For Immediate Release Monday, February 2, 2009
Urge state assembly to focus on schools, property rights, open elections, end to corporate welfare
RALEIGH, NC — The North Carolina General Assembly should focus on annexation, public education, open elections, and corporate welfare during the upcoming session, the Libertarian Party of North Carolina said today in announcing The Liberty Agenda for North Carolina.
‘These are the major challenges facing the people of North Carolina, because they address fundamental rights,’ said Barbara Howe, state party chair. During the 2008 campaign, gubernatorial candidate Mike Munger and several legislative candidates promoted this agenda.
The four-point Liberty Agenda is:
1. End forced annexation and stop private property seizure under the power of eminent domain by amending the state constitution.
2. Improve public education through school choice and competition.
3. Restore free, fair, and open elections to North Carolina by removing barriers to ballot access.
4. End all corporate welfare and subsidies.
‘Ending property theft by government, improving education, ending corporate welfare, and restoring fair elections are only the beginning,’ said Howe.
The ultimate goal of the LPNC is to reduce the size, scope, and power of government at all levels and on all issues, and consistently oppose any increase in the size, scope, and power of government at any level, for any purpose.
Following is the full text of The Liberty Agenda:
We, Libertarian Party of North Carolina propose present this agenda for action to the 2009 General Assembly.
1. End forced annexation and stop private property seizure under the power of eminent domain by amending the state constitution.
Forced annexation and the seizure of private property ostensibly for ‘public purpose’ is a violation of the fundamental rights of Americans. Forced annexation is not about providing services, or controlling growth. Forced annexation is about money. Communities should only be annexed with the consent of those annexed. No government, at any level, should have the power to take or seize private property for any purpose, without the express consent of the owner, and without just compensation.
2. Improve public education through school choice and competition.
It has become fashionable to bash public education rather than sincerely seek ways to improve it. There are many good things happening in North Carolina education. The path to continued improvement is to foster choice.
The problem is that anyone who proposes thinking out of the box when it comes to education is beat over the head with the supposed public school mandate in the state constitution.
This selective devotion to constitutional principle is curious, since the legislature freely ignores other parts of the constitution, including the requirement that ‘all elections shall be free, fair, and open’ by restricting the right of people to vote for anyone other than Democrats and Republicans.
3. Restore free, fair and open elections to North Carolina by removing barriers to ballot access.
North Carolina has one of the most restrictive ballot access laws in the nation. These barriers are specifically designed by the Democratic-Republican duopoly to restrict the people’s freedom of choice, and to prevent independent and third party candidates from getting on the ballot. Elections laws also are used to restrict free speech by limiting how much an individual can contribute to the candidate of their choice. The people should have the unregulated and unrestricted right to vote for and support candidates of their choice.
4. End all corporate welfare and subsidies.
Economic incentives and subsidies, more properly called corporate welfare, are an immoral tax on individuals for the benefit of corporate profits. Recent news reports that the Dell computer company may sell their three year old Winston-Salem plant, built with nearly $300 million in corporate welfare, demonstrate that corporate incentives are ineffective as well as immoral.
Conclusion
Ending property theft by government, improving education, ending corporate welfare, and restoring fair elections are only our top four issues, the beginning. The ultimate goal of the Libertarian Party of North Carolina is to reduce the size, scope, and power of government at all levels and on all issues, and consistently oppose any increase in the size, scope, and power of government at any level, for any purpose.
Press release from the Libertarian Party of North Carolina
