ROLE OF GOVERNMENT

What did the Founding Fathers believe the role of government to be?

“That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves,” and “…what more is necessary to make us a happy and a prosperous people? …a wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.” Thomas Jefferson

“Our Governmental System is established by a compact…between the States.” James Madison

“This [government] is likely to be well administered for a course of years, and can only end in Despotism, as other forms have done before it, when the people shall become so corrupted as to need despotic Government, being incapable of any other.” Benjamin Franklin

“Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.” George Washington

A legitimate and primary purpose of civil government is to safeguard the God-given rights of its citizens; namely, life, liberty, and property…The sole purpose of government, as stated in the Declaration of Independence, is to secure our unalienable rights given us by our Creator. When Government grows beyond this scope, it is usurpation, and liberty is compromised. We believe the major issues we face today are best solved by a renewed allegiance to the original intent of these founding documents.

Democratic Party

Social entrepreneurs and leading nonprofit organizations are assisting schools, lifting families out of poverty, filling health care gaps, and inspiring others to lead change in their own communities. We will create an office to coordinate government and nonprofit efforts. We will form a government as decent, candid, purposeful and compassionate as the American people themselves. This is the country of Abraham Lincoln, Susan B. Anthony, Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez, and Rosa Parks – people who had the audacity to believe that their country could be a better place, and the courage to work to make it so. We will shine a light on government spending.

Libertarian Party

The protection of individual rights is the only proper purpose of government. Government is constitutionally limited so as to prevent the infringement of individual rights by the government itself. The principle of non-initiation of force should guide the relationships between governments.

Republican Party

Republicans will uphold and defend our party’s core principles: Constrain the federal government to its legitimate constitutional functions. Unleash the power of enterprise, innovation, civic energy, and the American spirit — and never pretend that government is a substitute for family or community. Modern management of the federal government is long overdue.

REPEAL THE 16TH AMENDMENT

The original Constitution states, “The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts…” Duties and Imposts are known as a tariff, a tax levied on goods coming into this country while an Excise tax is based on consumption such as a gasoline tax paying for road construction and maintenance. It goes on to say, “No…direct Tax shall be laid, unless in Proportion to the Census [of that state].” So, the Founders did not want a direct tax on a man’s labor. It was never their intent to tax the creation of wealth. They wanted a wealthy nation. They envisioned that if the federal government needed additional funding it would levy taxes on each State in proportion to the census.

The 16th Amendment ratified in 1913…has led to a broken tax system creating lawbreakers and making criminals of many citizens. It states, “The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.”

Constitution Party

Since 1913, our Constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property have been abridged and diminished by the imposition on each of us of Federal income, payroll, and estate taxes. We propose legislation to abolish the Internal Revenue Service. To the degree that tariffs on foreign products, and excises, are insufficient to cover the legitimate Constitutional costs of the federal government, we will offer an apportioned “state-rate tax” in which the responsibility for covering the cost of unmet obligations will be divided among the several states in accordance with their proportion of the total population.

Democratic Party

(No mention is made to repeal the 16th Amendment.) We will restore fairness and responsibility to our tax code. We must reform our tax code. It’s thousands of pages long, a monstrosity that high-priced lobbyists have rigged with page after page of special interest loopholes and tax shelters. We will shut down the corporate loopholes and tax havens and use the money so that we can provide an immediate middle-class tax cut that will offer relief to workers and their families. We’ll eliminate federal income taxes for millions of retirees, because all seniors deserve to live out their lives with dignity and respect. We will not increase taxes on any family earning under $250,000 and we will offer additional tax cuts for middle class families. For families making more than $250,000, we’ll ask them to give back a portion of the Bush tax cuts to invest in health care and other key priorities. We will fulfill our obligation to strengthen Social Security and to make sure that it provides guaranteed benefits Americans can count on, now and in future generations. We will not privatize it.

Libertarian Party

All persons are entitled to keep the fruits of their labor. We call for the repeal of the income tax, the abolishment of the Internal Revenue Service and all federal programs and services not required under the U.S. Constitution.  We oppose any legal requirements forcing employers to serve as tax collectors. Retirement planning is the responsibility of the individual, not the government. We favor replacing the current government-sponsored Social Security system with a private voluntary system. The proper source of help for the poor is the voluntary efforts of private groups and individuals.

Republican Party

In any fundamental restructuring of federal taxation, to guard against the possibility of hypertaxation of the American people, any value added tax or national sales tax must be tied to simultaneous repeal of the Sixteenth Amendment, which established the federal income tax. The Republican Party will put a stop to both social engineering and corporate handouts by simplifying tax policy, eliminating special deals, and putting those saved dollars back into the taxpayers’ pockets. Republicans support tax credits for health care and medical expenses. We support a tax code that encourages personal savings. Government can play an important role in addressing economic dislocations by modernizing its re-training and unemployment assistance programs. Because affordable housing is in the national interest, any simplified tax system should continue to encourage homeownership.

REPEAL THE 17TH AMENDMENT

While U.S. Representatives have always been elected by the people’s direct vote, originally U.S. Senators were to be elected by each State’s legislature. Article 1, Section 3 states, “The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof.” The Founders intended that Senators would represent the State’s voice in the nation’s affairs. However, the 17th Amendment ratified in 1913 says, “The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof…” The States, which ratified the Constitution, have lost their voice.

Constitution Party

If we are to see a return to the states those powers, programs, and sources of revenue that the federal government has unconstitutionally taken away, then it is also vital that we repeal the Seventeenth Amendment and return to state legislatures the function of electing the U.S. Senate. In so doing, this would return the U.S. Senate to being a body that represents the legislatures of the several states on the federal level and, thus, a tremendously vital part of the designed checks and balances of power that our Constitution originally provided.

Democratic Party

(No mention of repealing the 17th Amendment.)

Libertarian Party

(No mention of repealing the 17th Amendment.)

Republican Party

(No mention of repealing the 17th Amendment.)

ABOLISH OR REDUCE THE FEDERAL RESERVE & PAY OFF THE NATIONAL DEBT

The Federal Reserve’s responsibilities are to influence money and credit, ensure soundness of the nation’s banking and financial system and provide financial services. It has obviously and dramatically failed. Instead, the Federal Reserve sets an artificial interest rate causing economic “bubbles,” and creates inflation by continuing to print fiat currency, pieces of paper not backed by gold and silver. The Federal Reserve’s role must be abolished or reduced to that of a clearing house. The National Debt must be responsibly paid off before it bankrupts the nation.

Constitution Party

The federal government has departed from the principle of “coin” money as defined by the U.S. Constitution and the Mint Act of 1792 and has granted unconstitutional control of the nation's monetary and banking system to the private Federal Reserve System. In order for such reform to be effective, it is necessary that these United States: Return to the money system set forth in the Constitution; Repeal the Federal Reserve Act and reform the current Federal Reserve banks to become clearing houses only; And Prohibit fractional reserve banking. Budget considerations are greatly impacted by the ever rising national debt. Interest on the debt is one of the largest expenses of government, and unless the interest is paid, the debt will continue to grow as interest is added to interest. If we are to get rid of the debt, a time needs to be set within which the debt will be funded, and then pay it off within that period. Whatever the payoff period may be, three things must happen within that time: The annual reductions have to be made without fail; All interest must be paid as it accrues; and The government must not spend more than it takes in during the payoff period.

Democratic Party

(No mention of The Federal Reserve. No plan to pay off the National Debt.) America cannot afford to continue to run up huge deficits. The key is to make the tough choices, in particular enforcing pay-as-you-go budgeting rules. We will maintain fiscal responsibility, so that we do not mortgage our children’s future on a mountain of debt.

Libertarian Party

(No specific mention of The Federal Reserve. No plan to pay off the National Debt.) Government should not incur debt, which burdens future generations without their consent. We support the passage of a "Balanced Budget Amendment" to the U.S. Constitution, provided that the budget is balanced exclusively by cutting expenditures, and not by raising taxes. We favor free-market banking, with unrestricted competition among banks and depository institutions of all types. We support a halt to inflationary monetary policies.

Republican Party

(No mention of The Federal Reserve. No plan to pay off the National Debt.) We favor adoption of the Balanced Budget Amendment to require a balanced federal budget except in time of war.

USE GOLD AND SILVER-BASED CURRENCY

Article 1, Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution says, “No State shall...make any Thing but gold and silver coin a Tender in Payment of Debts.” According to the Constitution, States must use gold and silver to back up currency. Many States wouldn’t sign the original Constitution unless this provision was inserted. As the Constitution specifically grants this authority to the States, Congress and President Roosevelt had no Constitutional authority to take the nation off gold-backed tender, and Congress and President Johnson had no Constitutional authority to take the nation off silver-backed tender.

Constitution Party

The Constitution forbade the States from accepting or using anything other than a gold and silver based currency. Money functions as both a medium of exchange and a symbol of a nation's morality. The Founding Fathers established a system of “coin” money that was designed to prohibit the “improper and wicked” manipulation of the nation's medium of exchange while guaranteeing the power of the citizens' earnings. The Constitution Party recommends a…return to the money system set forth in the Constitution.

Democratic Party

(No mention of having a gold and silver-based currency.)

Libertarian Party

(No mention of having a gold and silver-based currency. In fact, the opposite appears to be true.) Individuals engaged in voluntary exchange should be free to use as money any mutually agreeable commodity or item. We support a…repeal of legal tender laws and compulsory governmental units of account.

Republican Party

(No mention of having a gold and silver-based currency.)

STATES RIGHTS: HEALTHCARE AND OTHER

Return powers not specifically delegated to the federal government back to the States and/or to the people (10th Amendment) thereby respecting the rights of each locale to fittingly solve their problems. The 10th Amendment states, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

Constitution Party

The Constitution delegated few, enumerated powers to the Federal Government, reserving all remaining powers to the States and the people. The federal government has no authority to mandate policies relating to state education, natural resources, transportation, private business, housing, etc. We call upon the states to reclaim their legitimate role in federal affairs and legislation and thus cause the federal government to divest itself of operations not authorized by the Constitution and extract the federal government from such enterprises, whether or not they compete with private enterprise. Our Constitution grants no authority to the federal government either to grant or deny the religious expressions of the people in any place. Both the First and Tenth Amendments forbid such tyranny.

Democratic Party

(No mention of States' rights.) Health and wellness is a shared responsibility among individuals and families, school systems, employers, the medical and public health workforce and government at all levels. Democrats are united around a commitment that every American man, woman, and child be guaranteed affordable, comprehensive healthcare. While there are different approaches within the Democratic Party about how best to achieve the commitment of covering every American, with everyone in and no one left out, we stand united to achieve this fundamental objective through the legislative process.

Libertarian Party

(No mention of States' rights.) We favor restoring and reviving a free market health care system. We recognize the freedom of individuals to determine the level of health insurance they want, the level of health care they want, the care providers they want, the medicines and treatments they will use and all other aspects of their medical care, including end-of-life decisions.

Republican Party

Congress must respect the limits imposed upon it by the Tenth Amendment. We look to the model of Republican welfare reform, which, since its enactment in 1996, has accomplished a major transfer of resources and responsibility from the federal government back to the states with an accompanying improvement in the program itself. We commit to revive Medicare by rewarding quality care, promoting competition, eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse, and giving patients and providers control over treatment options. We envision a new Medicaid partnership with the states, improving. Republicans support tax credits for health care and medical expenses. The job of modernizing Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid calls for bipartisanship, not political posturing. Through the last four presidential terms, we have sought that cooperation, but it has not been forthcoming.

RESPECT AND RESTORE FREE ENTERPRISE

The United States was founded on the belief of life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness. The free market, merchants buying and selling and consumers choosing the best allocation of their resources, is the basis of wealth creation. A smaller, leaner federal government envisioned by the Founding Fathers promotes freedom by imposing minimally adequate regulations.

Constitution Party

America was founded on the economic principles of the “free enterprise” system. An individual was free to operate his business under the law without government intervention and regulation. This economic system is being replaced by public (government) – private partnerships. This system is called fascism. The Constitution Party is opposed to public-private partnerships and is for a return to the true “free enterprise” system that once made our nation great and economically prosperous.

Democratic Party

We will devote $50 billion to jumpstarting the economy. Taking these immediate measures will create up to five million jobs. Our agenda is ambitious. Throughout our history, Americans have pursued their dreams within a free market that has been the engine of America's progress. But the American experiment has worked in large part because we have guided the market’s invisible hand with a higher principle. Our free market was never meant to be a free license to take whatever you can get, however you can get it. That is why we have put in place rules of the road to make competition fair, open, and honest. We have done this not to stifle – but rather to advance – prosperity and liberty. In this time of economic transformation and crisis, we must be stewards of this economy more than ever before.

Libertarian Party

A free and competitive market allocates resources in the most efficient manner. Each person has the right to offer goods and services to others on the free market. The only proper role of government in the economic realm is to protect property rights, adjudicate disputes, and provide a legal framework in which voluntary trade is protected. All efforts by government to redistribute wealth, or to control or manage trade, are improper in a free society.

Republican Party

Economic freedom expands the prosperity pie; government can only divide it up. That is why Republicans advocate lower taxes, reasonable regulation, and smaller, smarter government. Increasing our production of American made energy and reducing our excessive reliance on foreign oil will bring down the high cost of gasoline and diesel fuel, create more jobs for American workers, enhance our national security. Republicans envision a western hemisphere of sovereign nations with secure borders, working together to advance liberty and mutually beneficial trade based on sound and proven free enterprise principles.

NATIONAL DEFENSE, RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS & ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

From the U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 8, “The Congress shall…provide for the common Defence…To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offenses against the Law of Nations; To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water; To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years; To provide and maintain a Navy; To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces; To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions; To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress.” And, the 2nd Amendment says, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

Constitution Party

It is a primary obligation of the federal government to provide for the common defense, and to be vigilant regarding potential threats, prospective capabilities, and perceived intentions of potential enemies. We condemn the presidential assumption of authority to deploy American troops into combat without a declaration of war by Congress, pursuant to Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution. We call for the maintenance of a strong, state-of-the-art military on land, sea, in the air, and in space. These United States is properly a free and sovereign republic which should strive to live in peace with all nations, without interfering in their internal affairs, and without permitting their interference in ours. We are, therefore, unalterably opposed to entangling alliances. The right to bear arms is inherent in the right of self defense. The Constitution Party upholds the right of the citizen to keep and bear arms. We oppose attempts to prohibit ownership of guns by law abiding citizens, and stand against all laws which would require the registration of guns or ammunition. We emphasize that when guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have them. We affirm the integrity of the international borders of these United States and the Constitutional authority and duty of the federal government to guard and to protect those borders, including the regulation of the numbers and of the qualifications of immigrants into the country. We favor a moratorium on immigration to these United States, except in extreme hardship cases or in other individual special circumstances, until the availability of all federal subsidies and assistance be discontinued, and proper security procedures have been instituted to protect against terrorist infiltration.

Democratic Party

We will create a properly resourced Shared Security Partnership to enhance counter-terrorism cooperation with countries around the world, including through information sharing as well as funding for training, operations, border security, anti-corruption programs, technology, and targeting terrorist financing. We will not hesitate to use force to protect the American people or our vital interests whenever we are attacked or imminently threatened. We believe we must also be willing to consider using military force in circumstances beyond self-defense in order to provide for the common security that underpins global stability – to support friends, participate in stability and reconstruction operations, or confront mass atrocities. We recognize that the right to bear arms is an important part of the American tradition, and we will preserve Americans’ Second Amendment right to own and use firearms. We believe that the right to own firearms is subject to reasonable regulation, but we know that what works in Chicago may not work in Cheyenne. We can work together to enact and enforce commonsense laws and improvements – like closing the gun show loophole, improving our background check system, and reinstating the assault weapons ban, so that guns do not fall into the hands of terrorists or criminals. We cannot continue to allow people to enter the United States undetected, undocumented, and unchecked. The American people are a welcoming and generous people, but those who enter our country’s borders illegally, and those who employ them, disrespect the rule of the law. We need to secure our borders, and support additional personnel, infrastructure, and technology on the border and at our ports of entry.

Libertarian Party

We support the maintenance of a sufficient military to defend the United States against aggression. The United States should both abandon its attempts to act as policeman for the world and avoid entangling alliances. We oppose any form of compulsory national service. The only legitimate use of force is in defense of individual rights — life, liberty, and justly acquired property — against aggression. This right inheres in the individual, who may agree to be aided by any other individual or group. We affirm the right to keep and bear arms, and oppose the prosecution of individuals for exercising their rights of self-defense. We oppose all laws at any level of government requiring registration of, or restricting, the ownership, manufacture, or transfer or sale of firearms or ammunition. We support control over the entry into our country of foreign nationals who pose a threat to security, health or property.

Republican Party

The waging of war, and the achieving of peace, should never be micromanaged in a party platform, or on the floor of the Senate and House of Representatives for that matter. In dealing with present conflicts and future crises, our next president must preserve all options. The security of our country is now everyone’s responsibility, from the Department of Homeland Security to state and local first responders, private businesses, and individual families. We support the right of off-duty and retired officers to carry firearms. We uphold the right of individual Americans to own Firearms…and we assert the individual responsibility to safely use and store firearms. Gun ownership is responsible citizenship, enabling Americans to defend themselves, their property, and communities. Border security is essential to national security. The American people’s rejection of en masse legalizations is especially appropriate given the federal government’s past failures to enforce the law.

FAMILY, EDUCATION & RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

The Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The Preamble of the Constitution says it is to “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.” Religious education and freedom is encouraged by recommending churches remove themselves from IRS 501(c)(3) status. The 1st Amendment of the Constitution says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

Constitution Party

The law of our Creator defines marriage as the union between one man and one woman. The marriage covenant is the foundation of the family, and the family is fundamental in the maintenance of a stable, healthy and prosperous social order. No government may legitimately authorize or define marriage or family relations contrary to what God has instituted. Our posterity includes children born and future generations yet unborn. Any legalization of the termination of innocent life of the born or unborn is a direct violation of our unalienable right to life. The pre-born child, whose life begins at fertilization, is a human being created in God's image. The first duty of the law is to prevent the shedding of innocent blood. It is, therefore, the duty of all civil governments to secure and to safeguard the lives of the pre-born. All teaching is related to basic assumptions about God and man. Education as a whole, therefore, cannot be separated from religious faith. The law of our Creator assigns the authority and responsibility of educating children to their parents. Because the federal government has absolutely no jurisdiction concerning the education of our children, the United States Department of Education should be abolished; all federal legislation related to education should be repealed.

Democratic Party

We support the full inclusion of all families, including same-sex couples, in the life of our nation, and support equal responsibility, benefits, and protections. We oppose the Defense of Marriage Act and all attempts to use this issue to divide us. The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to choose a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay, and we oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right. The Democratic Party also strongly supports access to comprehensive affordable family planning services and age-appropriate sex education. The Democratic Party firmly believes that graduation from a quality public school and the opportunity to succeed in college must be the birthright of every child – not the privilege of the few. We will make quality, affordable early childhood care and education available to every American child from the day he or she is born. We must ensure that every student has a high-quality teacher and an effective principal. That starts with recruiting a new generation of teachers and principals by making this pledge – if you commit your life to teaching, America will commit to paying for your college education. We will empower grassroots faith-based and community groups to help meet challenges like poverty, ex-offender reentry, and illiteracy.

Libertarian Party

Sexual orientation, preference, gender, or gender identity should have no impact on the rights of individuals by government, such as in current marriage, child custody, adoption, immigration or military service laws. Consenting adults should be free to choose their own sexual practices and personal relationships. Government does not have the authority to define, license or restrict personal relationships. Recognizing that abortion is a sensitive issue and that people can hold good-faith views on all sides, we believe that government should be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to each person for their conscientious consideration. Education, like any other service, is best provided by the free market, achieving greater quality and efficiency with more diversity of choice. Schools should be managed locally to achieve greater accountability and parental involvement. Recognizing that the education of children is inextricably linked to moral values, we would return authority to parents to determine the education of their children, without interference from government. In particular, parents should have control of and responsibility for all funds expended for their children's education.

Republican Party

Because our children’s future is best preserved within the traditional understanding of marriage, we call for a constitutional amendment that fully protects marriage as a union of a man and a woman, so that judges cannot make other arrangements equivalent to it. As the family is our basic unit of society, we oppose initiatives to erode parental rights. Faithful to the first guarantee of the Declaration of Independence, we assert the inherent dignity and sanctity of all human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution, and we endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to unborn children. Parents should be able to decide the learning environment that is best for their child. We support choice in education for all families, especially those with children trapped in dangerous and failing schools, whether through charter schools, vouchers or tax credits for attending faith-based or other nonpublic schools, or the option of home schooling. We support initiatives to block-grant more Department of Education funding to the states, with requirements for state-level standards.

THE COMMON MAN

To recoup his sovereignty The Common Man must accept personal responsibility for his life ensuring an adequate balance of power between his rights and that bequeathed by him to the state and federal governments.

Constitution Party

We affirm the principles of inherent individual rights upon which these United States of America were founded: That each individual is endowed by his Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are the rights to life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness; That the freedom to own, use, exchange, control, protect, and freely dispose of property is a natural, necessary and inseparable extension of the individual's unalienable rights; That the legitimate function of government is to secure these rights through the preservation of domestic tranquility, the maintenance of a strong national defense, and the promotion of equal justice for all; That history makes clear that left unchecked, it is the nature of government to usurp the liberty of its citizens and eventually become a major violator of the people's rights; and That, therefore, it is essential to bind government with the chains of the Constitution and carefully divide and jealously limit government powers to those assigned by the consent of the governed.

Democratic Party

(No mention of individual rights or the sovereignty of the individual.)

Libertarian Party

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. Consequently, we defend each person's right to engage in any activity that is peaceful and honest, and 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.

Republican Party

(No mention of the sovereignty of the individual.) Individual rights - and the responsibilities that go with them - are the foundation of a free society. From the time of Lincoln, equality of individuals has been a cornerstone of the Republican Party.