2008 Libertarian Party Platform Committee
Meeting Minutes

February 15th-16th, 2008 in Las Vegas / Henderson, NV

Unless noted otherwise, recorded motions were seconded without the seconder's name being noted. Votes recorded as e.g. N-2 or 2-N indicate 2 votes against the majority, without necessarily indicating there were no abstentions. Blue underlining indicates new text to insert. Red strike-through indicates text to delete.

Committee Members Present

Temporary Chair Alicia Mattson called the meeting to order at 0900.

Name			Status			Present
Alicia Mattson		LNC Appointee		X
Steve Dasbach 		LNC Appointee		X
Adam Mayer		LNC Appointee		X
David Aitken		LNC Appointee		X
Hardy Macia		LNC Appointee		X
Steven Burden		LNC Appointee		
Robert Capozzi		LNC Appointee		X
Bonnie Scott		LNC Appointee		X
Brian Holtz		LNC Appointee		X
Jon Roland		LNC Appointee		
Bruce Dovner		CA State Appointee	
Guy McLendon		TX State Appointee	X
Vicki Kirkland		FL State Appointee	X
Audrey Capozzi		NY State Appointee	X
Henry Haller		PA State Appointee	X
Glenn Tatum		GA State Appointee	
Donny Ferguson		VA State Appointee	X
Norma Skoog		OH State Appointee	
John Howell		IL State Appointee	X
Dan Grow		MI State Appointee	X

Rob Power		LNC Alternate #1	X
Ruth Bennett		LNC Alternate #2	X
Jim Duensing		LNC Alternate #3	X
Morey Straus		LNC Alternate #4	
Fred Drew		TX State Alternate	
John Wayne Smith	FL State Alternate	X
Ebert Beeman		PA State Alternate	
Ann Leech		OH State Alternate	
Bill Hall		MI State Alternate

Public Comment

The audience initially included about a dozen people, including the four attending alternates. The audience was invited to offer comments, and several of them did so.

Seating Alternates

Haller moved to seat the first two LNC-appointed alternates in the absence of two LNC-appointed members. The Chair relied on the following in arguing that precedent from LNC and previous Platform Committees does not allow seating of alternates for things other than vacancies:

LP Bylaw Article 1: These articles shall govern the association known as the "Libertarian Party," hereinafter referred to as the "Party."

LP Bylaw Article 13: The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall govern the Party in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with other rules adopted by the Party.

LP Bylaw Article 11.7.4: Ranked alternates may be named by the appointing bodies to fill any vacancies in the Convention Committees.

LP Convention Rule 2.3: Duly selected alternates may be freely substituted for any members of their delegation who are temporarily or permanently absent from the floor, provided the procedure has been clearly specified by the affiliate party in advance of the Convention, and the Secretary has been provided with lists of the affiliate party's delegates and alternates as well as a copy of the affiliate party's rules governing substitutions.

RONR p. 571, lines 24-35: If the bylaws authorize certain things specifically, other things of the same class are thereby prohibited. There is a presumption that nothing has been placed in the bylaws without some reason for it. There can be no valid reason for authorizing certain things to be done that can clearly be done without the authorization of the bylaws, unless the intent is to specify the things of the same class that may be done, all others being prohibited.

RONR p. 17, lines 4-18: In some organizations a particular practice may sometimes come to be followed as a matter of established custom so that it is treated practically as if it were prescribed by a rule of order. However, if such a practice is or becomes in conflict with the parliamentary authority or any written rule of the organization, and a Point of Order citing the conflict is raised at any time, the custom falls to the ground, and the conflicting provision in the parliamentary authority or written rule must thereafter be complied with, unless a special rule of order (or, in appropriate circumstances, a standing rule) is added or amended to incorporate the custom. If there is no contrary provision in the parliamentary authority or written rules, the established custom should be adhered to unless the assembly, by a majority vote, agrees to do otherwise.

RONR, p. 483, lines 23-28: Committees of organized societies operate under any applicable rules stated in the bylaws, the special rules of order, the parliamentary authority, and standing rules adopted by the society. Committees may not adopt their own rules except as authorized in the bylaws or in instructions given to the committee by the society.

RONR, p. 469, lines 11-16: In an organized society the board operates under the bylaws, the parliamentary authority, and any applicable special rules of order or standing rules of the society, except as the bylaws may authorize the board to adopt its own rules.

LP Bylaw Article 8.1: The National Committee shall adopt rules of procedure for the conduct of its meetings and the carrying out of its duties and responsibilities.

LNC Policy Manual (Aug 2005) I.2.D: Free substitution of Alternates for Regional Representatives at LNC meetings is permitted.

Voting for Haller's motion were: Howell, Kirkland, Dasbach, Haller, Grow, Scott
Voting against Haller's motion were: Aitken, Holtz, Mattson, Mayer, Audrey Capozzi, Bob Capozzi
Not voting were: Macia, McLendon
Haller's motion to seat alternates thus failed.

Agenda

At 1005, Mayer moved to adopt the following prepared agenda:

Election of Committee Chair
Election of Committee Vice-Chair
Election of Committee Secretary
Recommendation for amending Statement of Principles
DP Subcommittee Report (regarding adoption of a replacement platform)
Endorsement of Bylaws Committee recommendations regarding platform or Platform Committee:

Statement of Principles amendment
Convention Rule 8, regarding convention resolutions
Convention Rule 7, regarding widowed platform sections
Convention Rule 7, regarding platform debate
Bylaws Article 14, regarding style committee
Bylaws Article 7, regarding convention committee representation
Bylaws Article 11, regarding convention committee deadlines

Adjourn to meet at the call of the Chair

McLendon moved to add item “Recommendations to Bylaws Committee” as the last item before adjournment. Motion passed.
Motion to adopt agenda passed N-1.

Elections

Mattson was nominated for Chair. Holtz was nominated for Chair but declined. Bob Capozzi was nominated for Chair but declined. Dasbach was nominated for Chair but declined. Haller and McLendon were nominated for Vice-Chair. Holtz was nominated for Secretary.

Mattson was elected Chair 11-3 over NOTA. Haller was elected Vice-Chair 8-6 over McLendon. Holtz was elected Secretary 12-2 over NOTA. The Committee took a break at 1030.

Statement of Principles

Dasbach moved to amend the 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.

[...]

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.

Grow moved to divide the changes to the first paragraph from the changes to the other two paragraphs. Passed N-0.

Grow offered a substitute motion for the first part of the divided Dasbach motion:

We, the members of the Libertarian Party, challenge unlimited government. 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.

The motion was seconded by Howell, and failed 1-N. Ferguson arrived at 1049.

The first part of the divided Dasbach motion passed 9-2.

Scott offered a substitute motion for the second part of the divided Dasbach motion:

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.

The Scott substitute was defeated without objection so that Scott could move to divide the two paragraphs in the second part of the divided Dasbach motion. That subdivision passed without objection. Scott then offered the paragraph above as a substitute for the first part of the subdivided Dasbach motion. (Her motion was different in that it would not remove the "when instituted" language that was now the subject of the other part of the subdivided motion.) Scott's substitute passed N-0. The motion then passed N-1.

The remaining part of Dasbach's motion was to strike "when instituted". Holtz noted that "where governments exist" invokes anarchic societies that don't really exist, whereas "when instituted" refers to governments getting instituted, a notable example of which is the Declaration of Independence. The motion to strike "when instituted" failed 3?-N.

The Chair clarified with no objection that the Committee intended that the two SoP changes approved were to be a single Recommendation. The Recommendation to amend the Statement of Principles was thus adopted.

Other Platform Proposals

At 1130 Grow moved to amend the agenda to add discussion of platforms other than the draft suggested by DP subcommittee, including Restore04, the Howell draft platform, and the Grow draft platform. Dasbach urged the defeat of the motion, so that all the proposals can be discussed at the same time. The motion failed.

Scott moved to retitle the DP agenda item to “Debate on Platform Recommendations”. Passed unopposed. At 1230 the Committee recessed until 1330.

At 1330, advocates of various Platform approaches spoke to their proposals.

Holtz described the work of the Directional Principles subcommittee.
Grow described his draft that was adapted from the 1976 Platform.
McLendon proposed condensing the Atlanta-style platform to 20-25 planks while renaming "Solutions" sections to "Long-Term Vision".
Grow described the Restore04 idea of restoring deleted 2004 planks and using amendments to address their extremism.
Howell described his draft platform vision statement.

At 1420, Dasbach moved to consider the DP Subcommittee's report. The motion passed N-1.

Directional Principles Subcommittee Report

DP Subcommittee Chair Holtz moved the series of Recommendations from its report, said motions marked below with the prefix "DP: ".

DP: to amend the Platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Omissions”:

Our silence about any other particular government law, regulation, ordinance, directive, edict, control, regulatory agency, activity, or machination should not be construed to imply approval.

The Recommendation was adopted N-0.

DP: to amend the Platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Constitutional Government”:

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.

Scott moved to retitle to "Limits of Government". Holtz seconded. Passed N-1.
Howell moved to replace "only proper" with "best". The motion was withdrawn without objection.

The retitled Recommendation was adopted N-1. Note that this Recommendation was without objection deleted later, when its contents were added to the "Securing Liberty" Recommendation (q.v.).

DP: to amend platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Representative Government”:

We support electoral systems that are more representative of the electorate at the federal, state and local levels. As private voluntary groups, political parties should be allowed to establish their own rules for nomination procedures, primaries and conventions. We call for an end to any tax-financed subsidies to candidates or parties and the repeal of all laws which restrict voluntary financing of election campaigns. We oppose laws that effectively exclude alternative candidates and parties, deny ballot access, gerrymander districts, or deny the voters their right to consider all legitimate alternatives.

Haller moved to add this language:

We recognize the right to political secession. We support the right of political entities to renounce their affiliation with any government, and to be exempt from the obligations imposed by those governments, while in turn accepting no support from the government from which they seceded. Exercise of this right, like the exercise of all other rights, does not remove legal and moral obligations not to violate the rights of others.

Grow moved to substitute this language:

We support recognition of the right to political secession. Exercise of this right, like the exercise of all other rights, does not remove legal and moral obligations not to violate the rights of others.

Scott seconded. The motion failed. Dasbach made a motion to amend Haller's motion by deleting the first sentence. Holtz seconded, and it passed N-1. The amended Haller motion then failed, amidst discussion of offering it as a separate plank recommendation.

The unamended Recommendation was adopted N-0.

Haller moved to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Self-Determination” (to follow “Representative Government”, and thus precede it in our report):

We support the right of political entities to renounce their affiliation with any government, and to be exempt from the obligations imposed by those governments, while in turn accepting no support from the government from which they seceded. Exercise of this right, like the exercise of all other rights, does not remove legal and moral obligations not to violate the rights of others.

Bob Capozzi moved to strike “from which they seceded”, and change “those/the government” to “that government”:

We support the right of political entities to renounce their affiliation with any government, and to be exempt from the obligations imposed by that government, while in turn accepting no support from that government. Exercise of this right, like the exercise of all other rights, does not remove legal and moral obligations not to violate the rights of others.

The amendment passed N-0.

The amended Recommendation was adopted N-2.

DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Franchise and Discrimination”:

Government should not deny or abridge any individual's rights based on sex, wealth, race, color, creed, age, national origin, personal habits, political preference or sexual orientation. Parents, or other guardians, have the right to raise their children according to their own standards and beliefs, without interference by government — unless they are abusing the children.

Aitken moved to change the title to “Rights and Discrimination”. Passed N-2.
Scott moved to change "sex" to "gender", and "creed" to "religion". Failed for lack of a second.
Grow moved to strike “unless they are abusing the children”.
Dasbach offered a substitute motion, to strike “without interference by government – unless they are abusing the children”. The substitution passed N-2 or N-3.
The substituted amendment passed 9-4. The main motion was now:

Haller moved to prepend the sentence: "While we condemn bigotry as irrational and repugnant, we oppose any government attempts to regulate private discrimination.”
Bob Capozzi offered a substitute motion, to prepend the sentence “We condemn bigotry as irrational and repugnant.” The substitution passed 10-3.
The substituted amendment passed N-0. The main motion was now "Rights and Discrimination":

We condemn bigotry as irrational and repugnant. Government should not deny or abridge any individual's rights based on sex, wealth, race, color, creed, age, national origin, personal habits, political preference or sexual orientation. Parents, or other guardians, have the right to raise their children according to their own standards and beliefs

The amended retitled Recommendation was adopted N-0.

DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Free Trade and Migration”:

We support the removal of governmental impediments to free trade. Political freedom and escape from tyranny demand that individuals not be unreasonably constrained by government in the crossing of political boundaries. Economic freedom demands the unrestricted movement of human as well as financial capital across national borders. However, we support control over the entry into our country of foreign nationals who pose a threat to security, health or property.

Grow moved to divide the main motion by voting separately on the last sentence. The motion failed.
Grow moved to strike last sentence.
Dasbach offered a substitute motion, to replace the last sentence with: “Documenting the entry of individuals must be restricted to screening for criminal background and threats to public health and national security.” The substitution failed.
Haller offered a substitute motion, to replace the last sentence with: “Ensure immigration requirements include only appropriate documentation, screening for criminal background and threats to public health and national security.” The substitution failed.
The Grow motion failed 4-7.

The unamended Recommendation was adopted with an unrecorded number of nays that was at least one.

DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “International Affairs”:

The important principle in foreign policy should be the elimination of intervention by the United States government in the affairs of other nations. American foreign policy should seek an America at peace with the world and the defense — against attack from abroad — of the lives, liberty, and property of the American people on American soil. We recognize the right of all people to resist tyranny and defend themselves and their rights. We condemn the use of force, and especially the use of terrorism, against the innocent, regardless of whether such acts are committed by governments or by political or revolutionary groups.

Mayer moved to change the latter portion of the second sentence to just “and its defense against attack from abroad.” Passed N-1.
Ferguson moved to strike the first sentence.
Dasbach offered a substitute motion, to strike the first sentence, and append after what the new first sentence: “We would end the current U.S. government policy of foreign intervention, including military and economic aid, and meddling.” The substitution passed N-0.
Dasbach moved to amend the substituted motion to strike “, and meddling.” The Dasbach amendment passed N-0. The amended substituted motion passed N-0. The main motion was now:

American foreign policy should seek an America at peace with the world and its defense against attack from abroad. We would end the current U.S. government policy of foreign intervention, including military and economic aid. We recognize the right of all people to resist tyranny and defend themselves and their rights. We condemn the use of force, and especially the use of terrorism, against the innocent, regardless of whether such acts are committed by governments or by political or revolutionary groups.

Scott moved to change "American" to "U.S." and "an America" to "a nation".
Macia offered a substitute motion, to change the first sentence to "Foreign policy should seek peace with the world and defend against attack from abroad." The substitution failed.
The Scott amendment failed 3-6.

The amended Recommendation was adopted N-0.

DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Internal Security and Individual Rights”:

The defense of the country requires that we have adequate intelligence to detect and to counter threats to domestic security. This requirement must not take priority over maintaining the civil liberties of our citizens. The Bill of Rights provides no exceptions for a time of war. Intelligence agencies that legitimately seek to preserve the security of the nation must be subject to oversight and transparency. We oppose the government's use of secret classifications to keep from the public information that it should have, especially that which shows that the government has violated the law.

Grow moved to strike “requires that we have adequate intelligence to detect and to counter threats to domestic security. This requirement” and “that legitimately seek to preserve the security of the nation”. Ferguson moved to divide the Grow motion. The motion for division failed. The Grow amendment failed 4-8.
Bob Capozzi moved to strike “and transparency”. The motion failed.

The unamended Recommendation was adopted N-1.

DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “National Defense”:

We support the maintenance of a sufficient military to defend the United States against aggression. The United States should abandon its attempts to act as policeman for the world. We oppose any form of compulsory national service.

Grow moved to add after the second sentence: “We should avoid entangling alliances.”
Scott offered a substitute motion, to replace the second sentence with “The United States government should return to the historic libertarian tradition of avoiding entangling alliances, abstaining totally from foreign quarrels and imperialist adventures.” The Scott substitution failed 4-7.
Bob Capozzi offered a substitute motion, to replace the second sentence with “The United States should both abandon its attempts to act as policeman for the world and avoid entangling alliances.” The Capozzi motion to substitute passed N-0. The substituted amendment passed N-0. The Recommendation would now be:

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 amended Recommendation was adopted N-0. Dasbach noted that we should also say our nation can't afford to police the world.

DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Securing Liberty”:

The principles which guide a legitimate government in its relationships with other governments are the same as those which guide relationships among individuals: no individual, group, or government may initiate force against any other individual, group, or government.

Grow moved to replace all the language with: “The principle of non-initiation of force should guide the relationships between governments.” The motion passed N-0.
Haller moved to prepend the contents of the "Limits of Government" Recommendation to this Recommendation, and to delete the "Limits of Government" Recommendation. The Haller motion passed without objection. The Recommendation would now be:

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.

The amended Recommendation was adopted without objection.

DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Retirement and Income Security”:

Retirement planning is the responsibility of the individual, not the government. Participation in Social Security should be made voluntary. The proper source of help for the poor is the voluntary efforts of private groups and individuals.

Haller moved to replace the second sentence with: “We favor replacing the current government-sponsored Social Security system with a private voluntary system.” The motion passed N-0.

The amended Recommendation was adopted N-0.

DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Health Care”:

We advocate the separation of medicine and State. 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.

Dasbach moved to strike the first sentence. The motion passed N-3.
Grow moved to append to what was now the first sentence: “and oppose any compulsory insurance or tax-supported plan to provide health services.”
Holtz offered a substitute motion, to append to what was now the first sentence: “and oppose any tax-supported plan to provide health services.” The motion to substitute passed N-0.
McLendon offered a substitute motion, to append to what was now the first sentence: “and favor the deregulation of the medical insurance industry.” The motion to substitute failed 0-N.
The Holtz substituted motion failed 1-N.

The amended Recommendation was adopted N-0. Scott notes that we should add at the end of the plank: “, including end-of-life decisions.”

DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Education”:

We advocate the separation of education and State. Education, like any other service, is best provided by the free market, achieving greater quality and efficiency with more diversity of choice. We support an end to government operation, regulation and subsidy of schools and colleges. As an interim measure to encourage the growth of private schools and variety in education, including home schooling, we support tax credits for tuition and other expenditures related to an individual's education.

Dasbach moved to strike the first sentence. The motion passed N-2.
Mayer moved to strike “, like any other service,” and to strike what had become the second sentence. The Mayer motion was divided.
The first part of the Mayer motion -- to strike “, like any other service,” -- failed 2-N.
The second part of the Mayer motion -- to strike what had become the second sentence -- passed N-2.
Audrey Capozzi moved to change "quality and efficiency with more diversity of choice" to “quality, efficiency, and choice.” The motion failed.
Grow moved to strike the last sentence.
Bob Capozzi offered a substitute motion, to strike “As an interim measure”. The motion to substitute failed 4-7.
The Grow amendment passed. The Recommendation would now be:

Education, like any other service, is best provided by the free market, achieving greater quality and efficiency with more diversity of choice.

The amended Recommendation was adopted 9-2.

DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Labor Markets”:

We support the right of free persons to voluntarily associate in, or to establish, labor unions. We support the concept that an employer may recognize a union as the collective bargaining agent of some or all of his employees. We oppose governmental interference in bargaining. We call for the abolition of government agencies that restrict entry into any profession. No consumer should be legally restrained from hiring unlicensed individuals.

Holtz moved to replace all this language with:

We support repeal of all laws which impede the ability of any person to find employment. No worker should be legally penalized for lack of certification, and no consumer should be legally restrained from hiring unlicensed individuals. We oppose government-fostered forced retirement. We support the right of free persons to associate or not associate in labor unions, and an employer should have the right to recognize or refuse to recognize a union. We oppose government interference in bargaining, such as compulsory arbitration or imposing an obligation to bargain.

Ferguson moved to amend Holtz's motion by striking the second sentence. Haller moved to divide the striking of the second sentence by its two clauses. Haller's motion passed.
The striking of the first clause passed.
The striking of the second clause -- “no consumer should be legally restrained from hiring unlicensed individuals” -- passed 7-4.
The Holtz amendment as amended passed 9-3. The Recommendation would now be:

We support repeal of all laws which impede the ability of any person to find employment. We oppose government-fostered forced retirement. We support the right of free persons to associate or not associate in labor unions, and an employer should have the right to recognize or refuse to recognize a union. We oppose government interference in bargaining, such as compulsory arbitration or imposing an obligation to bargain.

The amended Recommendation was adopted 6-5. At 2100 the Committee adjourned until 0800 the next day, Saturday Feb 16.

The Committee convened at 0800 Saturday Feb 16. Present were: Holtz, Macia, Audrey Capozzi, Kirkland, Haller, Dasbach, Bob Capozzi, Scott, Grow, Aitken, Mayer, Ferguson, and Mattson. (McLendon and Howell arrived shortly afterwards.)

DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Monopolies and Corporations”:

We advocate a strict separation of business and State. We seek to divest government of all functions that can be provided by non-governmental organizations or private individuals. We defend the right of individuals to form corporations, cooperatives and other types of companies based on voluntary association. We oppose government subsidies to business, labor, or any other special interest. Industries should be governed by free markets and held to strict liability.

Dasbach moved to strike the first sentence.
Grow offered a substitute motion, to replace all the language with:

Through its grants of legal privilege to special interests, government is the source of monopoly, and we advocate the termination of government-created franchise privileges. Anti-trust laws do not prevent monopoly, but foster it by limiting competition, and we defend the right of individuals to form corporations, cooperatives and other types of companies based on voluntary association. We support the abolition of all tariffs and quotas, including all government subsidies to business, labor, education, agriculture, science, broadcasting, the arts, and any other special interest.

The Grow motion for substitution failed.
Bob Capozzi offered a substitute motion, to replace all the language with:

Anti-trust laws do not prevent monopoly, but foster it by limiting competition, and we defend the right of individuals to form corporations, cooperatives and other types of companies based on voluntary association. We support the abolition of all tariffs and quotas, including all government subsidies to business, labor, education, agriculture, science, broadcasting, the arts, and any other special interest. We seek to divest government of all functions that can be provided by non-governmental organizations or private individuals.

The Capozzi motion for substitution failed 5-8.
The Dasbach motion to strike the first sentence passed N-1.
Holtz moved to swap the first two sentences. The motion passed N-0.
Haller moved to add before the last sentence: “Anti-trust laws do not prevent monopoly, but foster it by limiting competition.” At 0836 Howell arrived. Haller's motion failed 3-6. The main motion was now:

We defend the right of individuals to form corporations, cooperatives and other types of companies based on voluntary association. We seek to divest government of all functions that can be provided by non-governmental organizations or private individuals. We oppose government subsidies to business, labor, or any other special interest. Industries should be governed by free markets and held to strict liability.

The amended Recommendation was adopted N-1.

DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Money and Financial Markets”:

We favor free-market banking, with unrestricted competition among banks and depository institutions of all types. Individuals engaged in voluntary exchange should be free to use as money any mutually agreeable commodity or item. We support a halt to inflationary monetary policies, the repeal of legal tender laws and compulsory governmental units of account. We call for the abolition of all regulation of financial and capital markets.

Dasbach moved to strike the last sentence.
Haller offered a substitute motion, to replace the last sentence with: “Regulation of financial and capital markets should be limited to prohibition of force and fraud.” It failed 0-N.
0900: Scott offered a substitute motion, to replace the last sentence with: “Government regulation of capital markets inhibits investment, and creates marketplace advantage for those with political access.” It failed 6-7.
0905: Howell offered a substitute motion, to append Scott's sentence instead of replacing the last sentence. The motion failed.
0912: The Dasbach motion to strike the last sentence passed 10-3.
0914: Grow moved to add “and elimination of the Federal Reserve System” to what would now be the penultimate sentence, changing “and” to comma.
0921: The Grow motion failed. We were now considering the original proposal minus its last sentence.

The amended Recommendation was adopted, by about N-3.

0923: Bob Capozzi moved to add a recommendation to amend the previous recommendation by appending:

Government regulation of financial and capital markets inhibits investment and often creates marketplace advantage for those with political access, so such regulation should be limited to prohibition of fraud.

0927: The Recommendation was adopted N-3.

0930: DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Government Finance and Spending”:

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. 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.

0932: Haller moved to insert after the second sentence: “We oppose any legal requirements forcing employers or business owners to serve as tax collectors.”
Holtz moved to amend the motion by striking “or business owners”. It passed N-2.
0939: The amended Haller motion passed 9-3.
0940: Mayer moved to strike “, which burdens future generations without their consent”. There was no second.
0940: Ferguson moved to strike the third sentence. There was no second.
The Recommendation was adopted N-1.

0942: DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Environment and Resources”

Pollution of other people's property is a violation of individual rights. We support the development of an objective system defining resource rights as individual property rights. The laws of nuisance and negligence should be modified to cover damage done by air, water, and noise pollution.

0944: Holtz moved to append

While we maintain that no one has the right to violate the legitimate property rights of others by polluting, we strenuously oppose all attempts to transform the defense of such rights into any restriction of the efforts of individuals to advance technology, to expand production, or to use their property peacefully. The role of planning is properly the responsibility and right of the owners of the land. We oppose all government control of energy pricing, allocation, and production.

1001: Holtz's motion failed 6-7.
1008: Dasbach moved to table this recommendation until after the other DP recommendations had been considered. The motion passed N-3.
1009: The Committee recessed for 10 minutes

1027: DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Property and Contract”:

The owners of property have the full right to control, use, dispose of, or in any manner enjoy, their property without interference, until and unless the exercise of their control infringes the valid rights of others. Property rights are entitled to the same protection as all other human rights. We oppose all controls on wages, prices, rents, profits, production, and interest rates. We oppose all violations of the right to private property, liberty of contract, and freedom of trade. The right to trade includes the right not to trade — for any reasons whatsoever. Where property, including land, has been taken from its rightful owners by the government or private action in violation of individual rights, we favor restitution to the rightful owners.

Haller moved to add after “interest rates.”: “We advocate the repeal of all laws banning or restricting the advertising of prices, products, or services.“ The motion passed 7-4.
Holtz moved to add after Haller's new sentence: “We oppose laws requiring an individual to buy or use so-called "self-protection" equipment.” The motion failed.
1035: Dasbach moved to strike the third sentence: "We oppose all controls...". The motion failed.
Bob Capozzi moved to reverse the first two sentences. Passed without objection. The recommendation would now be:

Property rights are entitled to the same protection as all other human rights. The owners of property have the full right to control, use, dispose of, or in any manner enjoy, their property without interference, until and unless the exercise of their control infringes the valid rights of others. We oppose all controls on wages, prices, rents, profits, production, and interest rates. We advocate the repeal of all laws banning or restricting the advertising of prices, products, or services. We oppose all violations of the right to private property, liberty of contract, and freedom of trade. The right to trade includes the right not to trade — for any reasons whatsoever. Where property, including land, has been taken from its rightful owners by the government or private action in violation of individual rights, we favor restitution to the rightful owners.

The amended Recommendation was adopted N-0.

1038: DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Economic Liberty”:

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. We oppose all government interference with voluntary and contractual relations among individuals. People should be allowed 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.

Grow moved to strike the last last sentence as redundant with the Statement of Principles. The motion passed N-0.
Macia moved to strike what was now the last sentence. The motion passed N-1.
1044: McLendon moved to reverse the order of the remaining three sentences. The motion failed.
Macia moved to strike the word “only” from the third sentence. The motion failed 5-9.
Grow moved to append to the end: “All efforts by government to redistribute wealth, or to control or manage trade, are improper in a free society.” The motion passed N-0. The recommendation would now be:

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.

The amended Recommendation passed N-0.

1053: DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Self-Defense”:

The only legitimate use of force is in defense of individual rights — life, liberty, and justly acquired property — against aggression, whether by force or fraud. 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. 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 oppose the prosecution of individuals for exercising their rights of self-defense.

Mayer moved to move the third sentence to the beginning. The motion failed 4-8.
1059: McLendon moved to move “oppose the prosecution of individuals for exercising their rights of self-defense” to end of RTKBA sentence, joined with “and”. The motion passed.
1100: Macia moved to strike “— against aggression, whether by force or fraud”, and change first hyphen to colon.
1107: Holtz offered a substitute motion, to strike“, whether by force or fraud”. The motion to substitute passed.
1109: Grow offered a substitute motion, to strike “justly acquired”. The motion to substitute failed.
1111: The substituted Holtz motion passed N-0.

The amended Recommendation passed N-0.

1112: DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Crime and Justice”:

The purpose of a justice system is to provide restitution to those suffering a loss at the expense of those who caused the loss. Government exists to protect the rights of every individual including life, liberty and property. Criminal laws should be limited to violation of the rights of others through force or fraud, or deliberate actions that place others involuntarily at significant risk of harm. Individuals retain the right to voluntarily assume risk of harm to themselves. We oppose reduction of constitutional safeguards of the rights of the criminally accused. The rights of due process, a speedy trial, legal counsel, trial by jury, and the legal presumption of innocence until proven guilty, must not be denied. We assert the common-law right of juries to judge not only the facts but also the justice of the law.

Ferguson moved to strike the first sentence.
Dasbach offered a substitute motion, to strike the first sentence, and add after “to themselves”: “We support restitution of the victim to the fullest degree possible at the expense of the criminal or the negligent wrongdoer.”
1126: The motion to substitute passed N-1. The substituted motion passed N-1.
Grow moved to delete “, or deliberate actions that place others involuntarily at significant risk of harm. Individuals retain the right to voluntarily assume risk of harm to themselves.” The motion failed 5-9.
Grow moved to strike the last sentence. After clarification that this was about jury nullification, the motion failed 0-N. The Recommendation now would be:

Government exists to protect the rights of every individual including life, liberty and property. Criminal laws should be limited to violation of the rights of others through force or fraud, or deliberate actions that place others involuntarily at significant risk of harm. Individuals retain the right to voluntarily assume risk of harm to themselves. We support restitution of the victim to the fullest degrees possible at the expense of the criminal or the negligent wrongdoer.We oppose reduction of constitutional safeguards of the rights of the criminally accused. The rights of due process, a speedy trial, legal counsel, trial by jury, and the legal presumption of innocence until proven guilty, must not be denied. We assert the common-law right of juries to judge not only the facts but also the justice of the law.

1140: Grow moved to delete “, or deliberate actions that place others involuntarily at significant risk of harm”. The motion failed 2-N.
1142: Macia moved to delete “Individuals retain the right to voluntarily assume risk of harm to themselves.” There was no second.
1142: Haller moved to add after the third sentence: “Limiting law enforcement to true crime will restore respect for the law and those who enforce it.” The motion failed 2-N.
1147: Dasbach moved to delete “Individuals retain the right to voluntarily assume risk of harm to themselves.” The motion failed 4-8.

The amended Recommendation was adopted N-0. At 1151 the Committee recessed until 1300.

While the Committee was recessed, an informal and non-binding poll was taken in which interested members voluntarily indicated which of the following approaches to abortion they approve.

Proactively recommend silence.

10 approvers: Aitken Audrey Bob Dasbach Ferguson Haller Holtz Macia Mattson McLendon

Be silent about abortion in our draft, let plank retention voting in Denver decide whether the Platform should be silent on abortion, and adapt (a la #4 below) any surviving abortion plank/language to the style of the rest of the Platform if they don't match.

4 approvers: Bob Dasbach Holtz Mattson

We recognize that abortion is a sensitive issue and that people can hold good-faith views on both sides. Taxpayers should not be forced to pay for other people's abortions, nor should any government or individual force a woman to have an abortion.

12 approvers: Aitken Audrey Bob Dasbach Ferguson Haller Holtz Mayer Scott Macia Mattson McLendon

Recognizing that abortion is a sensitive issue and that people can hold good-faith views on both sides, we believe that government should be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to each person for their conscientious consideration. Taxpayers should not be forced to pay for other people's abortions, nor should any government or individual force a woman to have an abortion.

5 approvers: Aitken Audrey Dasbach Mayer Scott

We support the repeal of all laws restricting voluntary birth control or voluntary termination of pregnancies during their first hundred days.

3 approvers: Bob Haller Holtz

While Libertarians have good-faith differences on this issue, a majority of us believe that a fetus starts deserving legal protection sometime after the first trimester and before birth. We support the right to terminate one's pregnancy during the first trimester. We do not oppose requirements that ending a pregnancy in the third trimester must leave a healthy fetus alive if that is feasible.

6 approvers: Aitken Bob Dasbach Haller Holtz McLendon

We support support the repeal of all laws restricting voluntary birth control or the right of the woman to make a personal moral choice regarding the termination of pregnancy.

1 approver: Grow

Ron Paul / Badnarik / Browne / Root /etc. position: let states decide

8 approvers: Bob Dasbach Ferguson Holtz Haller Macia Mayer McLendon

The question of ending pregnancy for purposes other than the health of the mother is not a matter of privacy or rights to person but is dependent upon a legal determination of when personhood begins. If a fetus is a person at some point in development then the termination of life constitutes murder which is subject to state jurisdiction and is not a federal matter. We urge the states to convene constitutional conventions to settle the question of when personhood begins as the best means to addressing the abortion question.

2 approvers: Holtz Howell

1328: DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Personal Relationships”:

Sexuality or gender should have no impact on the rights of individuals. Consenting adults should be free to choose their own sexual practices and personal relationships. Government does not have legitimate authority to define or license personal relationships.

1330: Ferguson moved to append “We recognize that abortion is a sensitive issue and that people can hold good-faith views on both sides. Taxpayers should not be forced to pay for other people's abortions, nor should any government or individual force a woman to have an abortion.”
Scott moved to table the current recommendation until we first consider adopting a Recommendation to add an abortion plank. The motion passed N-0.

1335: Ferguson moved to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Abortion”:

We recognize that abortion is a sensitive issue and that people can hold good-faith views on both sides. Taxpayers should not be forced to pay for other people's abortions, nor should any government or individual force a woman to have an abortion.

1346: Grow moved to append: “We support the repeal of all laws restricting voluntary birth control or the right of the woman to make a personal moral choice regarding the termination of pregnancy.” There was no second.
1350: Grow moved to change “We recognize” to “Recognizing” and insert before the end of the first sentence: “, we believe that government should be kept out of the matter". The motion failed 1-N.
1359: The Recommendation passed N-2. At 1400 the Committee recessed for 1 hour for the LSLA Platform panel discussion elsewhere in the building. Before the Committee reconvened, Aitken and Bob Capozzi had to leave for the airport.

1509: DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Personal Relationships”:

Grow moved to append “We support an end to all subsidies for child-bearing built into our present laws, and we call for the elimination of special tax burdens on single people and couples with few or no children.” The motion failed 2-N.

The unamended Recommendation was adopted N-0.

Holtz moved to adopt a Recommendation to amend the Personal Relationships plank to say:

Neither sexual orientation nor gender identity should have no discriminatory impact on the rights treatment of individuals by government, such as in marriage, adoption, immigration, or military service. Consenting adults should be free to choose their own sexual practices and personal relationships. Government does not have legitimate authority to define or license personal relationships.

Macia moved to change the beginning of the first sentence to “Sexual orientation, gender, or gender identity should have no”. The motion passed N-0.
Holtz moved to change the end of the first sentence to “such as in current marriage, adoption, immigration, or military service laws.” The motion passed without objection.

The amended Recommendation was adopted N-0.

1550: Grow moved the adoption of a Resolution:

The Platform Committee invites the Restoration Caucus to submit a platform draft for its consideration in advance of the Denver convention.

Holtz moved to change "in advance" to “well in advance”. The motion was withdrawn before being seconded. The Resolution passed N-0.

1600: Howell moved to amend the already-adopted "Rights and Discrimination" Recommendation:

We support an end to all subsidies for child-bearing built into our present laws, and we call for the elimination of special tax burdens on single people and couples with few or no children.

The Chair ruled that, in contrast to adopting a Recommendation that the Convention amend language it adopts from another Recommendation of this Committee, a motion to amend an already-adopted Recommendation requires a 2/3 vote:

RONR p. 295 lines 31-35 regarding the motions to Rescind or Amend Something Previously Adopted, "In a committee, these motions require a two-thirds vote unless all committee member who voted for the motion to be rescinded or amended are present or have received ample notice, in which case they require a majority vote."

(The "Rights and Discrimination" Recommendation was adopted the previous day. Bob Capozzi and David Aitken had voted for the Recommendation and had already left the meeting prior to Howell's motion, and thus a two-thirds vote was required.) Grow appealed the ruling of the Chair, who said that this is a question about which there cannot possibly be two reasonable opinions, and so an appeal would be dilatory and is not allowed. Howell's motion failed 3-8 at 1606.

1609: DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Personal and Bodily Privacy”:

We support the protections provided by the Fourth Amendment to be secure in our persons, homes, and property. Only actions that infringe on the rights of others can properly be termed crimes. We favor the repeal of all laws creating "crimes" without victims, such as the use of drugs for medicinal or recreational purposes.

Aitken moved to change the title to “Personal Privacy”. The motion passed.
Grow moved to delete “, such as the use of drugs for medicinal or recreational purposes”. There was no second.

The retitled Recommendation was adopted N-1.

1621: DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Expression and Communication”:

We support full freedom of expression and oppose government censorship, regulation or control of communications media and technology. We recognize that freedom of communication does not extend to the use of other people's property to promote one's ideas without the voluntary consent of the owners. We favor the freedom to engage in or abstain from any religious activities that do not violate the rights of others. We oppose government actions which either aid or attack any religion.

Grow moved to strike the second sentence. At 1630 the motion passed 8-5.

The amended Recommendation was adopted N-1.

1630: DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Personal Liberty”:

Individuals should be free to make choices for themselves and to accept responsibility for the consequences of the choices they make. Our support of an individual's right to make choices in life does not mean that we necessarily approve or disapprove of those choices.

Grow moved to prepend: “No conflict exists between civil order and individual rights. Both concepts are based on the same fundamental principle: that no individual, group, or government may initiate force against any other individual, group, or government.”
Holtz offered a substitute motion, to insert after the first sentence: “No individual, group, or government may initiate force against any other individual, group, or government.” The motion to substitute passed N-1. At 1640 the substituted motion passed.

1643: The amended Recommendation was adopted N-1.

1643: Haller moved to amend the "Expression and Communication" Recommendation by adding:

We support full freedom of expression and oppose government censorship, regulation or control of communications media and technology.

The motion failed. At 1649, the Committee took from the table the “Environment and Resources” Recommendation.

1649: DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Environment and Resources”:

Mayer moved to retitle the plank to “The Environment” and change its contents to just:

Pollution of other people's property is a violation of individual rights.

with this Recommendation ordered among our Recommendations where Environment and Resources was before, and that the sense of the Committee is that we will consider novel language for this plank. The motion passed N-0.

1700: The amended and retitled Recommendation was adopted N-0.

1701: Mayer moved to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Energy and Resources”:

We support the development of an objective system defining resource rights as individual property rights. We oppose all government control of energy pricing, allocation, and production.

to be ordered in our report after “The Environment”, and noting that the sense of the Committee is that we will consider novel language for this plank.

1702: The Recommendation was adopted N-0. Scott left.

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete introduction paragraph to existing section “I. Individual Rights and Civil Order”:

No conflict exists between civil order and individual rights. Both concepts are based on the same fundamental principle: that no individual, group, or government may initiate force against any other individual, group, or government.

The Recommendation was adopted without objection.

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete plank I.1 “Freedom and Responsibility”:

The Issue: Personal responsibility is discouraged by government denying individuals the opportunity to exercise it. In fact, the denial of freedom fosters irresponsibility.

The Principle: Individuals should be free to make choices for themselves and to accept responsibility for the consequences of the choices they make. We must accept the right of others to choose for themselves if we are to have the same right. Our support of an individual's right to make choices in life does not mean that we necessarily approve or disapprove of those choices. We believe people must accept personal responsibility for the consequences of their actions.

Solutions: Libertarian policies will promote a society where people are free to make and learn from their own decisions.

Transitional Action: Repeal all laws that presume government knows better than the individual how to run that person’s life. Encourage private sector dissemination of information to help consumers make informed decisions on products and services. Enforce laws against fraud and misrepresentation.

The Recommendation was adopted without objection.

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete plank I.2 “Freedom of Communication”:

The Issue: We oppose any abridgment of the freedom of speech through government censorship, regulation or control of communications media, including, but not limited to, laws concerning:
a) Obscenity, including "pornography", as we hold this to be an abridgment of liberty of expression despite claims that it instigates rape or assault, or demeans and slanders women;
b) Reception and storage equipment, such as digital audio tape recorders and radar warning devices, and the manufacture of video terminals by telephone companies;
c) Electronic bulletin boards, communications networks, and other interactive electronic media as we hold them to be the functional equivalent of speaking halls and printing presses in the age of electronic communications, and as such deserving of full freedom; d) Electronic newspapers, electronic "Yellow Pages", file libraries, websites, and other new information media, as these deserve full freedom; or
e) Commercial speech or advertising. We oppose speech codes at all schools that are primarily tax funded. Language that is deemed offensive to certain groups is not a cause for legal action.
We strongly oppose the government's burgeoning practice of invading newsrooms, or the premises of other innocent third parties, in the name of law enforcement. We further oppose court orders gagging news coverage of criminal proceedings -- the right to publish and broadcast must not be abridged merely for the convenience of the judicial system. We deplore any efforts to impose thought control on the media, either by the use of anti-trust laws, or by any other government action in the name of stopping "bias."

The Principle: We defend the rights of individuals to unrestricted freedom of speech, freedom of the press and the right of individuals to dissent from government itself. We recognize that full freedom of expression is possible only as part of a system of full property rights. The freedom to use one's own voice; the freedom to hire a hall; the freedom to own a printing press, a broadcasting station, or a transmission cable; the freedom to host and publish information on the Internet; the freedom to wave or burn one's own flag; and similar property-based freedoms are precisely what constitute freedom of communication. At the same time, we recognize that freedom of communication does not extend to the use of other people's property to promote one's ideas without the voluntary consent of the owners.

Solutions: We would provide for free market ownership of airwave frequencies, deserving of full First Amendment protection. We oppose government ownership or subsidy of, or funding for, any communications organization. Removal of all of these regulations and practices throughout the communications media would open the way to diversity and innovation. We shall not be satisfied until the First Amendment is expanded to protect full, unconditional freedom of communication.

Transitional Action: We advocate the abolition of the Federal Communications Commission.

The Recommendation was adopted without objection.

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete plank I.3 “Freedom of Religion”:

Issue: Government routinely invades personal privacy rights based solely on individuals’ religious beliefs. Arbitrary tax structures are designed to give aid to certain religions, and deny it to others.

Principle: We defend the rights of individuals to engage in (or abstain from) any religious activities that do not violate the rights of others.

Solution: In order to defend freedom, we advocate a strict separation of church and State. We oppose government actions that either aid or attack any religion. We oppose taxation of church property for the same reason that we oppose all taxation. We condemn the attempts by parents or any others -- via kidnappings or conservatorships -- to force children to conform to any religious views. Government harassment or obstruction of religious groups for their beliefs or non-violent activities must end.

Transitional Action: We call for an end to the harassment of churches by the Internal Revenue Service through threats to deny tax-exempt status to churches that refuse to disclose massive amounts of information about themselves.

The Recommendation was adopted without objection.

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete I.4 “Property Rights”:

The Issue: The right to property and its physical resources, which is the fundamental cornerstone of a free and prosperous society, has been severely compromised by government at all levels. Public Policy instruments including eminent domain, zoning laws, building codes, rent control, regional planning, property taxes, resource management and public health legislation remove property rights from owners and transfer them to the State, while raising costs of property ownership. Public ownership of real property, beyond that which is explicitly authorized in the Constitution, and claims against resources both owned and unowned (such as the oceans or waterways) is illegitimate and creates scarcity and conflict where none would otherwise exist.

The Principle: Only individuals and private entities have the full right to control, use, dispose of, or in any manner enjoy their property without interference, until and unless the exercise of their control infringes on the valid rights of others. Resource management and planning are the responsibility and right of the legitimate owners of land, water and other natural resources. Individuals have the right to homestead unowned resources, both within the jurisdictions of governments and within such unclaimed territory as the ocean, Antarctica and extraterrestrial bodies.

Solutions: All public lands and resources, as well as claims thereto, except as explicitly allowed by the Constitution, shall be returned to private ownership, with the proceeds of sale going to retire public liabilities. Resource rights shall be defined as property rights, including riparian rights. All publicly owned infrastructures including dams and parks shall be returned to private ownership and all taxing authority for such public improvements shall sunset. Property related services shall be supplied by private markets and paid for by user fees, and regulation of property shall be limited to that which secures the rights of individuals. There will be no legal barriers to peaceful, private, voluntary attempts to explore, industrialize and colonize any extra-terrestrial resources. The federal government shall be held as liable as any individual for pollution or other transgression against property or resources.

Transitional Action: Rescind all taxation of real property. Property, resources and rights taken from their legitimate owners by government or by government supported private action, shall be restored to the rightful owners. Reverse the Supreme Court decision regarding eminent domain - Kelo v City of New London. Repeal all legislation that transfers property rights to the state, including those enacted in the name of aesthetic values, risk, moral standards, cost-benefit estimates, the promotion or restriction of economic growth, health or national security claims. Sunset all federal agencies that own, regulate or administer property, as well as agencies at the local level which exercise control over private property and resources. Rescind and oppose all international treaties that exercise government control over unowned resources.

The Recommendation was adopted without objection.

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete I.5 “The Right to Privacy”:

The Issue: Privacy protections have been eroded gradually over many years. The Social Security Number has become a universal ID number, causing rampant and massive identity theft. Government routinely keeps records on the bank accounts, travel plans, and spending habits of law-abiding civilians, for no other reason than they “might” commit a crime in the future.

The Principle: The individual's right to privacy, property, and right to speak or not to speak should not be infringed by the government. The government should not use electronic or other means of covert surveillance of an individual's actions or private property without the consent of the owner or occupant. Correspondence, bank and other financial transactions and records, doctors' and lawyers' communications, employment records, and the like should not be open to review by government without the consent of all parties involved in those actions.
Private contractual arrangements, including labor contracts, must be founded on mutual consent and agreement in a society that upholds freedom of association. On the other hand, we oppose any use of such screening by government or regulations requiring government contractors to impose any such screening.

Solutions: We support the protections provided by the Fourth Amendment and oppose any government use of search warrants to examine or seize materials belonging to innocent third parties. We oppose all restrictions and regulations on the private development, sale, and use of encryption technology. We specifically oppose any requirement for disclosure of encryption methods or keys, including the government's proposals for so-called "key escrow" which is truly government access to keys, and any requirement for use of government-specified devices or protocols. We also oppose government classification of civilian research on encryption methods. If a private employer screens prospective or current employees via questionnaires, polygraph tests, urine tests for drugs, blood tests for AIDS, or other means, this is a condition of that employer's labor contracts. Such screening does not violate the rights of employees, who have the right to boycott such employers if they choose. We oppose the issuance by the government of an identity card, to be required for any purpose, such as employment, voting, or border crossing. We further oppose the nearly universal requirement for use of the Social Security Number as a personal identification code, whether by government agencies or by intimidation of private companies by governments.

Transitional Action: We also oppose police roadblocks aimed at randomly, and without probable cause, testing drivers for intoxication and police practices to stop mass transit vehicles and search passengers without probable cause. So long as the National Census and all federal, state, and other government agencies' compilations of data on an individual continue to exist, they should be conducted only with the consent of the persons from whom the data is sought. We oppose government regulations that require employers to provide health insurance coverage for employees, which often encourage unnecessary intrusions by employers into the privacy of their employees.

The Recommendation was adopted without objection.

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete plank I.6 “The Right to Keep and Bear Arms”:

The Issue: Governments at all levels often violate their citizens’ right of self defense with laws that restrict, limit or outright prohibit the ownership and use of firearms. These “gun control” laws are often justified by the mistaken premise that they will lead to a reduction in the level of violence in our society.

The Principle: The Bill of Rights recognizes that an armed citizenry is essential to a free society. We affirm the right to keep and bear arms.

Solutions: We oppose all laws at any level of government restricting, regulating or requiring the ownership, manufacture, transfer or sale of firearms or ammunition. We oppose all laws requiring registration of firearms or ammunition. We support repeal of all gun control laws. We demand the immediate abolition of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

Transition: We oppose any government efforts to ban or restrict the use of tear gas, "mace" or other self-protection devices. We further oppose all attempts to ban weapons or ammunition on the grounds that they are risky or unsafe. We favor the repeal of laws banning the concealment of weapons or prohibiting pocket weapons. We also oppose the banning of inexpensive handguns ("Saturday night specials") and semi-automatic or so-called assault weapons and their magazines or feeding devices.

The Recommendation was adopted without objection.

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete plank I.7 “Conscription”:

The Issue: Any form of coerced national service program is a type of involuntary servitude. Examples include conscription into the military and compulsory youth labor programs.

The Principle: Coerced national service programs presume the government can claim ownership of the lives of individuals. Such programs are a form of involuntary servitude and are a clear violation of the US Constitution 13th Amendment.

Solutions: All forms of national service will be staffed by willing participants without the need for conscription or other means of mandating such service. When people perceive a just cause, history has shown that they willingly volunteer to serve.

Transitional Action: All schemes for automatic registration through government invasions of the privacy of school, motor vehicle or other records should be immediately eliminated. The still-functioning elements of the Selective Service System should be abolished and all associated records should be destroyed. The President should immediately pardon, providing unconditional exoneration, for all who have been accused or convicted of draft evasion, desertion from the military in cases of conscription or fraud and other acts of civil resistance.

The Recommendation was adopted without objection.

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete plank I.8 “Reproductive Rights”:

The Issue: The tragedies caused by unplanned, unwanted pregnancies are aggravated and sometimes created by government policies of censorship, restriction, regulation and prohibition. Recognizing that abortion is a sensitive issue and that people can hold good-faith views on both sides, we believe that government should be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to each person for their conscientious consideration.

The Principle: Individual rights should not be denied nor abridged on the basis of sex, age, dependency, or location. Taxpayers should not be forced to pay for other people's abortions, nor should any government or individual force a woman to have an abortion. It is the right and obligation of the pregnant woman regardless of age, not the state, to decide the desirability or appropriateness of prenatal testing, Caesarean births, fetal surgery, voluntary surrogacy arrangements and/or home births.

Solutions: We oppose government actions that either compel or prohibit abortion, sterilization or any other form of birth control. Specifically we condemn the practice of forced sterilization of welfare recipients, or of mentally retarded or "genetically defective" individual. We support the voluntary exchange of goods, services or information regarding human sexuality, reproduction, birth control or related medical or biological technologies. We oppose government laws and policies that restrict the opportunity to choose alternatives to abortion.

Transitional Action: We support an end to all subsidies for childbearing or child prevention built into our present laws.

The Recommendation was adopted without objection.

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete plank I.9 “Sexuality and Gender”:

The Issue: Politicians use popular fears and taboos to legally impose a particular code of moral and social values. Government regularly denies rights and privileges on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

The Principle: Consenting adults should be free to choose their own sexual practices and personal relationships. Government does not have legitimate authority to define or license personal relationships. Sexuality or gender should have no impact on the rights of individuals.

Solutions: Culture wars, social friction and prejudice will fade when marriage and other personal relationships are treated as private contracts, solely defined by the individuals involved, and government discrimination is not allowed.

Transitional Action: Repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act and state laws and amendments defining marriage. Oppose any new laws or Constitutional amendments defining terms for personal, private relationships. Repeal any state or federal law assigning special benefits to people based on marital status, family structure, sexual orientation or gender identification. Repeal any state or federal laws denying same-sex partners rights enjoyed by others, such as adoption of children and spousal immigration. End the Defense Department practice of discharging armed forces personnel for sexual orientation. Upgrade all less-than-honorable discharges previously assigned solely for such reasons to honorable status, and delete related information from military personnel files. Repeal all laws discriminating by gender, such as protective labor laws and marriage, divorce, and custody laws which deny the full rights of each individual.

The Recommendation was adopted without objection.

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete introduction paragraph to existing section “II. Trade and the Economy”:

We believe that each person has the right to offer goods and services to others on the free market. Therefore we oppose all intervention by government into the area of economics. The only proper role of existing governments in the economic realm is to protect property rights, adjudicate disputes, and provide a legal framework in which voluntary trade is protected.

Efforts to forcibly redistribute wealth or forcibly manage trade are intolerable. Government manipulation of the economy creates an entrenched privileged class -- those with access to tax money -- and an exploited class -- those who are net taxpayers.

We believe that all individuals have the right to dispose of the fruits of their labor as they see fit and that government has no right to take such wealth. We oppose government-enforced charity such as welfare programs and subsidies, but we heartily applaud those individuals and private charitable organizations that help the needy and contribute to a wide array of worthwhile causes through voluntary activities.

The Recommendation was adopted without objection.

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete plank II.1 “Government Debt”:

The Issue: The national debt imposes debt upon Americans without their consent, and loads our economy with a fiscal anchor that will burden many future generations. Our escalating national debt is nothing less than theft from our grandchildren.

The Principle: The government should operate on a "pay as you go" basis, and not incur debt.

Solutions: A debt-free government frees up economic resources, allowing for lower taxes, economic growth and lower interest rates.

Transitional Action: Eliminate the national debt using an incremental approach, being careful to avoid social disruption. We support the passage of a “Balanced Budget Amendment” to the US Constitution that restricts Congress from spending any more than it collected in revenue the previous year. Eliminate earmarks, pork-barrel spending, and other forms of political corruption. Congress should sell assets and reduce spending on non-essential functions to pay off the national debt as quickly as possible.

The Recommendation was adopted without objection.

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete plank II.2 “Corporate Welfare, Monopolies, & Subsidies”:

The Issue: Subsidies, government-granted monopolies, and other forms of corporate welfare today exist as privileges granted by government to those with political access. These destroy the level playing field that free markets depend on, create a corrupt relationship between government authority and special interests, and are unconstitutional. Furthermore, the loans by government-sponsored entities, even when not guaranteed by the government, constitute another form of subsidy.

The Principle: Individuals must be free to be aggressive competitors and form corporations, cooperatives and other types of companies based on voluntary association in the market place, and must enjoy no state-sponsored advantage. Those who best supply a good or service in the market will enjoy natural dominance only as long as they continue to benefit consumers. Subsidies and government-granted monopolies protect the non-competitive from market forces.

Solutions: Replacement of all government-granted monopolies and subsidies with deregulated free markets and informed consumers will benefit both consumers and producers, eliminate political favoritism, and maintain a strict separation of markets and state authority. Genuine crimes committed to create a monopoly, such as blackmail, bribery, fraud, libel or slander are prosecuted as any other crime.

Transitional Action: Eliminate all federal grants of monopoly or subsidy to any private companies, such as utilities, airlines, energy companies, agriculture, science, medicine, broadcasting, the arts and sports teams. Repeal all anti-trust laws. All federal agencies whose primary function is to make or guarantee corporate loans must be abolished or privatized.

The Recommendation was adopted without objection.

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete plank II.3 “Public Services”:

The Issue: Federal, state and local governments have created inefficient service monopolies throughout the economy. From the US Postal Service to municipal garbage collection and water works, government is forcing citizens to use monopoly services. These are services that the private sector is already capable of providing in a manner that gives the public better service at a competitive price.

The Principle: A free and competitive market allocates resources in the most efficient manner. Consumers of services should not have their choices arbitrarily limited by law.

Solutions: Libertarian policies will seek to divest government of all functions that can be provided by non-governmental organizations or private individuals.

Transitional Actions: All rate regulation in utilities should transition to free market pricing. End the Postal Service's monopoly and allow for the free competition in all aspects of mail delivery. State and local monopoly services should be opened to free-market competition. Local and state governments can auction assets such as utility systems and landfills to private industry, thereby immediately reducing the tax burden on their citizens.

The Recommendation was adopted without objection.

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete introduction paragraph to existing section “III. Domestic Ills”:

Current problems in such areas as energy, pollution, health care delivery, decaying cities, and poverty are not solved, but are primarily caused, by government. The welfare state, supposedly designed to aid the poor, is in reality a growing and parasitic burden on all productive people, and injures, rather than benefits, the poor themselves.

The Recommendation was adopted without objection.

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete plank III.1 “Crime and Victimless Crime”:

The Issue: Violent crime and fraud threaten the lives, happiness and belongings of Americans. Government's ability to protect the rights and property of individuals from crimes of violence and fraud is compromised because resources are focused on vice rather than on real crimes. Laws that codify "victimless crimes" turn those who simply conduct voluntary transactions and exercise free choice into criminals. This results in the United States having one of the highest percentages of the population in prison of any country in the world; yet real crime remains prevalent in many parts of the country.

Principle: Government exists to protect the rights of every individual including life, liberty and property. Criminal laws should be limited to violation of the rights of others through force or fraud, or deliberate actions that place others involuntarily at significant risk of harm. Individuals retain the right to voluntarily assume risk of harm to themselves in the exercise of free choice.

Solution: The appropriate way for the federal government to address crime is through consistent and impartial enforcement of laws that protect individual rights. The law enforcement resources of the federal government can be used most efficiently if limited to appropriate federal concerns. Limiting law enforcement to true crime will restore respect for the law and those who enforce it.

Transitional Action: Immediately reform the justice system's mandatory sentencing policies to ensure that violent offenders are not released from jail to make room for non-violent offenders. Repeal criminal laws which work against the protection of the rights and freedom of American citizens, residents or visitors, particularly laws which create a crime where no victim exists.

The Recommendation was adopted without objection.

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete plank III.2 “The War on Drugs”:

The Issue: The suffering that drug misuse has brought about is deplorable; however, drug prohibition causes more harm than drugs themselves. The so-called "War on Drugs" is in reality a war against the American people, our Constitution and the Bill of Rights. It is a grave threat to individual liberty, to domestic order and to peace in the world.

The Principle: Individuals should have the right to use drugs, whether for medical or recreational purposes, without fear of legal reprisals, but must be held legally responsible for the consequences of their actions only if they violate others’ rights.

Solutions: Social involvement by individuals is essential to address the problem of substance misuse and abuse. Popular education and assistance groups are a better approach than prohibition, and we support the activities of private organizations as the best way to move forward on the issue.

Transitional Action: Repeal all laws establishing criminal or civil penalties for the use of drugs. Repeal laws that infringe upon individual rights to be secure in our persons, homes, and property as protected by the Fourth Amendment. Stop the use of "anti-crime" measures such as profiling or civil asset forfeiture that reduce the standard of proof historically borne by government in prosecutions. Stop prosecuting accused non-violent drug offenders, and pardon those previously convicted.

The Recommendation was adopted without objection.

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete introduction paragraph to existing section “IV. Foreign Affairs”:

American foreign policy should seek an America at peace with the world and the defense -- against attack from abroad -- of the lives, liberty, and property of the American people on American soil. Provision of such defense must respect the individual rights of people everywhere.

The principle of non-intervention should guide relationships between governments. The United States government should return to the historic libertarian tradition of avoiding entangling alliances, abstaining totally from foreign quarrels and imperialist adventures, and recognizing the right to unrestricted trade, travel, and immigration.

The Recommendation was adopted without objection.

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete plank IV.1 “Immigration”:

The Issue: Our borders are currently neither open, closed, nor secure. This situation restricts the labor pool, encouraging employers to hire undocumented workers, while leaving those workers neither subject to nor protected by the law. A completely open border allows foreign criminals, carriers of communicable diseases, terrorists and other potential threats to enter the country unchecked. Pandering politicians guarantee access to public services for undocumented aliens, to the detriment of those who would enter to work productively, and increasing the burden on taxpayers.

The Principle: The legitimate function and obligation of government to protect the lives, rights and property of its citizens, requires awareness of and control over the entry into our country of foreign nationals who pose a threat to security, health or property. Political freedom and escape from tyranny demands that individuals not be unreasonably constrained by government in the crossing of political boundaries. Economic freedom demands the unrestricted movement of human as well as financial capital across national borders.

Solutions: Borders will be secure, with free entry to those who have demonstrated compliance with certain requirements. The terms and conditions of entry into the United States must be simple and clearly spelled out. Documenting the entry of individuals must be restricted to screening for criminal background and threats to public health and national security. It is the obligation of the prospective immigrant to demonstrate compliance with these requirements. Once effective immigration policies are in place, general amnesties will no longer be necessary.

Transitional Action: Ensure immigration requirements include only appropriate documentation, screening for criminal background and threats to public health and national security. Simplifying the immigration process and redeployment of surveillance technology to focus on the borders will encourage the use of regular and monitored entry points, thus preventing trespass and saving lives. End federal requirements that benefits and services be provided to those in the country illegally. Repeal all measures that punish employers for hiring undocumented workers. Repeal all immigration quotas.

The Recommendation was adopted without objection.

Endorsement of Bylaws Committee Recommendations

1708: Grow moved to table the consideration of Bylaws recommendations. McLendon seconded.
1724: The motion failed 2-N.

Holtz moved to endorse the Bylaws Committee recommendation regarding amendment procedures for the Statement of Principles and merge with Platform Committee’s Statement of Principles Recommendation.

To Suspend the Rules for the purpose of voting once on the adoption of the following four motions together, without amendment, in sequence, with debate limited to a total of fifteen minutes for all questions. (2/3 vote needed per RONR pp. 184-85, 252-53)

Motion 1: Amend Bylaw Article 14, Section 2 as follows:

Article 4, Section 1, shall not be amended by a vote of less than 7/8 of all registered delegates 2/3 at a Regular Convention. (2/3 vote needed per Bylaw Article 14, Section 1)

Motion 2: Amend Bylaw Article 4, Section 1 as follows:

The Statement of Principles affirms that philosophy upon which the Libertarian Party is founded, by which it shall be sustained, and through which liberty shall prevail. The enduring importance of the Statement of Principles requires that it may be amended only by a vote of 7/8 of all registered delegates 2/3 at a Regular Convention. (2/3 vote needed per Bylaw Article 14, Section 2, as amended above)

Motion 3: Amend the Statement of Principles as follows:

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. (2/3 vote needed per Bylaws Article 4, Section 1, as amended above)

Motion 4: Amend Bylaw Article 4, Section 1 as follows:

and Bylaw Article 14, Section 2 as follows:

Article 4, Section 1, and Article 14, Section 2 shall not be amended by a vote of less than 7/8 2/3 at a Regular Convention. (2/3 vote needed per Bylaw Article 14)

1744: Holtz moved to table this proposal until the other Bylaws recommendations have been considered. The motion passed N-0. Grow left around this time.

Holtz moved to endorse the Bylaws Committee recommendation to add language to Convention Rule 8: RESOLUTIONS

1. Resolutions must be approved by a 2/3 vote.
2. Proposed resolutions must be submitted in writing to the Secretary. The Secretary shall promptly distribute all proposed resolutions to the Platform Committee. The Platform Committee may amend any proposed resolution with the permission of the resolution's author. Proposed resolutions endorsed by more members of the Platform Committee shall be considered before those endorsed by fewer members.

Proviso: This amendment shall take effect upon the final adjournment of the convention at which it is adopted.

1804: The motion failed 4-6.

Holtz moved to endorse the Bylaws Committee recommendation to add language to Convention Rule 7: DEBATING AND VOTING -- PLATFORM

2. After the adoption of the convention agenda, the convention will vote whether to delete planks from the existing platform. This will be accomplished as follows:
a. The Credentials Committee shall issue five signature tokens to each delegate.
b. Tokens shall only be issued to delegates. Delegates are responsible for transferring possession of unused tokens to their alternates if necessary.
c. Each delegate may cast each token as a recommendation for deletion of one plank by noting on the token the plank to be deleted and signing the token.
d. A delegate may cumulate recommendations by casting any number of tokens for deletion of the same plank.
e. Delegates will be given until one hour prior to the scheduled start of the platform report to mark their tokens and deliver them to the Secretary.
f. Prior to the scheduled start of the platform report, the Secretary shall review the tokens received and tabulate and report the tokens submitted for deletion of each plank.
g. As its first item of platform business, the convention shall vote whether to delete each of those planks that received a number of tokens for deletion equal to 20% or more of the number of credentialed delegates. Such votes shall be cast without amendment or debate.
h. The deletion of all planks in a platform section shall cause the deletion of that section, including the section heading and any introductory or other text.

1807: The Recommendation was adopted N-1.

Holtz moved to endorse the Bylaws Committee recommendation to amend Convention Rule 7.4: DEBATING AND VOTING – PLATFORM

4. Recommendations for which there is no minority report shall be debated and voted upon in the following manner:
b. The Convention Chair shall then open the recommendation to discussion and amendment for a period of 15 minutes. At the end of 15 minutes, a vote will be taken on whether to bring the recommendation (as amended, if this is the case) to a final vote. If a majority vote is in favor of immediate consideration, the vote to accept or reject the recommendation must follow immediately. If a majority vote is against immediate consideration, the proposed recommendation shall be tabled for later consideration after all other recommendations receiving a favorable majority vote from the Platform Committee have been considered.
b. The Convention Chair shall then open the recommendation to debate without amendment for a period of up to 15 minutes before bringing the matter to a vote. If the recommendation fails, the Convention Chair shall inquire if any amendments are proposed from the floor. If there are such proposals, the Convention Chair shall request a vote on whether to consider amendments, and with majority approval may consider amendments for a period of up to 10 minutes.

1815: The Recommendation was adopted N-0.

Holtz moved to endorse the Bylaws Committee recommendation to add language to bylaws Article 14: AMENDMENT

3. A Style Committee composed of the Secretary, the most recently selected chairman of the Platform Committee, and the most recently selected chairman of the Bylaws and Rules Committee may propose stylistic changes to the Platform, Bylaws, and Convention Rules. Changes shall be non-substantive in nature, such as corrections to spelling and grammar, capitalization, active versus passive voice, breaking up run-on sentences, correcting references, reordering, and renumbering. Notification of any proposed changes shall be sent by the Secretary to the Chair of each affiliate party at least 30 days prior to being submitted to the National Committee for ratification by a two-thirds vote. Ratified changes shall be automatically appealed to the Judicial Committee.

1618: The Recommendation was adopted N-0.

Holtz moved to endorse the Bylaws Committee recommendation to amend bylaws Article 11: CONVENTIONS

7. Convention Committees:
b. The Platform Committee shall consist of 20 members selected as follows:
- One member by each of the ten affiliate parties having the largest allocated delegation at the most recent Regular Convention sustaining memberships as determined for Convention delegate allocations.
c. The Credentials Committee, composed of ten members, shall be selected as follows:
- One member by each of the five affiliate parties having the largest allocated delegation at the most recent Regular sustaining memberships as determined for Convention delegate allocations.

1822: The Recommendation was adopted N-0.

Holtz moved to endorse the Bylaws Committee recommendation to amend bylaws Article 11: CONVENTIONS

7. Convention Committees:
a. The Bylaws and Rules Committee shall consist of ten Party members appointed by the National Committee no later than three twelve months before a Regular Convention.
b. The Platform Committee shall consist of 20 members selected as follows:
- One member by each of the ten affiliate parties having the largest sustaining memberships as of the last day of the fifteenth month prior to the Regular Convention determined for Convention delegate allocations. These members shall be selected no later than the last day of the fifth twelfth month prior to the Regular Convention.
- Ten members appointed by the National Committee, including no less fewer than five members from states other than the ten having the largest Party memberships. These members shall be appointed no later than the last day of the fifth twelfth month prior to the Regular Convention.
c. The Credentials Committee, composed of ten members, shall be selected as follows:
- Five members chosen by the National Committee no later than the last day of the sixth month prior to the Regular Convention.
- One member by each of the five affiliate parties having the largest sustaining memberships as determined for Convention delegate allocations. These shall be selected by each of the affiliate parties no later than one month prior to the Regular Convention.

1825: The Recommendation was adopted N-0.

Taken from the table was the earlier motion to endorse the Bylaws Committee recommendation regarding amendment procedures for the Statement of Principles and merge with Platform Committee’s Statement of Principles Recommendation.

Article 4, Section 1, shall not be amended by a vote of less than 7/8 of all registered delegates 2/3 at a Regular Convention. (2/3 vote needed per Bylaw Article 14, Section 1)

Motion 2: Amend Bylaw Article 4, Section 1 as follows:

Motion 3: Amend the Statement of Principles as follows:

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. (2/3 vote needed per Bylaws Article 4, Section 1, as amended above)

Motion 4: Amend Bylaw Article 4, Section 1 as follows:

and Bylaw Article 14, Section 2 as follows:

Article 4, Section 1, and Article 14, Section 2 shall not be amended by a vote of less than 7/8 2/3 at a Regular Convention. (2/3 vote needed per Bylaw Article 14)

The Recommendation was adopted N-0, with three abstentions: Haller, Kirkland, Mayer.

Recommendations to Bylaws Committee

Several members of the Bylaws Committee were present, so various members of the Platform Committee expressed a desire that the Bylaws Committee amend the rules so that Platform Committee alternates may be seated during temporary absences of the members for whom they are alternates.

The quorum at this point was: Holtz, Macia, Audrey Capozzi, Kirkland, Haller, Dasbach, McLendon, Howell, Mayer, Ferguson, Mattson.

Adjournment

1830: With no objection, the Committee adjourned to the call of the Chair.

2008 Libertarian Party Platform Committee Meeting Minutes

Committee Members Present

Public Comment

Seating Alternates

Agenda

Elections

Statement of Principles

Other Platform Proposals

Directional Principles Subcommittee Report

DP: to amend the Platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Omissions”:

DP: to amend the Platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Constitutional Government”:

DP: to amend platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Representative Government”:

Haller moved to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Self-Determination” (to follow “Representative Government”, and thus precede it in our report):

DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Franchise and Discrimination”:

DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Free Trade and Migration”:

DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “International Affairs”:

DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Internal Security and Individual Rights”:

DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “National Defense”:

DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Securing Liberty”:

DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Retirement and Income Security”:

DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Health Care”:

DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Education”:

DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Labor Markets”:

DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Monopolies and Corporations”:

DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Money and Financial Markets”:

0923: Bob Capozzi moved to add a recommendation to amend the previous recommendation by appending:

0930: DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Government Finance and Spending”:

0942: DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Environment and Resources”

1027: DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Property and Contract”:

1038: DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Economic Liberty”:

1053: DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Self-Defense”:

1112: DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Crime and Justice”:

1328: DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Personal Relationships”:

1335: Ferguson moved to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Abortion”:

1509: DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Personal Relationships”:

Holtz moved to adopt a Recommendation to amend the Personal Relationships plank to say:

1550: Grow moved the adoption of a Resolution:

1600: Howell moved to amend the already-adopted "Rights and Discrimination" Recommendation:

1609: DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Personal and Bodily Privacy”:

1621: DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Expression and Communication”:

1630: DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Personal Liberty”:

1643: Haller moved to amend the "Expression and Communication" Recommendation by adding:

1649: DP: to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Environment and Resources”:

1701: Mayer moved to amend the platform by adopting the following new plank titled “Energy and Resources”:

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete introduction paragraph to existing section “I. Individual Rights and Civil Order”:

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete plank I.1 “Freedom and Responsibility”:

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete plank I.2 “Freedom of Communication”:

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete plank I.3 “Freedom of Religion”:

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete I.4 “Property Rights”:

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete I.5 “The Right to Privacy”:

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete plank I.6 “The Right to Keep and Bear Arms”:

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete plank I.7 “Conscription”:

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete plank I.8 “Reproductive Rights”:

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete plank I.9 “Sexuality and Gender”:

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete introduction paragraph to existing section “II. Trade and the Economy”:

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete plank II.1 “Government Debt”:

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete plank II.2 “Corporate Welfare, Monopolies, & Subsidies”:

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete plank II.3 “Public Services”:

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete introduction paragraph to existing section “III. Domestic Ills”:

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete plank III.1 “Crime and Victimless Crime”:

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete plank III.2 “The War on Drugs”:

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete introduction paragraph to existing section “IV. Foreign Affairs”:

DP: to adopt a Recommendation to delete plank IV.1 “Immigration”:

Endorsement of Bylaws Committee Recommendations

Holtz moved to endorse the Bylaws Committee recommendation regarding amendment procedures for the Statement of Principles and merge with Platform Committee’s Statement of Principles Recommendation.

Holtz moved to endorse the Bylaws Committee recommendation to add language to Convention Rule 8: RESOLUTIONS

Holtz moved to endorse the Bylaws Committee recommendation to add language to Convention Rule 7: DEBATING AND VOTING -- PLATFORM

Holtz moved to endorse the Bylaws Committee recommendation to amend Convention Rule 7.4: DEBATING AND VOTING – PLATFORM

Holtz moved to endorse the Bylaws Committee recommendation to add language to bylaws Article 14: AMENDMENT

Holtz moved to endorse the Bylaws Committee recommendation to amend bylaws Article 11: CONVENTIONS

Holtz moved to endorse the Bylaws Committee recommendation to amend bylaws Article 11: CONVENTIONS

Taken from the table was the earlier motion to endorse the Bylaws Committee recommendation regarding amendment procedures for the Statement of Principles and merge with Platform Committee’s Statement of Principles Recommendation.

Recommendations to Bylaws Committee

Adjournment

2008 Libertarian Party Platform Committee
Meeting Minutes