American Freedom Party

A New American Political Party

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Government Is People

There is no such thing as government; there is only people. What we call "government" is simply the behavior of one group of people towards another group of people. Government does not exist as an entity in its own right, such as a tree. If you remove people from a tree, the tree still exists. But if you remove people from a government, there is no government.

Government exists only when one person has the physical power to force another person to do his will.

Every time a government passes a law, it is one person forcing another person to do something, whether it is to surrender money or to perform a task. Every time a government enacts a tax, it is one person taking money from another person. The Government is not a benevolent, invisible, cognant being, whose will you can influence with your prayers while it is taking your money or making you do something. It is simply another human being taking your money and making you do something.

When a group of like-minded people conspire together, such as forming a political party, to obtain the power of government, they do it for one reason: to force their will on those subject to that government. Their purpose may be benevolent or selfish; it doesn't matter. If they want the government to function in a certain way, then they are seeking to force their will onto other people.

Government is neither good or bad in its own right; it is non-existent in its own right. The people running the government, only the people, can be good, bad or both. When a person in government becomes uncaring of the community who formed the government, or when that person seeks to aggrandize himself, then the government becomes bad or oppresive to the people.

Communities of People Rightly Form Government

People have long ago learned they can do more for themselves if they band together to form a government. Government – or at least, our government – is where the people agree among themselves how the community will behave as a whole to accomplish a certain objective.

Therefore, government is a tool of the people, not their master. Government's legitimate authority extends only to the point where people give it permission over themselves. The People have the right to tell another person – the person in government – what authority they give him over themselves.

When a member of the community decides not to conform to the government of the group, that person should either have the right to leave the group or to be expelled by the group. As long as he lives within that group, then he must be subject to the laws and penalties of the group.

Misuse of Government

Misuse of government occurs when one person or group gains control of the government and sets their will above that of everyone in the community. They call themselves kings, dictators, emporers, senators, and presidents. Unfortunately, that form of goverence is so old that it extends to the time before recorded history. It is the only form of government most of the world knows, including many in the United States.

People of the United States initially formed a representative government, intending to return the authority and power of government to its rightful owners, The People.

But the population of the United States was initially made up of people from other governments, and even now a large portion of that population comes from other countries and governments. As a result, many United States citizens are familiar only with one form of government: the government they once owned, the government that wields absolute authority over the people. Because of that, people in their ignorance operate, think, assume and respond as if this government of the United States has ultimate authority over the people. It is the only type of government with which they are familiar. Their influence, based on ignorance, is slowly moving our own government to become the type of government they understand.

The People of the United States are the ones individually responsible for who they are, what they do and what they become. The government of the United States is a tool of the people, not their master. No person in government has divine or personal authority to assume control over other people and force them to do what they themselves are responsible to decide and do.

People who gain control of the government by force, stealth or subterfuge (such as paying people to vote for them or offering campaign promises) in order to insert their own will over that of the community are illigetimate heirs to the offices of power.

Duties of Government

The government is a tool of the people, not their master. It is designed to benefit the community as a whole by benefiting each individual. It allows the community to work together on projects that one person cannot do. As stated in the United States Constitution, this government is set up to 1) establish justice, 2) insure domestic tranquility 3) provide for the common defense, 4) promote the general welfare, and 5) secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. This is what this government is supposed to do.

1. Establish Justice

Justice is what its name implies. Equal penalty for crime shared by all people. We do not cut off a person's hand for stealing a loaf of bread, because a hand is worth more than bread. Instead, we adjust the punishment to fit his crime, plus a reasonable penalty for committing the crime. The punishment must equal the damage and severity of the crime.

Justice is also defined as "justice" when it applies to all people equally. It cannot be adjusted down for wealthy people or up for poor people. Nor should it be adjusted up for wealthy people and down for poor people. It must apply to all people equally.

2. Insure Domestic Tranquility

Domestic Tranquity implies a police force. We cannot have criminals roaming the streets victimizing helpless people.

We must also take into consideration habitual criminals who return to their crimes time and again even after justice has been meted time and again.

3. Provide for The Common Defense

This is the most dangerous provision of all, allowing the government to own guns. Nobody is safe when a government is allowed to own guns. We must always be vigilent to prohibit people in government from taking arms from the owners of government, the community, and reserving that right only to themselves.

Yet we must have a strong military force to protect this nation against its brutal enemies and threats thereof. It is the commission of our government to protect our nation by military might from enemies foreign and domestic when they imminently threaten this nation.

War carries with it a high price, to victor and vanquished alike. It is also the duty of our government to avoid military conflict when possible by diplomacy and negotiation. But they must never comprimise the security, integrity and solvernty of this nation.

4. Promote The General Welfare

"General" Welfare is the well-being of the nation as a whole. As such the government is commissioned to do certain tasks for the good of the nation that individuals cannot do. Such tasks would include things as monitoring diseases within the United States and worldwide as necessary, since we are not an isolated country. The government is commissioned to build roads, bridges and make available passages for transportation. Government is empowered to enable scientists to explore space and planets.

The government is empowered to draft treaties and form alliances with other countries.

The government is empowered to manufacture the tokens of monetary currency in the form of coins and bills. It may deligate that task to another entity although the government may not abdicate the responsibility.

5. Secure The Bessings of Liberty to Ourselves And Our Posterity

Liberty is doing as we please when we please and going where we please, as long as it does not infringe on the liberties and security of another person or the community as a whole.

Economy

Economy is the method by which people do business with other people.

There is only one way an economy works, just as there is only one way gravity works. When we studied and learned the laws and principles of gravity, we harnessed it to our great benefit. We can soar, we can travel, we can build, we can jump. But when we disobey the laws of gravity, we can die or suffer injury. The economy works in the same way; it is established by a Power greater than we; it always works and it works well. When we use it in the manner for which it was designed, everyone prospers. When we misuse it, we all suffer directly or indirectly.

Ideal business is the exchange of products or services equal in value in the minds of the two people making the transaction. A third factor has been introduced, to the great benefit of mankind, and that is money. Money is like the oil between two parts – products and services – making the transaction run smoothy, better and to the enjoyment of both parties. Any subversion of that model reduces the efficiency of the economy to the harm of everyone, person and government alike.

The terms "money" and "value" can also be described as "price." Any government action to control price artificially is detremental to the economy as a whole. It harms both citizen and government.

Other governments throughout history have sought to control the flow of goods, services and price. Governments have sought to limit who can engage in business, what they may do, what they may charge, where they may transport products, and what price people should pay. The further removed from the Ideal business model, the poorer that people, economy and government become.

Any person in a community which owns the government is authorized to conduct business. He may sell a product or service at a price agreed upon with the buyer. That is called Capitalism and Free Enterprise. It is called Capitalism because it is buying and selling for profit. It is called Free Enterprise because any citizen may engage in Capitalism.

Each person, buyer and seller, will and must seek his own benefit. In such a situation, the more clever of the two may defraud the other. This defraud is detremental to the economy, the community and the government. Therefore, the government is the only arbiter of capitalism and free enterprise. The government is empowered and authorized to protect all people of the community under the "General Welfare" principles of the constitution.

The government is empowered to oversee capitalism to promote its proper functioning. The government may demand full disclosure of products and services being offered. The government may stop practices that will deny another person free enterprise, such as unfair pricing by the richer to drive the poorer out of business, or by forcefully denying another business customers that would patronize that business. The government may regulate interest rates.

The government may not in any way seek to regulate or adjust the flow of products, services and prices.