Preamble

As Libertarians, we defend each person’s right to engage in any activity that is peaceful and honest and we welcome the diversity that freedom brings. We seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals control their own lives and are never forced to compromise their values or sacrifice their property. We believe that no conflict exists between civil order and individual rights and that individuals, groups, or governments should not initiate force against other individuals, groups, or governments.

Principles

Life – We believe that all individuals have the right to control their own lives and live in whatever manner they choose, as long as they do not interfere with the identical rights of others.

Liberty – The only proper functions of government are the protection of the people from actual foreign or domestic threats to their lives and freedoms; and the protection of their individual rights, namely — life, property, and liberty of speech and action.

Property – The only economic system compatible with the protection of individual human rights is the free market; therefore, the fundamental right of individuals to own property and to enjoy the rewards of their just earnings should not be compromised.

Taxes

We advocate phasing out taxes on incomes, personal property, and real property, along with corresponding decreases in the size of government. We advocate phasing out taxes on corporations and businesses.

Property Taxes 

We advocate complete elimination of any type of property taxes. Property taxes mean that you don’t actually own your property, but are renting it under the threat of violence and imprisonment if you fail to pay the government their protection fee.

Payroll Taxes 

We advocate for the repeal of social security, Medicare, and Medicaid. We support the right of each individual to decide how to fund their healthcare and retirement. We oppose forcing employers to serve as tax collectors.

Eliminate Taxation by Citation 

State and local governments should be prohibited from using code violation fines as a revenue stream and/or as a way to harass or stifle residents. State and local governments should also be prohibited from using outside firms to collect code enforcement fines who have the incentive to drag on court cases in order to increase their bottom line. Code enforcement fines should not be excessive per the Excessive Fines Clause of the U.S. Constitution’s Eighth Amendment and article I, section 6 of the Wisconsin Constitution.

Term Limits

We advocate limits on the time any elected official may serve in office.

Elections

We advocate election law reforms that make it easier for the people to nominate and finance the election of the candidates of their choice through private, voluntary action. We staunchly defend the rights to petition the government for redress of grievances and to express dissent.

Government Transparency 

We support maximum transparency and the right of individuals to access government records freely and openly, while protecting personally identifiable information.

Self-Ownership 

Individuals own their bodies and have rights over them that other individuals, groups, and governments may not violate. Individuals have the freedom and responsibility to decide what they knowingly and voluntarily consume, and what risks they accept to their own health, finances, safety, or life. We favor the repeal of all laws creating “crimes” without victims.

Expression and Communication 

We support full freedom of expression and oppose government censorship, regulation, or control of communications media and technology. Individuals are responsible for their own reactions to speech. 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 that either aid or attack any particular religion.

Privacy

We believe that free individuals may not be compelled to authorize the assignment, collection or dissemination of personal and private information on themselves; nor may any rights and privileges available to others be denied to them for using such discretion.

Gun Ownership

We believe that every individual has the right to protect themself, their family, and their property — and that right SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED. We also recognize lessons from history of the suffering that can be inflicted by the government on disarmed people. Therefore, we oppose any law which restricts, taxes, or requires registration related to firearms ownership.

Juries 

We advocate replacing mandatory jury duty with voluntary juries and private arbitration. We support the Fully Informed Jury Amendment, which would require judges to inform juries of their traditional right to decide the rightness or wrongness of the law in the given case, as well as the guilt or innocence of the person relative to the law.

Plea Bargaining 

We oppose the prosecutorial practice of “overcharging” in criminal prosecutions so as to avoid jury trials by intimidating defendants into accepting plea bargains.

Death Penalty 

We oppose the death penalty, recognizing that government power is prone to error, bias, and abuse. The irreversible nature of capital punishment undermines individual rights and is incompatible with a just and free society. We advocate for alternatives that prioritize rehabilitation and restorative justice while protecting the rights of the accused.

Qualified & Absolute Immunity 

We believe that no officer, agent or official at any level of government should have immunity from prosecution or civil action when they violate the federal and/or state constitutional rights of an individual just because they work for the federal government (absolute immunity) or there isn’t “clearly established law” (qualified immunity). All cases where the constitutional rights have been violated by any person employed by the government should be handled on its own merits.

Civil Asset Forfeiture 

We believe that no individual should have any of their assets seized by any level of government without there first being a charge levied against the individual and a conviction reached on those charges that specifies that assets should be seized in direct relation to the crime(s) committed.

Children and Family 

We believe that children are a special group of citizens possessing fundamental rights involving their life and health. However, until they reach the age of legal responsibility, their other rights are limited and their parents or guardians are responsible for their actions and upbringing. Therefore, the rights and authority that parents or guardians need to fulfill their child raising responsibilities must be respected, but never at the expense of the child’s life and health.

Education

Parents should have full responsibility and authority to choose the education best suited to each child, rather than be forced into government-run schools. We support parents' rights to choose homeschooling, private schools or any school of their choice. Until all government schools are closed, we support the broadest application of school choice and open enrollment for every child.

Student Loans and Government Funding for Schools 

We support ending federal student loan guarantees and special treatment of student loan debt in bankruptcy proceedings. Government funding schools directly through grants, or indirectly through student loans and financial aid, all artificially inflate the demand for education. We support educational institutions like colleges and universities to offer financial aid so that they have an economic incentive to only fund educational pursuits that will likely result in the student earning sufficient salary to repay the loans.

Healthcare

We advocate for a free-market healthcare system, where individuals have the right to choose their providers and treatments without government interference. We oppose mandates, subsidies, and regulations that distort competition and drive up costs. The goal is to ensure affordable, high-quality care through innovation, consumer choice, and personal responsibility.

Trade & The Marketplace 

We believe in free trade and a market driven by consumer demand. We believe the best regulator for the marketplace is a well informed consumer with a lot of choices. Economic freedom demands the unrestricted movement of financial capital across national borders.

Crony Capitalism

Libertarians support free markets. We defend the right of individuals to form commercial enterprises based on voluntary association. We oppose all forms of government subsidies and bailouts to business, labor, or any other special interest. The government should not compete with private enterprise. We reject the government charter of corporations. We call for a separation of business and state to allow everyone to compete with equal opportunity.

Eliminate State-Mandated Occupation Licensing 

Libertarians support the right of every person to earn an honest and peaceful living through the free and voluntary exchange of goods and services. Accordingly, we oppose occupational and other licensing laws that infringe on this right or treat it as a state-granted privilege. We encourage certifications by voluntary associations of professionals. 

Money and Financial Markets 

We favor free-market banking, with unrestricted competition among banks and depository institutions of all types. Those who enjoy the possibility of profits must not impose risks of losses upon others, such as through government guarantees or bailouts. 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 and unconstitutional legal tender laws. END THE FED!

Welfare

We strongly support all private and voluntary charity, including mutual aid and fraternal societies, religious and secular non-profits, and the work of dedicated individuals across Wisconsin who assist those in need. Accordingly, we oppose all laws that limit, hinder, or crowd-out these efforts. We oppose taxpayer-funded welfare programs, as unjustified and ineffective. We support efforts to eliminate these failed government programs.

Federal “Strings” 

The federal government often uses the threat of withholding “federal” funds to coerce states into specific actions. We strongly urge elected officials of Wisconsin to resist such pressure and applaud them when they do. We believe that this threat violates the U.S. Constitution and the concept of a Republic.

Indigenous Peoples & The State 

We deplore the Federal and State governments’ continued paternalistic and exploitative policies toward Indigenous Peoples. We call for the abolition of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which throughout its history has sought forcibly to make Indigenous Peoples wards of the State by destroying their individuality and traditional culture. We call for an end to Federal, State, and local interference in the property rights and civil liberties of Indigenous Peoples. We call on the State and Federal governments to honor all current treaty obligations.

Environment 

A clean environment is in everyone’s interest. Our legal system should protect public and private property from pollution. The right of property owners to prosecute any polluter under trespass, nuisance, and negligence laws should be reinstated. It follows that bureaucracies should not be allowed to harass alleged environmental violators or restrict their direct access to just treatment under the judicial system.

Agriculture

We advocate a free, dynamic agriculture market with every possible and desirable crop being produced and sold using any method that meets with the approval of the buying public that does not spread external harm. Private sector labeling must be allowed to replace government-mandated labeling — consumers will be better served with competitive certification and labels and the ability to reject products whose labeling fails to meet their personal standards. Private individuals or corporations must bear full responsibility for damages they inflict on their neighbors with unwanted externalities including pesticides, herbicides, and genetic modifications.

Energy and Resources 

While energy is needed to fuel a modern society, the government should not be subsidizing any particular form of energy. Unleash innovation—remove barriers to nuclear, geothermal, renewables, and efficiency. We support private control of energy pricing, allocation, and production, and oppose any government involvement or control.

Transportation 

We support the maximum possible privatization of all publicly owned transportation systems and therefore oppose the creation of any new publicly funded or managed transportation systems.

Defend the Guard 

We support legislation to nullify federal overreach into the use of A State’s National Guard Troops. The Governor shall not release from this state into active duty combat, any member of the Wisconsin National Guard unless the United States Congress has passed an Official Declaration of War or has explicitly called forth the Wisconsin National Guard for any of the three enumerated purposes in pursuance of Article I, Section 8, Clause 15 of the Constitution for the United States.

Nullification

The Tenth Amendment to the US Constitution states, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” Therefore we support efforts by individuals through smaller units of government to nullify laws enacted by larger government units that are unconstitutional and violate the principles of life, liberty, and property.

Immigration

We hold that human rights should not be denied or abridged on the basis of nationality. We condemn massive roundups of people, especially children, and others by the government in its hunt for individuals not possessing required government documents. We strongly oppose all measures that would punish employers who hire undocumented workers. Such measures repress free enterprise, harass Workers, and systematically discourage employers from hiring anyone they wish.

Undocumented non-citizens should not be denied the fundamental freedom to labor and to move about unmolested. Furthermore, immigration must not be restricted for reasons of race, religion, political creed, age, or sexual preference.

We, therefore, call for the elimination of all restrictions on immigration, the abolition of I.C.E. and the Border Patrol, and a declaration of full amnesty for all people who have entered the country illegally.