LP News March 1990
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Time to Talk Taxes Halve the Federal Budget Do the Same in Your Town Libertarians Can Tell ’Em How There’s one subject on which libertari¬ would call it stealing. If it is wrong for ans can hardly go wrong, a subject on private citizens to take others’ property, it which the Libertarian Party has the clear¬ is wrong when government does it. Private est advantage over the older parties. The citizens and companies would be called subject is taxation. criminals for using such methods, so it The Libertarian Party is the only must be criminal for our government to do political party committed in principle it. to the reduction of all taxes immedi¬ When taxation takes money or property ately and to the eventual elimination from private citizens and transfers it to of involuntary taxation itself. government, economic productivity de¬ With the latest staggering, debt-ridden clines. Employers cannot expand, busi¬ Pictured on the set of the new Ron Paul TV show, as they pre-recorded a federal budget now on the table, and with nesses fail, and jobs are lost. We have seen segment on taxation, are moderator Mike Hays, Ron Paul, and free market the annual horror of tax-thuggery filing this repeatedly, particularly during the economist Walter Williams. See just weeks away, the time clearly is ripe past 70 years since the federal income tax story on page 4. for the annual libertarian rallies and was introduced. Even successful businesses demonstrations against involuntary taxa¬ must still pass on the cost of taxes to tion to be girded as strongly as possible consumers. Everyone loses except the with practical alternatives rather than government. Paul Forms Coalition simply with objections. Experience shows that government is To begin with there is the program of inefficient. Most government services can the Libertarian Party, adopted at the last be provided better by private businesses, national convention. It deserves respect¬ private charities, and other community To End ful Drug Violence reading and widespread dissemina¬ organizations. tion: To begin the process of replacing taxa¬ tion with Calls for voluntary financing of govern¬ National Drug Peace Summit ment activities, we propose the following: TAXES: Ron Paul, a former four-term congress¬ a “National Drug Peace Summit” in Wash¬ 1. The Cruelest Burden Neither Congress nor any state man from Texas and legis¬ 1988 Libertarian ington, DC, to devise an action plan aimed One of the Libertarian lature should create any new tax or in¬ Party’s goals is Party presidential candidate, has an¬ at gaining congressional support for a bill to crease any tax rate from this nounced the replace taxation with voluntary meth¬ day forward. formation of the Coalition to to decriminalize drug use. ods for 2. A “sunset” provision should be added End financing government services. Drug Violence (CEDV) and called for “The bill can the re¬ to accomplish what The every tax statute. Such a a government uses force to collect provision would national Drug Peace Summit in Wash¬ peal of liquor prohibition accomplished,” taxes. If end the particular tax after two you don’t pay taxes—voluntar¬ years ington, DC, by the end of summer. Paul says. “It won’t end unless drug use, but it it is re-enacted. “We haven’t been able to ily—your property may be seized and you keep drugs out will end drug connected violence, over¬ 3. The U.S. Constitution and the state may be imprisoned. Our earnings and of prisons, so we can’t possibly keep them doses, and poisoned substances.” constitutions should be amended to pro¬ property are taken by force if we don’t away from a free society by using more Paul is a physician, a Christian, and vide for a binding initiative process where cooperate. If any organization or person police and military enforcement. The war father of five. He says he strongly opposes other than our government tried this, we continued on page 5 on drugs is a lost cause,” Paul says. “The drug use, “especially nicotine and alcohol,” way to end drug violence such as street which he says caused 99 deaths for each crime, gang wars, foreign military inter¬ illegal drug death last year. LP’s vention, and police state tactics is to de¬ “The crux of our argument is that, in Drug Stance Presented criminalize drug use. We will save 10 bil¬ reality, you can’t force people to act wisely lion dollars and these savings can go to¬ and responsibly; you have to educate and To Colombians ward During Summit drug education and drug treatment persuade them. Government threat and centers.” violence simply lead to more violence.” Thanks to a blitzkrieg fund-raising situation even worse, instead of solving Paul, whois chairman ofCEDV, says he For more information contact Ron Paul, effort by Utah activist Bob Waldrop, the this problem internally, we are export¬ expects the coalition to include all those 409-265-3034; Don Ernsberger, CEDV Libertarian Party has presented a full- ing this war to Central and South Amer¬ organizations and persons who have pub¬ executive director, 215-968-7127, or Tonie page advertisement in a major Bogota, ica, with terrible consequences for the licly stated their support of drug decrimi¬ Nathan, CEDV communications director, Colombia newspaper to coincide with people of Colombia, Panama, Peru, and nalization. He says CEDV intends to hold 800-869-6601. President Bush’s widely publicized Cart¬ Bolivia...” agena drug war summit. The ad also explains that the Liber¬ The ad, which explains the Libertar¬ tarian Party is the third largest party in ian Party position that drug use should the U.S. and has fielded candidates in be “considered as a health problem and each general election since 1972. Drug War Victim Page 3 not a The political problem,” goes on to say ad, appearing in El Tiempo, cost Paul on TV. that “for many years [drugs now de¬ $4,124. Most of the money was raised Page 4 clared illegal] were cultivated and used over just a few weeks, according to Wal¬ peacefully without death and slaughter drop, from the Libertarian Party activ¬ Taxing Issues .. ..Page 5 in North, Central, and South America. ist directory contributors and from par¬ Now the government ofthe United States ticipants in the Libemet electronic mail World Roundup Page 7 has declared ‘war on drugs.’ To make the network. 2 March 1990 Libertarian Party NEWS 'Read My Principles...’ Wanted: Answers By Norma D. Segal tion ofIn Pursuit ofHappiness and Good Government by Charles Murray. The book By Karl Hess Remember, no other political party ac¬ I remember was generously donated to the competi¬ tually is devoted steadily, constantly to feeling confused, then tion by the Free Press Association, de¬ Taxes, the subject of major coverage in reducing taxes. Over time this stunning angry, when I heard a Libertarian candi¬ date for a a un¬ scribed below. this issue of the NEWS, represent a major fact could become a real rallying point for public office offer quite libertarian response to a television re¬ Please suggest tough questions that challenge to libertarian political practical¬ millions of Americans who are just now you would like answered in the future. ity versus libertarian utopian¬ beginning to take tax rebellion porter’s question. Now I believe the reply came neither from ignorance nor antipa¬ Tell us about topics that stirred up en¬ ism. seriously. Check your local talk thy, but from panic. We need tohelp each ergy at your local meetings. Inform us of Probably the major utopian Viewpoint shows and news reports on that other come kindred libertarian criticism of the Lib¬ one. up with those bright and spirit organizations that can snappy answers we to supply libertarians with stimulating ertarian Party is that it suffers a sort of Libertarians need not say “read my all need sell the ammunition for their rhetorical arse¬ ideological original sin by even engaging lips, no new taxes.” Libertarians can product and become better candidates. From time to time, I’ll suggest a ques¬ nals. in politics with its inescapable entangle¬ say uread my principles, involuntary tion that could use The Free Press ment with the state. taxation must be reduced, reduced, short, hard-hitting Association, founded libertarian answers. The better responses by Michael Grossberg and 10 other jour¬ Ideologically, the charge is hard to re¬ and, finally, abolished will be nalists in 1981, is a national network of fute. The LP position that it is taking Reducing taxes may not be as noble a printed in the Libertarian Party NEWS. The best will receive a prize. A First Amendment absolutists. The Asso¬ practical action toward opposing, even cause or calling as storming the IRS pal¬ well known reporter at a New York con¬ ciation publishes a bimonthly newslet¬ dismantling, the state, or that it is practic¬ ace. Incremental change may seem wimp¬ vention tol d us, “My chiefcom pi ai nt about ter, holds annual human rights confer¬ ing a form of self-defense in which it al¬ ish at a time when the Berlin Wall is you people is that when I ask you for a ences and sponsors the annual Mencken ways seeks to dismantle laws, not forge falling, when dictators are falling. But practical solution to a current problem, Awards for outstanding writing in de¬ harsher ones—these defenses always those changes, as dramatic and as macho you quote Thomas at fense of freedom. Anyone may nominate sound thin when compared to the admit¬ as they may seem, are in fact just incre¬ Jefferson me.” Now, I love Jefferson and proved it by going to a book, editorial cartoon, news or feature tedly powerful, pure message of libertari¬ mental changes.