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Libertarian Party FAQ: Statement of Principles


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                             LIBERTARIAN PARTY
                          STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES
                                       
   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 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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