From: szabo@techbook.com (Nick Szabo)
Subject: Re: DEMOCRATIC, REPUBLICAN AND LIBERTARIAN PLATFORMS COMPARED
Organization: TECHbooks --- Public Access UNIX --- (503) 644-8135
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 17:54:09 GMT

The following should have also been posted in alt.politics.marrou, so
here it is.  This is an interesting, comparative overview of the three
major parties' positions on the issues:


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In article <1992Aug24.230215.27763@genie.slhs.udel.edu> tom@genie.slhs.udel.edu (tom) writes:
} The Gannet News Service prepared and the Seattle Times printed
} the following comparison of the Republican and Democratic Party
} Platforms on various issues. Thanks to a Microsoft employee
} for scanning it and making available.

quoted Libertarian positions are from the 1992 LP Platform or the 1992 LP
Program. both of these documents are available by ftp from think.com in
the directory pub/libernet.


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Comparing Republican, Democratic and Libertarian Party Platforms

ABORTION

Republicans - "We believe the unborn child has a fundamental individual
right to life which cannot be infringed. We therefore reaffirm our support
or a human life amendment to the Constitution, and . . . we reaffirm our
support for appointment of judges who respect traditional family values
and the sanctity of innocent human life."

Democrats - We "stand behind the right of every woman to choose.
consistent with Roe vs. Wade. regardless of ability to pay.... The goal
must be to make abortion less necessary.  not more difficult or more
dangerous."

Libertarians - "Recognizing that each person must be the sole and absolute
owner of his or her own body, we support the right of women to make a
personal choice regarding the termination of pregnancy. We oppose the
undermining of the right via laws requiring consent of the pregnant
woman's parents, consent of the prospective father, waiting periods ...
However, we also oppose all tax funding for abortions. It is particularly
harsh to force someone who believes that abortion is murder to pay for
another's abortion. We also condemn state-mandated abortions.

CIVIL RIGHTS

Republicans - Support "vigorous enforcement of statutes to prevent illegal
discrimination on account of sex race creed or national origin. . . We
reject efforts to replace equal rights with quotas or other preferential
treatment."

Democrats - Say they'll lead the fight against "discrimination or
deprivation of rights on the basis of race. gender. language, national
origin, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation or other
characteristics irrelevant to ability."

Libertarians - "Individual rights should not be denied, abridged, or
enhanced at the expense of other people's rights, on the basis of sex,
wealth, race, color, creed, age, national origin, personal habits,
political preference, or sexual orientation by the laws at any level of
government. Protective labor laws, Selective Service laws, and other laws
that violate rights selectively should be repealed entirely rather than
being extended to all groups."

CRIME

Republicans - "Republicans defend the constitutional right to keep and
bear arms. We call for stiff mandatory sentences for those who use
firearms in a crime." Party is committed to a drug-free America.... As a
result (of Republican efforts). overall drug abuse is falling.... Dope is
no longer trendy."

Democrats - Call for "reasonable waiting period" for handgun buyers, "as
well as assault weapons controls to ban the possession.  sale. importation
and manufacture of the most deadly assault weapons." Back community
service and boot camps for first-time offenders: attack Republican
"leniency" on white-collar crime.

Libertarians - "The appropriate way to suppress crime is through
consistent and impartial enforcement of laws that protect individual
rights. Laws pertaining to "victimless crimes" should be repealed since
such laws themselves violate individual rights and also breed other types
of crime. We applaud the trend toward private protection services and
voluntary community crime control groups. We support institutional
changes, consistent with full respect for the rights of the accused, that
would permit victims to direct the prosecution in criminal cases."

DEFICIT

Republicans - "At the heart of the Democrats' corruption of Congress is a
fraudulent budget process.... The lords of the Capitol still play the old
shell game. Republicans vigorously support a balanced budget, a balanced
budget constitutional amendment and a line-item veto for the president."

Democrats - Call for "fair and shared sacrifice of all Americans for the
common good," but offer few specifics.  Would "control soaring health-care
costs, cut federal administrative costs by 3% annually, and limit budget
increases to growth rate of the average paycheck."

Libertarians - Call for "an end to deficit budgets", and "a constitutional
amendment requiring the national government to balance its budget, ... and
similar amendments to require balanced state budgets. To be effective, a
balanced budget amendment should provide: that neither Congress nor the
President be permitted to override this requirement; that all off-budget
items are included in the budget; that the budget is balanced exclusively
by cutting expenditures, and not by raising taxes"

EDUCATION

Republicans - "The Republican strategy is based on sound principle - that
parents have the right to choose the best schools for their children; that
schools should teach right from wrong. that schools should reinforce
parental authority, not replace it.... We support the right of students to
engage in voluntary prayer in schools." Back parents right to educate
children at home.

Democrats - "We oppose the Bush administration's efforts to bankrupt the
public school system...through private school vouchers. Vow to make
college "affordable to all students...regardless of family incomes....
Governments must ensure that teachers pay measures up to their decisive
role in children's lives."

Libertarians - "The libertarian approach to education is to let parents
choose the education that is best for their child. ...  Allow parents to
send their children to the teacher and the school of their choice by
implementing a voucher system. Eliminate the U. S. Department of
Education which spends billions on administration and educates no one.
Institute tax credits for any person or company which pays for the
education of any student, or any number of students, at any school, public
or private. Remove restrictions which limit such private educational
choices as home schooling.

ENVIRONMENT

Republicans - "Environmental progress must continue in tandem with
economic growth. Crippling an industry is no solution at all.  Bankrupt
facilities only worsen environmental situations."

Democrats - "We reject the Republican myth that energy efficiency and
environmental protection are enemies of economic growth." Vow to protect
old-growth forests and wetlands and oppose new offshore drilling. Promise
a civilian conservation corps.

Libertarians - say that "By setting acceptable levels of pollution, the
government is actually approving those levels of pollution.  Libertarians
do not believe that government should determine how much poison we are
forced to eat, drink, and breathe." Want to hold responsible property
owners or managers strictly liable for damages and/or cleanup costs,
rather than taxpayers.

FAMILIES

Republicans - "For more than three decades. the liberal philosophy has
assaulted the family or every side....  Republicans trust parents and
believe they, not courts and lawyers. know what is best for their
children." Opposes legislation which legally recognizes same-sex marriages
and allows such couples to adopt children and provide foster care."

Democrats - "Governments don't raise children, people do....  Children
should not have children. We need a national crackdown on deadbeat
parents. an effective system of child-support I enforcement."

Libertarians - "We support protection of the integrity of families and
households against government intrusion and interference. Such
governmental interference has undermined the value of families and
households as cultural institutions of love, nurture, companionship,
kinship, and personal development by forcing them to conform to a rigid,
inflexible design."

FOREIGN POLICY

Republicans - "Never in this century has the United States enjoyed such
security from foreign enemies. With President Bush leading the free world,
the Soviet empire has collapsed." Defend Bush's decision to grant
most-favored-nation trade status to China as "based on support for
democratic reform. We need to maintain the relationship with China so that
we can effectively encourage such reform."

Democrats - "Under President Bush, crises have been managed rather than
prevented." Call for foreign aid to be targeted at democracies, not
tyrants. Call for swifter action to help former communist nations; want to
maintain sanctions on South Africa until "full accommodation" with black
majority. Would condition "favorable trade terms for China on respect for
human rights in China and Tibet, greater market access for U.S. goods, and
responsible conduct on weapons proliferation."

Libertarians - "support a foreign policy designed to promote peace and
honest trade between Americans and all other people.  Thomas Jefferson
stated it: "Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations,
entangling alliances with none." Libertarians would say: free trade and
neutrality. ... Both Democratic and Republican administrations have, for
many decades, employed a foreign policy of intervention which disrupts
free trade. Since Americans would never tolerate other nations interfering
with our internal affairs, we should not interfere in theirs. We should
stop using military and covert operations to prop up or topple any other
government.

HEALTH CARE

Republicans - "Believe government control of health care is irresponsible
and ineffective. We believe healthcare choices should remain in the hands
of the people. not government bureaucrats....  AIDS should be treated like
any other communicable or sexually transmitted disease, while at the same
time preserving patient confidentiality.... We reject the notion that the
distribution of clean needles and condoms are the solution to stopping the
spread of AIDS."

Democrats - "All Americans should have universal access to quality.
affordable healthcare - not as a privilege, but as a right." Promise,
without specifics "tough controls on health costs" and to "cover all
Americans, regardless of pre-existing conditions." Will implement
recommendations of the National Commission on AIDS.

Libertarians - "Our health is far too important to entrust to politicians
and bureaucrats. Government's ever-expanding role in our nation's health
care system interferes with the ability of patients and doctors to freely
select treatments, denies potentially life-saving medicines to the
terminally ill, encourages fraud in government- funded care and research,
and causes skyrocketing costs for everyone. ...  Increased subsidies for
health care, including Medicare and Medicaid, have inflated costs,
promoted fraud, and reduced the standard of care provided.  Government
"cost containment" regulations have failed to contain costs while
inflating private hospital bills and insurance premiums.

TAXES

Republicans - "The only safeguard" between taxpayers and "Democrat tax
increases is the use of the veto by George Bush and enough Republican
votes in Congress to sustain it.... We believe the tax increases of 1990
should ultimately be repealed.... The proper path to create jobs and
growth is tax rate reductions."

Democrats - "We will relieve the tax burden on middle-class Americans by
forcing the rich to pay their fair share. We will provide tax relief to
Families with children."

Libertarians - "When taxation takes money or property from private
citizens and transfers it to government, economic productivity declines.
Employers cannot expand, businesses fail, and jobs are lost ... Even
successful businesses must pass on the cost of taxes to consumers.
Everyone loses except the government. ... we propose the following: Neither
Congress nor any state legislature should create any new tax or increase
any tax rate from this day forward; A "sunset" provision should be added
to every tax statute. Such a provision would end the particular tax after
two years unless it is re-enacted; provide for a binding initiative
process where the voters can repeal any tax by majority vote; Tax money
should no longer subsidize any government service which can possibly be
provided in the private sector.

-- 
tom@udel.edu                                        ...!{gateway}!udel!tom
tom@genie.slhs.udel.edu           UDel: School of Life and Health Sciences

"Themes were useless; Destiny was here, and the foot pedals were bleeding."

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