LETTERS: PRINCIPLES OF LIBERTARIAN PARTY

To the editor:

I would like to say that I was thrilled to see my name in print recognized as a Libertarian. I want to thank the person who called Speak Out for not only reading, but responding to my writing. I also want to thank him for asking about Libertarian principles.

Libertarians 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 Libertarians, grant to government the right to regulate the lives of individuals and seize the fruits of labor without their consent.

Since governments 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. The resultant economic system, the only one compatible with the protection of individual rights, is the free market.

Regarding the question on where the Libertarian Party stands on the issue of abortion, as far as I know it is not a political issue. Abortion, as Colin Powell stated, is between a woman, her God and her doctor. However, ask us where we stand on the issue of income tax, and I can tell you we believe it should and could be totally abolished.

If you would like more information on Libertarian principles, please join us for the Bollinger County Libertarian Committee meeting at 6 p.m. June 12 at the Bollinger County Library in Marble Hill. Or you can call the Cape Girardeau County Libertarian Party at 651-3533. Or you can call the National Libertarian Party at 1-800-682-1776.

MARY NALL

Marble Hill