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As approved in Convention
May 19, 2007
Atlanta, Georgia
Preamble
As Libertarians, we seek a world of liberty: a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives, and no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values for the benefit of others.
We believe that respect for individual rights is the essential precondition for a free and prosperous world, that force and fraud must be banished from human relationships, and that only through freedom can peace and prosperity be realized.
We believe that all humankind posses free will. Absent fraud and coercion, each individual is in the unique position of being the only competent judge of his or her own desires and values. From this fundamental tenet we reason that government should not limit an individual's choices, and that individuals are responsible for the consequences of their actions.
We as Libertarians recognize that freedom is not worthy of the word unless it includes the freedom to fail. Public policy with the effect of protecting individuals from the negative consequences of their own actions is a disincentive to freedom and guarantees the spread of self-destructive behavior; such policy should be abandoned.
We believe that The Bill of Rights to the United States Constitution is an excellent exposition of Libertarian beliefs in individual freedom, limited government, and self-responsibility.
We defend each person's right to engage in any activity that is peaceful and honest. We welcome the diversity that freedom brings. The world we seek to build is one where individuals are free to follow their own dreams in their own ways, without interference from government or any authoritarian power.
In the following pages we have set forth our basic principles and enumerated various policy stands derived from those principles. These specific policies are but signposts, however; our goal is a world set free in our lifetime, and it is to this end that we take these stands.
Table of Contents
- FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY
- CRIME
- CRIMINALIZED CONSENSUAL BEHAVIOR
- THE WAR ON DRUGS
- THE WAR ON TERRORISM (New)
- ASSET FORFEITURE
- SAFEGUARDS FOR THE CRIMINALLY ACCUSED
- JURIES
- INDIVIDUAL SOVEREIGNTY
- GOVERNMENT AND MENTAL HEALTH
- FREEDOM OF COMMUNICATION
- FREEDOM OF RELIGION
- THE RIGHT TO PROPERTY
- PROTECTION OF PRIVACY
- FINGERPRINTING AND DRIVERS LICENSES
- THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS
- GOVERNMENT DISCRIMINATION AND FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION
- "HATE" CRIMES
- SEXUAL RIGHTS AND THE STATE
- FAMILY LIFE
- THE ECONOMY
- TAXATION
- GOVERNMENT DEBT
- MONOPOLIES
- SUBSIDIES
- PUBLIC UTILITIES
- UNIONS AND COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
- SECESSION
- ENERGY
- POLLUTION
- CONSUMER PROTECTION
- EDUCATION
- POPULATION
- TRANSPORTATION
- POVERTY AND UNEMPLOYMENT
- PUBLIC AND PRIVATE HEALTH
- RESOURCE USE
- AGRICULTURE
- CIVIL SERVICE
- ELECTION LAWS
Statement of Principles
We, the members of the Libertarian Party of Georgia, 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.
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