From: bam@bnlux1.bnl.gov (Bruce A. Martin)
Subject: Platforms compared:  R, D, L
Organization: (none)
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 17:51:13 GMT

This was posted in other newsgroups but not here.
(Part of the media blackout? 1/2 ;-)
((No, just a result of it.))

>Newsgroups: alt.politics.clinton,alt.politics.bush,alt.politics.elections
>From: tom@genie.slhs.udel.edu (tom)
>Subject: DEMOCRATIC, REPUBLICAN AND LIBERTARIAN PLATFORMS COMPARED
>Message-ID: <1992Aug24.230215.27763@genie.slhs.udel.edu>
>Organization: The Lab Rats
>Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1992 23:02:15 GMT
>
>In article <92233.193505U45301@uicvm.uic.edu> U45301@uicvm.uic.edu (Mary Jacobs) 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.
>
>
>------------------------------------------------------
>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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bam@bnl.gov (Bruce A. Martin)     /|\Master of the Tripods of Hephaestus./|\  
[My opinions are my property, belong to me only, and represent no one else!]
# include discaimers.h          /*** Repeal the Sixteenth Amendment now! ***/
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