Platform

Platform

(As
revised in convention, July 18, 2020)

STATEMENT
OF PRINCIPLE:

The
Libertarian Party does not believe in or advocate the initiation of
force to achieve social or political goals.

PREAMBLE:

Libertarians
seek a society based on personal liberty and responsibility—a
society in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives.
The most desirable method of realizing such a society is to follow
the natural order that arises when the inalienable rights of
individuals to life, liberty and property ownership are respected and
protected.

People
have the right to engage in any activity that is peaceful and honest,
and pursue happiness in whatever manner they choose, so long as they
do not forcibly interfere with those same rights of others. The
peace, prosperity, and diversity that such freedom brings is a goal
toward which Libertarians aim.

The
essential precondition for a free society is that people have the
freedom to follow their own dreams in their own ways without
government interference. This precondition allows that the only
legitimate function of government, where it exists, is the protection
of the inalienable rights of its citizens. To that end, government at
all levels should be strictly limited to the essential services
necessary to uphold individual rights, maintain public order, and
adjudicate disputes. Government at the state and federal level should
be involved only in issues not best handled by local or regional
government.

I.
STATE GOVERNMENT

1. We
   oppose interventions by the federal government in state, local or
   personal affairs that impair regional efforts to secure more
   liberty.

2. The
   state government has no duty to enforce federal laws not authorized
   by the US Constitution, and which do not protect the life, liberty,
   or property of Michiganders. Federal agents enforcing such acts and
   powers in Michigan must face state level criminal prosecution.

3. We
   support proportional representation in the Michigan State Senate,
   until such time as the Senate can be eliminated.

4. In
   the absence of a declaration of war by the United States Congress,
   we oppose any use of Michigan troops by the federal government for
   any purpose other than natural disaster relief.

5. Individuals
   have the right to defend themselves and others. Article I, Section 6
   of the Michigan Constitution states: “Every person has a right to
   keep and bear arms for the defense of himself and the state.” We
   oppose any law that dilutes the right of a law-abiding person to own
   a firearm or other means of self-defense.

6. We
   oppose any form of discrimination by government based on race,
   ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation or any other group
   or individual identification. Each person has the same inalienable
   rights that the State has a duty to protect.

7. State
   government should be removed entirely from the licensing process,
   including, but not limited to, occupational licensing. It has
   produced no better results than private licensing and amounts to
   another tax. For example, marriage licenses are contracts between
   individuals and should be left to the individuals, their attorneys
   and religious officials, without the need to pay the state for a
   stamp of approval.

8. We
   support returning to a part-time legislature, which is sufficient to
   carry out the legislative duties as prescribed by our state
   constitution.

9. We
   advocate a sunset law requiring an automatic end to most government
   offices, agencies, departments, laws, regulations, taxes, and
   expenditures within ten years if not reauthorized.

10. We
    oppose immunities for any public officials or employees for illegal
    acts or omissions. Like any individual, they should be subject to
    criminal prosecution and held personally liable for any injuries
    caused by their actions. Therefore, we seek to abolish the
    protections of qualified immunity.

11. There
    should be maximum separation of legislative, executive and judicial
    powers.

12. We
    believe the government should not force individuals to alter their
    schedules through the practice known as daylight savings, as the
    manipulation of time is not within the government’s legal
    authority.

13. We
    oppose the federal government’s inhumane policies toward
    undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers. We support laws that
    would discontinue cooperation by state and local agencies with
    Immigration and Customs Enforcement for undocumented immigrants.

II.
ELECTIONS

1. The
   only electoral duty of the state government should be providing for
   fair and efficient conduct of elections. Political parties, like any
   private voluntary group, should be free from government control and
   allowed to establish their own rules for nomination procedures and
   conventions. All taxpayer-funded subsidies to candidates for public
   office and political parties, including primaries and conventions,
   should be eliminated.

2. We
   support the addition of the alternative “None of the above is
   acceptable” to all ballots. We further propose that in the event
   that “None of the above is acceptable” receives a plurality of
   votes in any election, a new election shall be held for which none
   of the losing candidates shall be eligible. Other forms of voting
   should also be considered, such as ranked choice voting or
   proportional representation.

3. Campaign
   finance laws are unwarranted restrictions of free speech or
   association and should be repealed.

4. The
   time during which voters may circulate any statewide petition should
   be extended to two years.

5. Voters
   should have the power of referendum on all existing or new
   legislation.

6. We
   support efforts to make voting less difficult for all voters.

7. While
   incarcerated, citizens should retain the right to vote.

III.
COURTS

1. The
   current practice of forced jury duty should be replaced by volunteer
   juries.

2. The
   common law authority of a trial by jury preceded our constitution
   and is the foundation of our legal system. If a jury of peers deems
   a law unjust, oppressive or inappropriately applied, it has the
   right and duty to acquit the defendant.

3. We
   support the right of defendants to a fully informed jury, which
   would require judges to instruct jurors of their authority to judge
   not only the facts, but also the justice of the law according to
   their own good consciences. We support restitution for victims of
   crimes at the expense of the perpetrator. The victim should have the
   right to pardon the perpetrator, provided the victim is not
   threatened or coerced.

4. Private
   adjudication of disputes by mutually acceptable judges or mediators
   should be encouraged.

5. We
   oppose no-fault laws that deprive the victim of the right to recover
   damages from those responsible for causing harm. In addition, we
   oppose all mandatory insurance laws.

6. The
   right of trial by jury should be allowed in all civil or criminal
   cases.

7. The
   use of civil asset forfeiture to enforce laws circumvents
   constitutional protections and should be ended.

8. Random
   police roadblocks and other searches without probable cause bypass
   constitutional protections and should be prohibited.

9. We
   support equal treatment and oppose discrimination on the basis of
   sex and sexual orientation in any judicial proceeding adjudicating a
   parental right, privilege or obligation concerning their child.

10. Any
    individual who violates the rights of another should be held liable.

11. We
    deny the legitimacy of criminal prosecutions of persons who have
    victimized no one. To prevent false prosecutions, we affirm the
    right of alleged victims to end prosecutions by freely asserting
    their objection to it. This does not preclude prosecution in cases
    where a victim remains silent, nor shall it preclude prosecution
    where a victim has been coerced into objecting.

12. No
    person should be denied due process on the basis of age or
    citizenship.

IV.
PUBLIC SAFETY

1. We
   believe the largest threat to public safety is the government
   itself, and thus the right to bear arms exists primarily to ensure
   the people the ability to effectively resist tyranny.

2. Law
   enforcement cannot guarantee individual safety. Self-protection is a
   personal responsibility. All individuals have the right to defend
   themselves and to possess the means to do so, as guaranteed by the
   state constitution Article I, Section 6

3. As
   we believe that government transparency is essential to public
   accountability. Complaints of police misconduct should be should be
   open to public scrutiny. We support the revision of the Freedom of
   Information Act to remove the exemption of these records.

4. Once
   free from incarceration, all rights should be restored immediately
   and the classification of “felon” should not impede one’s
   constitutional rights.

5. State
   prison facilities should be used only for the incarceration of
   individuals who have proven themselves a threat to others.

6. Curfew
   laws should be repealed as an individual’s behavior is not the
   responsibility of the state or municipality.

7. Laws
   requiring the use of seat belts or other personal protection devices
   are misguided, paternal, and should be repealed. Individuals must
   assume responsibility for their own safety.

V.
VICE LAWS

1. Government
   should confine itself to protecting individuals from aggression,
   coercion and deceit. We oppose all laws and regulations that attempt
   to protect individuals from the consequences of their own behavior.
   While not necessarily condoning such activities, we advocate the
   repeal of all laws criminalizing gambling, possession and sale of
   drugs and alcohol. All those presently incarcerated or ever
   convicted solely for the commission of these victimless crimes
   should be pardoned and their records expunged.

2. Voluntary
   communities may enforce rules that prohibit certain activities to
   which all members subscribe, such as substance-free dorms.

3. We
   call for the repeal of all laws criminalizing actions between
   consenting adults. Libertarians support the repeal of all laws
   criminalizing the offer of sexual services for compensation by
   consenting adults, as well as the repeal of all laws criminalizing
   voluntarily seeking out sexual services for hire.

4. The
   natural, lawful, unalienable, and absolute rights of the citizens of
   Michigan to cultivate and utilize the natural plant known as
   cannabis shall not be infringed. All local and state laws regarding
   cannabis should be repealed, nullified or otherwise abrogated. All
   prior and current non-violent cannabis related convictions should be
   null and void and expunged from those individual’s records.

VI.
TAXES

1. Whereas
   taxation is theft, the legislature should find more voluntary means
   of supporting state services, such as lotteries and user fees.

2. The
   income tax should be repealed.

3. Taxation
   of privately owned real property should be eliminated. In effect, it
   makes the state the owner of all lands by forcing individuals to pay
   rent to the state or forfeit their title.

4. The
   remaining personal property tax on Michigan businesses should be
   repealed.

5. Tax
   favoritism should be illegal. Abatements, subsidies, credits, or
   other incentives to businesses based on geographical area, job
   creation, or any other criteria deny equal protection under the law.

6. We
   oppose any sales or use tax, including on the Internet.

VII.
ECONOMY

1. We
   believe in the free market, thus the complete separation of the
   economy and the state.

2. No
   commercial enterprises should be granted legal monopoly status,
   including the so-called natural monopolies of electricity, natural
   gas, water supplies, telephones, and cable television. The Michigan
   Public Service Commission should be abolished and all rate
   regulation in these industries ended. The right to offer such
   services in the marketplace should not be curtailed. We also call on
   the legislature to end the state monopoly on lotteries.

3. State
   regulation of industries such as insurance and communications, and
   professions such as medicine and law, should be ended. They should
   be regulated by trade or consumer groups.

4. The
   condemnation of private property for public use should only be
   allowed when necessary for the protection of the rights of the
   citizens.

5. We
   recognize all mutually agreed upon forms of trade, including, but
   not limited to non-fiat currencies such as precious metals,
   cryptocurrencies and bartering.

6. We
   oppose all government restrictions upon voluntary peaceful use of
   outer space, though this does not absolve launch providers or
   payload owners of damage they may cause to others.

VIII.
POVERTY

1. Providing
   for the needy by forcibly taxing others is contrary to the
   legitimate function of government, which is to protect the rights of
   everyone. Disbursing charity from a welfare system costs society
   more than it gains. It is inefficient, open to fraud and abuse, and
   creates resentment. Traditional, voluntary sources of emergency
   support from families, churches, private charities, and mutual aid
   societies have always been more humane, more effective, and
   willingly borne by the givers. Therefore, we call for the complete
   disbandment of the welfare state.

2. We
   oppose all attempts to criminalize the victims of coercion, such as
   the homeless. We therefore call for the immediate repeal of all laws
   against sleeping, camping, eating, feeding, or solicitation.

IX.
EDUCATION

1. Education
   is an individual or parental responsibility and best handled at the
   most local level. We advocate the separation of school and state.

2. Because
   parents are best situated to decide what is in their own children’s
   best interests, we support all measures that enhance the educational
   choices available, such as charter schools, tax credits for private
   school tuition, and home schooling.

3. Compulsory
   attendance and truancy laws should be repealed. Students cannot be
   forced to learn, and teachers should not be forced to act as
   juvenile delinquency officers.

4. All
   individuals, regardless of age, are entitled to the protections of
   the constitutions of the United States and Michigan. Random drug
   tests, locker searches without probable cause, censorship of student
   publications, corporal punishment, or any similar actions violate
   those rights.

5. All
   votes relevant to school operations, including millage proposals,
   bond issues and school board elections, should be placed only on the
   regular, biannual ballot.

X.
ENVIRONMENT

1. Aside
   from public safety, there is no greater concern for the people of
   Michigan than having a safe, healthy environment. We look forward to
   the day when all property not required for police and court
   functions is returned to private ownership and control.

2. We
   call for the restoration of every individual’s ancient, common law
   standing to sue for trespass any individual business, government or
   other group that pollutes their property.

3. We
   oppose creation of new government parks or wilderness and recreation
   areas. Such parks and areas that already exist should be transferred
   to non-government ownership. Pending such transfer, their operating
   costs should be borne by their users rather than by taxpayers.

4. We
   support efforts to hold all individuals, businesses and governments
   accountable for the pollution they cause. With respect to so-called
   orphan sites, where those responsible for contamination of ground or
   water either cannot be found or cannot be made accountable for the
   damage they caused, we support the use of the Natural Resources
   Trust Fund currently earmarked for expansion of state parks to be
   redirected to clean up.

X.
HEALTH CARE

1. The
   most fundamental property right is an individual’s right to own
   and control their own body. All individuals have the right to
   determine their own health care needs and treatment. Exercise of
   this right does not remove the moral obligations not to violate the
   rights of others. We recognize the state, when it exists, has a duty
   to protect the rights of others, particularly those in society who
   are the most vulnerable, including the very old, the very young, and
   the mentally handicapped. The state, where it exists, does have a
   duty to protect the life of all individuals, and should prosecute
   those who utilize force or fraud to end life.

2. The
   right of people to extend or end their lives with dignity should not
   be infringed. We support the freedom to use living wills and durable
   medical powers of attorney.

XII.
SECESSION

We
recognize the right to political secession. 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.

XIII.
INCLUSION

The
Libertarian Party of Michigan ratifies and hereby includes in this
document the platform of the national Libertarian Party.

XIV.
OMISSIONS

Our
silence about any other particular government law, regulation,
ordinance, directive, edict, control, restriction, regulatory agency,
or activity should not be construed to imply approval.