What is the Libertarian Party?

The Libertarian Party was created in 1971 by people who realized that politicians had strayed from America’s original libertarian foundation, with disastrous results. The new
party’s vision was the same as that of America’s founders—a society where individuals are free to follow their own dreams in their own ways—with “liberty and justice for all.”

The Libertarian Party’s platform is based on the moral principle of self-ownership. Each individual has the right to control his or her own body, actions, speech, and property.
And government’s only role should be to help individuals defend themselves from force or fraud.

Most people deal with each other on the premise of mutual respect. You don’t threaten your neighbors with fines or jail because they make choices that are different from yours.
We should hold our government to the same standard!

The Libertarian Party is the only political party that respects your rights as a unique and competent individual. We want a system that allows all people to choose what they want from life and that lets us live, work, play, and dream our own way.

Libertarians believe that you, and every person, have the:

• right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
• right to keep and bear arms
• right to live where you choose and how you choose
• right to privacy
• right to worship how, when, and where you choose
• right to be treated equally under the law

Libertarians believe that all rights, of all people, matter all the time.

Libertarians are practical—we know that we can’t make the world perfect. But it can be better. Libertarians will keep working to create a better, freer society for everyone.

Individual Equality and the Law

LPTexas supports the full and complete protection of all people from biased legislation that violates individual rights. Government should not discriminate based upon gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, wealth, profession, creed, national origin, personal habits, or political affiliation. LPTexas believes government does not have legitimate authority to define or restrict personal relationships or associations to any group of citizens. We believe that “Hate Crime” legislation is unconstitutional, and that our nation has prospered under the concept of “equal protection under the law.”

Government Spending and Debt

We seek to reduce the size and scope of government. The budgets of all levels of government must be balanced, and government spending reduced. Each existing tax must have a clearly specified purpose, and be subject to sunset at the end of each legislative session following its effective start date.

LPTexas supports a moratorium on bond issuance, Certificates of Obligation, and all other forms of government borrowing. Additionally, government-owned assets should be liquidated for the repayment of outstanding debt.

Crime and the Justice System

Federal Prosecution Limitation

Federal authority to prosecute crime is limited to only a few subjects: Treason; Counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States; Piracy and Felonies committed on the high Seas; Offenses against the Law of Nations; and violations of rights by state agents. We find no authority in the U.S. Constitution for extraterritorial criminal jurisdiction, including drug trafficking.

Vice and Morality Based Laws

LPTexas supports the repeal of all Vice and Morality based laws that are against consenting adults and that do no harm to others. The State has no right to either criminalize or legalize the morality of adult individuals and their interaction with other consenting adults.

Capital Punishment

LPTexas opposes the death penalty as a form of punishment by the state, as well as any other unnecessary use of force by state agents in response to criminal action.

Defense of Person and Property

The defense of person and property are inherent individual rights, and must not be restricted or impeded. Therefore, LPTexas supports the right of individuals to keep and bear arms in a manner consistent with the Non-Aggression Principle.

Education

LPTexas seeks to eliminate truancy laws and other barriers to school choice, and supports competition in education, in accordance with community standards. We believe that parents/guardians should have the authority to decide where and how their children are educated. We support measures to restore decision-making regarding education to parents, guardians, teachers, and/or local education boards.

LPTexas rejects any involvement of the federal government in our local school systems, including funding.

LPTexas seeks a nonpartisan education funding policy that would provide equitable use of state funds to eliminate waste and decrease bureaucracy, with the ultimate goal of voluntary funding.

Taxation

All persons are entitled to the fruits of their labor. As such, LPTexas opposes the imposition of income tax by any governmental entity. Additionally, we support a Constitutional amendment that would require at least two-thirds majority vote by each house of the legislature to increase the rate of any tax. Taxation should be used only for services that cannot be provided by free market solutions.