     Repeal Restrictions on Freedom of Association
                    We support the repeal of all laws at any level of government that deny people's rights based on sex, wealth, race, color, creed, age, national origin, personal habits, political preference, sexual orientation or other criteria.  We also oppose laws that force individuals to associate with or hire individuals in order to prevent discrimination; these often turn into a form of “reverse discrimination.”  We oppose any government attempt to dictate, prohibit, control, or encourage any private lifestyle, living arrangement or sexual lifestyle.
       Government discrimination in employment or contracts that aims to gain or entrench power for any particular group should be dealt with openly as a political issue.  However, no government law or policy should target any class of people as unhireable or subject to firing or discharge by government.  We call for the end of the Defense Department practice of discharging armed forces personnel for homosexual conduct, for retraction of all less-than-honorable discharges previously assigned for such reasons and deletion of such information from military personnel files.
                  We call for the elimination of all restrictions on immigration, the abolition of the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Border Patrol, and a declaration of full amnesty for all people who have entered the country illegally.  Immigration must not be restricted for reasons of race, religion, political creed, age, or sexual preference.  We condemn massive roundups of Hispanic and Arab Americans and others by the federal government in its hunt for individuals not possessing required government documents.  We strongly oppose all measures that punish employers who hire undocumented workers.  We oppose government welfare and resettlement payments to non-citizens just as we oppose government welfare payments to all other persons.

            4.     Repeal Restrictions on the Right to Contract
             We call for the repeal of all laws which interfere in freedom to contract between individuals merely to serve government or private special interests.  This includes a wide variety of laws regulating labor, medicine, insurance, and manufacture and distribution of goods and services, as well as those regulating marriage and divorce.

            5.      Repeal Restrictions on Free and Fair Elections
                     We call for an end to government control of political parties, consistent with First Amendment rights to freedom of association and freedom of expression.  We urge repeal of the Federal Election Campaign Act which suppresses voluntary support of candidates and parties, compels taxpayers to subsidize politicians and political views which they do not support, invades the privacy of American citizens, and protects the Republican and Democratic parties from competition.  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.
                     Restrictive state laws which effectively exclude alternative candidates and parties from election ballots should be replaced. No state has an interest to protect in this area except for the fair and efficient conduct of elections.

     C.      Repeal Laws, Taxes and Programs Jeopardizing Our Right to Property
    Most laws, regulations and taxes are dedicated to controlling the economy.  Most people think these are beneficial, but in truth they actually increase the wealth and power of government and private elites and special interest groups at the expense of the freedom and prosperity of the great majority.  Even those laws, regulations and taxes initially or ostensibly created to benefit the public usually result in benefits only to a minority of individuals and often end up hurting those they are supposed to help.  Those few laws, regulations, taxes and programs which provide some benefit nevertheless are overwhelmingly more expensive and less effective than private and voluntary goods and services which they have forcefully replaced.  The first listing below illustrates how government intervention in the economy benefits first political and bureaucratic elites and special interests ; the second how it benefits private and corporate elites and special interests.

            1.     Repeal of Government Privilege and Monopolies
         Government jealously protects its monopoly or regulatory control over significant sectors of the economy, even as it becomes increasingly clear that many of our economic and political problems are caused by such government control.  The so-called “welfare” state, supposedly designed to provide a “safety net” and aid the poor, is in reality a growing and parasitic burden on all productive people, and injures, rather than benefits, the welfare of all Americans, especially the poorest.

a.     Police, Courts and Military Defense
    Governments that provide police, court and military services should not restrict private and cooperative ventures from competing with government in the provision of such services.  Provision of goods, services and weapon systems to the military should be fully competitive.  Government should not pay military contractors for weapons systems until they prove their effectiveness and contractors should warrant their work.  In order to avoid wasteful competition and incompatibility of systems between different branches of the military, the government should provide a unified command over integrated army, navy and air force functions.

b.     Land, Water and Resource Use
        We condemn current government efforts to regulate or ban the use of property in the name of aesthetic values, riskiness, moral standards, cost-benefit estimates, or the promotion or restriction of  economic growth.  We oppose government control of resource use through eminent domain, zoning laws, building codes, rent control, regional planning, urban renewal, or purchase of development rights with tax money.  Such regulations and programs violate property rights, discriminate against minorities, create housing shortages and higher housing costs.
    Federal, state and local governments own almost one third of the land in the country. We favor the complete redistribution of such land, including public parks, timber, energy sources and minerals on and under the land.  This should be done through homesteading, contribution to private park services, wilderness protection associations, private communities, contracts with firms willing to clean up government-polluted toxic and nuclear sites, as well as sale to private entities for commercial purposes.  The proceeds of such sales should be used to pay off government debts to social security recipients, government pensioners, disabled veterans and other victims of government abuses.  Public and press oversight should be assured so that such distributions or sales do not unfairly benefit powerful special interests or corporations or enrich politicians and bureaucrats. Pending such just transfer, operating costs of government lands should be borne by their users rather than by taxpayers.
       We also advocate the privatization of government and quasi-government water supply systems. Existing government water projects should be transferred to private ownership.
       We call for the abolition of the Department of Interior, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Army Corps of Engineers' civilian functions. We oppose Presidential executive orders invoking the Antiquities Act to set aside public lands.
       We support the repeal of all local, state and federal laws prohibiting individuals from protecting their persons and property by suing for pollution, including air, water, radiation, and noise pollution.  We therefore demand the abolition of the Environmental Protection Agency, and all such state agencies which regulate rather than prohibit pollution and which rarely prevent the government itself from polluting public and private property.  We condemn   taxpayers and innocent chemical firms pay for toxic waste clean-ups of the property of irresponsible companies.
       We oppose any recognition of fiat claims by national governments or international bodies to unclaimed  territory. All laws, treaties and international agreements that would prevent or restrict homesteading of unowned resources should be abolished. We oppose all government restrictions upon voluntary peaceful use of outer space. We support privatization of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

c.     Money and Banking
        Government control of money and banking allows it to inflate the money supply beyond legitimate needs of business for credit in order to pay for government services, a form of hidden taxation averaging 2 to 3% a year in the United States, and much more in some other countries. We therefore call for the repeal of all legal tender laws and of all compulsory governmental units of account and the elimination of all government fiat money and all government minted coins. All restrictions upon the private minting of coins should be abolished.
       We call for the end of government control of banking by abolition of the Federal Reserve System, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the National Banking System, and all similar national and state interventions affecting banking and credit. We also call for the abolition of the Federal Home Loan Bank System, the Resolution Trust Corporation, the National Credit Union Administration and all similar national and state interventions affecting savings and loan associations, credit unions, and other depository institutions which restrict competition among banks and depository institutions of all types.  We further support the lifting of all restrictions on branch banking, the repeal of all state usury laws and other controls on the rate of interest, the revocation of all other selective credit controls, the lifting of the prohibition of domestic deposits denominated in foreign currencies.
      We favor withdrawal of the United States from all international credit schemes, from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.  We strongly oppose any bailout of foreign governments or American banks by the United States government and taxpayers.

d.     Taxation
        We oppose all government forcible collection of money or goods from individuals as a violation of their individual rights.  We recognize the right of any individual to challenge the payment of taxes on moral, religious, legal, or constitutional grounds 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 all personal and corporate income taxation, including inheritance and capital gains taxes, as well as any increase in existing tax rates or the imposition of any new taxes or categories of taxpayers.  We oppose elimination of deductions, exemptions, or credits in the spurious name of "fairness" or "simplicity." We support the repeal of the Sixteenth Amendment creating the Income Tax and eventual repeal of all taxation, to be replaced by user fees and charity.  We oppose as involuntary servitude legal requirements forcing employers or business owners to serve as tax collectors for federal, state, or local tax agencies.

e.    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. Such budget amendments should require putting “off-budget” items in the budget and balancing the budget exclusively by cutting expenditures.  Such amendments should provide no excuses for over-ride, including national emergency.  In fiscal crisis of federal, state or local governments, default is always preferable to raising taxes or perpetual refinancing of growing public debt.

f.    Social Security and Welfare
      We favor replacing the fraudulent, virtually bankrupt, government sponsored Social Security system with a private voluntary system. Pending that replacement, participation in Social Security should be made voluntary.  Social Security tax contributors should have a claim for taxes paid, as well as interest, against government lands and property.
       We oppose all government welfare, relief projects, and "aid to the poor" programs.  These programs are invasive of privacy, paternalistic, demeaning, and inefficient. The proper source of help for such persons is the voluntary efforts of private groups and individuals. To speed the replacement of government programs by effective private institutions, we advocate dollar-for-dollar tax credits for all charitable contributions, as well as for all long-term care insurance and savings plans.

g.    Health Care
       In recent decades increased laws, regulations and taxes controlling health insurance and health care have resulted in bureaucratic top-down management; rapidly escalating insurance and health care prices; diminished patient choice in insurance, providers and medical treatments; the closing of many charity hospitals and clinics; and increased legal jeopardy for health care workers. The fact that government now finances more than half of health costs also drives up the costs, including through rampant fraud. None of these problems was prevalent before government increased its involvement.  We call for the abolition of Medicaid and Medicare and Health and Human Services.
       We call for the repeal of all laws, regulations and agencies controlling health care insurance.  We support an end to government-provided health insurance and care.
       We oppose government regulation of the price, potency, or quantity of produced, distributed or purchased drugs or medicine. Similarly, there should be no laws regarding what substances (nicotine, alcohol, hallucinogens, narcotics, Laetrile, artificial sweeteners, vitamin supplements, or other "drugs") a person may ingest or use.  We advocate the abolition of the Food and Drug Administration and particularly its policies of mandating specific nutritional requirements and denying the right of manufacturers to make non-fraudulent claims concerning their products. We advocate an end to all compulsory medical treatments, vaccinations or fluoridation of water supplies.  We oppose any government restriction or funding of medical or scientific research, including cloning.

h.    Postal Service
        We propose the abolition of the government Postal Service. The present system, in addition to being inefficient, encourages government surveillance of private correspondence.  Pending abolition, we call for an end to the  monopoly system and for allowing free competition in all aspects of postal service.

i.     Child Care and Education
       Government child care and schools lead to the indoctrination of children and interfere with the free choice of individuals.  We call for the repeal of compulsory education laws which spawn prison-like schools.  Government ownership, operation, regulation, and subsidy of child care, schools and colleges should be ended and guarantees of tax-funded, government-provided education should be stricken from state constitutions.
       To encourage the growth of private and cooperative child care and schools, as well as home schooling, we support tax credits for child care and for education related tuition and other expenditures. We oppose denial of tax-exempt status to schools because of those schools' private policies on hiring, admissions, and student deportment. We support the repeal of all taxes on the income or property of both for profit and non-profit private schools.  Until government involvement in education is ended, we support immediate reduction of tax support for schools, ending the taxation of non-parents for education purposes, and elimination of forced busing and corporal punishment.

j.      Public Utilities
        We advocate the termination of government-created governmental monopolies, or government-bestowed franchise privileges, on such services as garbage collection, fire protection, electricity, natural gas, cable television, telephone, or water supplies,  franchise privileges. Furthermore, all rate regulation in these industries should be abolished. The right to offer competing services on the market should not be curtailed by law.

k.     Transportation
        Government ownership of, franchise to or regulatory control over transportation, and land use in regard to transportation, has resulted in monopolistic restriction, corruption, gross inefficiency and the suppression of private mass transit alternatives.  We therefore call for the dissolution of relevant government agencies including the Department of Transportation, the Interstate Commerce Commission, the Federal Aviation  Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board, the Coast Guard, and the Federal Maritime Commission.  Their legitimate planning, communications, consumer safety and other functions should be transferred to private firms.
        We call for the privatization of railroads, airports, air traffic control systems, public roads, and the national highway system so that private companies may provide inexpensive, safe and flexible transport systems.  We advocate an immediate end to government regulation of private transit and trucking and immediate repeal of all laws restricting transit competition in the taxicab and bus industries.

l.       Consumer Protection
          We oppose paternalistic consumer regulations which infringe on voluntary trade, dictate to consumers, impose prices, define standards for products, ban or restrict advertising and restrict risk-taking and free choice. We specifically oppose laws which require an individual to buy or use so-called "self-protection" equipment such as safety belts, air bags, or crash helmets.  We oppose any laws or regulations which undermine laws against fraud and misrepresentation and restrict private or cooperative watchdog agencies from investigating or circulating information about problems with consumer products.  We call for the abolition of the Consumer Product Safety Commission and similar state and local agencies.

m.     Unions, Collective Bargaining and Civil Service
        We oppose government interference in unions and collective bargaining, such as compulsory arbitration or the imposition of an obligation to bargain. Therefore, we urge repeal of the National Labor Relations Act, and all state Right-to-Work Laws which prohibit employers from making voluntary contracts with unions. We oppose all government back-to-work orders as the imposition of a form of forced labor.
      We propose the abolition of the Civil Service system, which entrenches a permanent, voracious and growing bureaucracy with increasing political power.  Recognizing that the Civil Service is inherently a system of concealed patronage, we recommend return to the principle of rotation in office.

a.      Monopolies and Corporate Growth and Power
          We condemn all coercive monopolies.  We recognize that government is the source of monopoly, through its grants of legal privilege to special interests in the economy.  Government should not interfere with the right of individuals to form non-government chartered corporations, cooperatives, and other types of companies based on voluntary association.
          Any laws of incorporation should not include grants of monopoly privilege.  Government should not limit liability of corporations for damages caused in noncontractual transactions or incidents.  We specifically call for the repeal of the Price-Anderson Act which severely limits liability for nuclear power plant accidents and furnishes only minimal payment to injured parties, and at taxpayer expense, as well as all laws limiting corporate liability for pollution of air, water or land.  We oppose efforts, in the name of social responsibility, or any other reason, to use federal chartering of corporations to expand government control of business.
          Government does not use "anti-trust" laws to prevent monopoly, but to harass efficient corporations that   have increased market output and lowered market price.  We therefore call for the repeal of all "anti-trust" laws and for the abolition of the Federal Trade Commission and the anti-trust division of the Department of Justice.  We oppose state or federal limits on the size of private companies and on the right of companies to merge.  Similarly we oppose restrictions on companies divesting corporate entities or dividing into a number of entities.

b.     Subsidies
        We oppose all government subsidies to business, labor, education, agriculture, science, research, broadcasting, the arts, sports, or any other special interest. In particular, we condemn any effort to forge alliances between government and business under the guise of "industrial policy."  We oppose any resumption of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, or any similar plan that would force the taxpayer to subsidize or sustain any enterprise.
        We call for the abolition of the Federal Financing Bank, the most important national agency subsidizing special interests with government loans. We oppose all government guarantees of so-called private loans, including by the Federal Housing Administration, the Rural Electrification Administration, the Small Business Administration, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, the Federal National   Mortgage Association, the Farm Credit Administration, and the Student Loan Marketing Association.  These should be abolished or privatized.  Taxpayers must never bear the cost of default  upon government-guaranteed loans.  However, relief or exemption from taxation or from any other involuntary government intervention should never be considered a subsidy.

c.      Regulation of Financing
          We call for the abolition of all regulation of financial and capital markets -- specifically, the abolition of the Securities and Exchange Commission, of state "Blue Sky" laws which repress small and risky capital ventures, laws setting margin requirements on purchases and sales of securities, and of all federal regulation of commodity markets. We oppose any attempts to ban or regulate investing in stock-market index futures or new financial instruments which may emerge in the future.
          We call for repeal of all laws based on the muddled concept of insider trading.  What should be punished is theft of information or breach of contract to hold information in confidence, not trading on the basis of valuable knowledge honestly obtained. We oppose all laws restricting the right of third parties to make stock purchase tender offers to stockholders over the opposition of entrenched management. We call for the repeal of all money laundering laws that require banks and other financial institutions to report transactions over $10,000 and other “suspicious” transactions.

d.      Trade Barriers
         Government uses tariffs and quotas to suppress imports that compete with favored special interests, even as they diminish the welfare of consumers and reduce trade and understanding among peoples of different nations.  Export promotion programs use taxpayer money to help favored industries export goods.  We therefore support unilateral United States abolition of all trade barriers and all government-sponsored export promotion or commodity programs, as well as the taxpayer-supported Export-Import Bank, the U.S. International Trade Commission and the U.S. Court of International Trade.  The U.S. should withdraw completely and unilaterally from all international trade agreements including the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

e.     Energy
         We oppose all government control of energy production, pricing and allocation and call for the abolition of agencies that impose them, such as the Department of Energy, state public utility commissions, and state pro-rationing agencies. We oppose all government subsidies for energy research, development, and operation. Recognizing government policies create “energy emergencies,” we oppose government attempts to override normal legal processes to control production or distribution, as well as all government-imposed conservation schemes. We oppose government energy storage programs as well as attempts to control output or to compel national self-sufficiency in oil, including by raising oil tariffs or imposing oil import quotas.
        We oppose all direct and indirect government participation in the nuclear energy industry, including research and development funds, guaranteed loans, waste disposal and other subsidies, and federal uranium enrichment facilities.  Nuclear energy should be denationalized and the industry's assets transferred to the private sector. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission should be abolished.  Full liability -- not government agencies -- should regulate nuclear power, even if it means nuclear power industry cannot survive the test of a free market.

f.     Agriculture
       Government subsidies, regulation, and tax policies have encouraged the centralization of agricultural business, destroyed family farms and imperiled the production of safe and abundant food.  Government's ever-changing import and export policies, as well as agricultural trade embargoes, have frustrated the development of free and stable trade relationships between peoples of the world.
       We call for abolition of the Department of Agriculture and elimination of all government farm programs, including price supports, direct subsidies and regulation of agricultural production. Government should end its involvement in agricultural pest control and private individuals or corporations should bear full responsibility for damages they inflict on their neighbors.  We call for the repeal of federal inheritance taxes which especially impact family farms.

    D.      Repeal Laws, Taxes and Programs Jeopardizing Our Right to Full Legal Protections

            1.      Repeal Restrictions on Due Process Protections
                     We protest the destruction of the Fourth Amendment right to protection against unreasonable searches and seizures through an ever-increasing list of means: the use of "profiles" as sufficient to satisfy probable cause; electronic or other covert surveillance of an individual's actions, correspondence, bank and financial records, doctors' and lawyers' communications, employment records, or private property; police roadblocks aimed at randomly testing drivers for intoxication and searching passengers on mass transit; no knock laws that allow police serving warrants to break in without knocking; “sneak and peak” searches which require no notification or presentation of warrant to the party searched; examination or seizure of materials belonging to innocent third parties; requirements for disclosure of encryption methods or keys. Similarly we oppose preventive detention of individuals not charged with crimes.
    We call for repeal of the year 2001 Patriot Act that deprives non-citizens of basic rights, as well as the similarly repressive 1996 Counter-Terrorism Law.  We call for the abolition of secret police, such as the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
        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.
       We oppose the government labeling cases as "civil" strictly to avoid the due process protections of criminal law.  We also oppose governmental civil and criminal pretrial seizure of property of those merely alleged to have committed crimes.  We call for the repeal of anti-racketeering statutes such as the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act  (RICO) Act which use minor crimes as an excuse to confiscate any and all property or proceeds connected to the criminal enterprise. We especially protest the extension of these laws to nonviolent and minor crimes, including insider trading in securities, sale of sexually explicit material, and nonviolent protests.
        We oppose making third parties responsible for others behavior, i.e., making bartenders or hosts responsible for the behavior of inebriated customers and guests, making liquor companies liable for birth defects, and making gambling houses liable for the losses of intoxicated  gamblers.
       We oppose police officers using excessive force on the disorderly or the criminally accused, handing out what they may consider to be instant punishments on the streets.   We support the Posse Comitatus Act which forbids use of military forces for civilian law enforcement.

            2.     Repeal Restrictions on Rights on Jurors
                   We oppose the current practice of forced jury duty.  We oppose prosecution of jurors who assert their right to judge the law as well as the facts of a case.

           3.     Repeal Restrictions on Rights of Victims
                   We oppose all "no-fault" insurance laws, which deprive the victim of the right to recover damages from those responsible in the case of injury.  We support a change in rape laws so that cohabitation will no longer be a defense against a charge of rape.

          4.     Repeal Restrictions on Rights of Victims of Government Crimes
                  The right of defense extends to defense against aggressive acts of government.  We favor an immediate end to the doctrine of "Sovereign Immunity" which holds that the State may not be sued without its permission or held accountable for its actions under civil law.    We support Congressional investigation of criminal activities of the CIA and FBI and of wrongdoing by other governmental agencies.
                 The United States government has a particular duty to redress the grievance of American Indians, including by allowing individuals to select their own citizenship and tribes should to select the level of autonomy from United States control; restoration of property rights restored; abolition of the Bureau of Indian Affairs so that tribal members may determine their own system of governance; and negotiations to resolve all outstanding differences between the tribes and the government.
                Similarly, given the federal government’s support of over 75 years of slavery of Africans and 100 years of state-sponsored discrimination against African-Americans, some form of reparations may be warranted.  If so, these should consist only of relief from taxation and/or a one time payment from the sale of federal lands or properties and not redistribution of wealth from innocent individuals.  Also, in states where women were forbidden in the past to own property, women dispossessed of property by state action, or their heirs, should be able to sue for just restitution.