Platform
Progressive Libertarianism is a political concept that encompasses a wide range of issues that other political ideologies do not cover and approaches them in a manner that is consistent with progressive “dictionary defined” ideology in a limited government manner. Below is a loose platform of the general ideas and goals of Progressive Libertarianism. Please note that this is ever changing, so check back often to see if something new has been added or updated.
We don’t expect everyone to fully agree with this platform, as it’s understandable that there is no one size fits all ideology. However, the platform as a whole is sufficient for starting us on the road to where we want to go. If you find what you feel is a fault with anything in this platform, please raise the subject and demonstrate your objections to a particular stance. We encourage everyone to be open-minded, critical, objective thinkers.
-Election reform, improving our outdated system of voting by upgrading to a more efficient system that allows voters to truly voice their opinion at the polls by giving them the ability to not worry about “wasted votes” through the implementation of Approval Voting or Range Voting. Ballot access laws must be reformed as well to allow all parties and candidates an equal chance at getting on ballots. Currently most third party and independent candidates must collect twice, and sometimes as much as four times as more signatures than Democrats or Republicans in order to be on a ballot. People should have the choice of using a paper ballot as voting machines have been proven to be susceptible to manipulation.
-All congressional members’ pensions, healthcare plans, and other perks not given to the general population must be eliminated so that these people may live with the same reality as everyone else. Congressional service is an honor, and while it should be a paid position, it should not be granted any sort of retirement or healthcare benefits.
-Reduction of federal government spending, begin reducing program and agency funding in all areas possible, focusing on efficiency, starting with the massive defense budget. Begin paying down federal debt, with tax reductions across the board as annual budgets are decreased. The government should be producing a surplus every year and finding ways to reduce costs. The cost of government at all levels should be brought down.
-Tax Code Reform, with the income tax completely replaced by a consumption tax, excluding necessities such as food, utilities, medicine, and housing. Various luxury items that typically only the rich can afford could have additional taxes levied. Businesses would stay on an income tax system, though most deductions would be eliminated in order to close tax loopholes. Taxes must be reduced for businesses so that our country can remain competitive in the world marketplace. We currently have the highest rates of taxes on businesses in the world, and while some notable corporate giants manage to avoid paying most or all taxes, there are vastly more businesses that do pay heavy taxes, causing a burden on our economic system and discourages new businesses and expansion for small and medium businesses.
-The abolishment of property taxes with the exception of a tax on transactions. Property passed on in a will would be excluded from this transaction tax. As long as the government collects rent in the form of taxes on property, we cannot truly be real property owners, the basis of being a free individual.
-No jail time ever for failure to pay taxes. Place liens or payroll deductions instead, no one should ever lose their freedom over taxes. How is removing a productive, non-criminal citizen and remanding them to state custody helping anyone? Moving people from being productive to being completely dependent on tax payers in jail is a massive failure.
-One’s primary residence should never be subject to seizure over failure to pay taxes, file liens and wait. No one should lose the roof over their heads to taxes. This is a key part of maintaining the middle class, taking pressure off of them by not taxing them into oblivion. We don’t need the state making more poor people.
-A business should never be forced to close its doors and sell its assets in order to satisfy a tax debt. Put them on a payment plan instead and/or place liens against their property. No good is served by getting rid of sources of employment and commerce.
-Eminent Domain Reform, a person’s private property should never be seized through the use of eminent domain unless it is solely for the use of public property, and even then its use should be limited. Property should never be taken from one individual to be given to another. When the use of eminent domain is employed, the person whose land is being seized should be paid above market value for their property.
-Monetary Policy Reform, ending the creation of currency with no actual backing, otherwise known as fiat money; basically the creation of money out of thin air. Government debt and creation of currency with no backing causes the devaluation of our currency and inflation, which in turn slows the growth of the economy, causes job loss, and produces artificial bubbles in the economy. Control of the monetary system should be returned to the federal government and interest rates should be left solely to market forces to encourage savings. Our monetary system should be backed by precious metals with each one being independent of the other in basing its value. Inflation regularly eats away savings and drives up costs. A product bought for $20 in 1913 would cost roughly $445 today. For a better explanation of the monetary system, click here.
Alongside our monetary system should be other forms of currency chosen freely by individuals to allow freedom of choice of currency unregulated by government. This will serve as a check to government created currency and reduce the chances of the dollar being devalued. Legal tender laws should be abolished. Fractional reserve lending must be made illegal, as it is a false representation of money and one of the core problems with our economic system.
-Government energy efficiency and pollution reduction is not only preferable, but demanded, and rightly so. Anywhere within government where there is room to improve energy efficiency, cut down on pollution, and enact recycling programs, reasonable measures should be taken to ensure that this is done. In various areas, this may cost more at first, but over time it will decrease the costs of government and drastically reduce the amount of pollution introduced to the environment through government actions. The government cannot force these practices on others, but can be a leading example of efficiency.
-Support clean energy, however realizing that some of these technologies will not be viable for a while on a large scale. Until we can fully move into “green” energy, oil and gas reserves here at home must be tapped to decrease our dependence on foreign energy sources. To promote the expansion of clean and renewable energy, these sectors should not be subject to any taxes. We must also ensure that patents are not preventing clean energy from moving forward, as often there have been cases where green technology has been patented by people in order to keep it from being put into use.
-End “special interests regulations” and the subsidization of businesses in all areas of the market. Government should not be giving money to businesses of any kind and should not make law supporting or handicapping any individual business or group of businesses. Services that the government contracts out to the private sector would be excluded. The practice of using no-bid contracts must be ended.
-Focus more on economic relationships and less on political relationships with other countries, as this will help to promote more stability for ourselves by increasing our economy and decreasing foreign threats through friendly trade. Economic cooperation and prosperity is a key element to the prevention of hostility.
-Reduction of foreign military activities, keeping a relatively strong standing military, only intervening when defensively necessary to protect U.S. interests, not to include U.S. business interests, with each incident being dealt with on a case by case basis. Bases around the world should be closed to eliminate unneeded operating costs and bring soldiers back home to their families where they can be far more productive. Military spending has to be reduced so that resources can be freed up to help grow the economy.
-Ensure complete and free care is given to our soldiers/veterans. If you fight for our country, you deserve to have free health care provided to you. Our current health care services for our military are sub-par and unacceptable. Veterans should be allowed to see their own doctors and not be required to see VA doctors.
-Support the rights of the individual to allow freedom of choice and allow people to be held more accountable to the consequences of their actions. Equal rights across the board for all citizens, with the understanding that equal rights and opportunity don’t guarantee equal success.
-Support the right of free persons to associate or not associate in labor unions, and that an employer has the right to recognize or refuse to recognize a union. We oppose government interference in labor organizing and bargaining. We do not condone violence used on behalf of businesses or labor to prevent others from working and expressing themselves.
-Affirm the right of the people to keep and bear arms.
-Affirm separation of church and state so as to ensure that tax payer money is not used to fund any sort of religion and that no religion is placed above any other.
-Affirm that neither federal nor state government should be involved with marriage, however realizing this is unlikely to happen. Therefor we support same sex couples receiving the same privileges and protection that all heterosexual couples enjoy.
-Acknowledge that private property, even when open to the public, is subject only to the rules of the property owner. Government should not be allowed to regulate what legal activities a person does on private property.
-Repeal of the Patriot Act.
-Repeal of the Military Selective Service Act, compulsory military services is the complete opposite of liberty. Slavery has been abolished, yet the government still has the ability to force people into slavery via a draft.
-Have social security and medicare become optional programs, with a plan to stabilize the programs in order to make them viable. What you pay in is what you get out of it.
-Work to enact legislation that will reduce the overhead of medical companies in order to ensure lower health care costs. Medical patent regulations must be reformed to disallow the re-patenting of drugs that have only been slightly altered, and decrease the length of the patents. Tort reform is a must in order to decrease the costs of health care as well. More people should be encouraged to become doctors and existing doctors should be able to perform a wider range of services. Consumers should be able to purchase insurance coverage through any means they deem practical by allowing them to buy insurance from any company they choose as well as through their doctor, and consumers should not be required to purchase health insurance. We should be looking for ways to rework our laws and regulations to help the companies cut down on costs before a government program is considered. For a further explanation, please visit http://mises.org/daily/1749
-The FDA should be more of a consumer awareness agency and less of a regulatory agency, increasing its effectiveness, however not expanding its power, in order to keep businesses in check to ensure that consumers are receiving quality, adequate information about their products and services. This would mean that instead of restricting the market by barring entry of certain products, the FDA would only have the power to ensure that companies give consumers full information about their products, services, and business practices, and fine companies for not providing adequate information to their consumers. As a consumer awareness and assistance agency, the FDA would also assist consumers with consumer legal action. Most people lack the resources to challenge companies that wrong others in court; this is where the FDA could step in and genuinely help consumers against businesses with bad practices.
-Reform of licensing regulations, removing unnecessary licensing requirements, making the licensing optional as a service to the public. People are then free to choose if they want to use licensed or unlicensed businesses and individuals.
-Term limits for every elected position within government, with a limit on the number of years a Supreme Court judge can serve. A career politician worries about getting re-elected, not doing the right thing. Double the size of the House of Representatives so that other candidates have a better chance of running and the people are better represented as a representative would have to worry about pleasing a more concentrated group of people. This has the added bonus of requiring less money to be spent on campaigns.
-Education reform with more emphasis on private schooling and modernization of the current schooling system to ensure those who do not have the ability to attend a private school will still have the opportunity to receive a quality education. State-wide universal school vouchers are currently the best solution in moving towards a better education system that will promote competition, increasing the quality of education and give parents more choice in their children’s education. Let states have full control over their education systems and allow competition and diversity to breed quality in education.
-Hemp legalization to allow hemp products to challenge traditional paper, rubber, nylon, and various other products in the market, providing better quality products all around. Many people mistakenly believe that hemp is a drug, when in fact it is not and was once encouraged by the government to be grown to help supply our military with uniforms and the navy with sails and ropes. Hemp can grow in even the harshest of environments and would be great for replacing corn subsidized by the government, allowing farmers to expand their operations and increase wages. The North American Industrial Hemp Council provides some great information pertaining to hemp and it’s numerous uses http://www.naihc.org/hemp_information/hemp_facts.html
-Drug law reform, ending the drug war and looking towards decriminalization/legalization. Click here for a detailed explanation.
-Place more emphasis on charity support to help decrease government funded programs by having a national non-discriminatory database of charities that people can donate to. Charities especially thrive when people are in a low rate consumption tax system rather than an income tax system as people have a vast amount of more control over their money.
-Advocate for welfare-to-work programs that ensure that the people being granted money and services are working to help the system support itself, also expanding programs to help with daycare for children.