First Steps Towards Freeing the Citizens of the Free State

The purpose of the Libertarian Party of Maryland is to use the political process to promote freedom as the primary value in the organization of a healthy society. To that end, it seeks to elect Libertarians to public office, influence other elected and appointed officials, and move public opinion toward supporting increased liberty in our daily affairs. Our liberties were not curtailed overnight and we do not expect them to be restored overnight. This program represents our first steps toward expanding and protecting our freedoms.

Jobs and Wealth Creation

• Reduce government spending and lower the burden on Maryland taxpayers.
• Restructure the tax system to encourage economic growth, eliminate subsidies and special tax breaks to businesses, and end public funding and financing for stadiums, hotels, concert halls, etc.
• Reform licensing laws that unfairly restrict competition and which protect special interests.

Education

• Increase parental choice in education and encourage variety in education.
• Support small autonomous schools within the larger school buildings.
• Allow K-12 neighborhood schools (reducing busing costs).
• Encourage privately funded K-12 scholarships for non-government educational activities.
• Discourage government interference and control with home schooling.
• School boards should be elected and not appointed.

Crime and Public Safety

• Free up our law enforcement resources by concentrating efforts on crimes against persons and property, rather than non-violent offenders.
• End the use of “asset forfeiture” until the property owner has been properly convicted of a crime in the judicial system. Seizure of property before a conviction is an un-American policy of “guilty until proven innocent.”
• End the drug war. Promote medical treatment, rather than prison sentences, for those who abuse alcohol or drugs.
• Law-abiding citizens have the constitutional right to arm themselves to protect their homes and liberties. Permit the carrying of firearms with training and a background check (shall-issue).

State Government

• Initiate comprehensive reform of Maryland’s executive and legislative processes to eliminate the preferences given to special interests.
• Establish a nonpartisan redistricting process that stops politicians from choosing who votes for them. Create and maintain small, single member districts to encourage politicians to be responsive to their constituents.
• Decentralize government in Maryland. Politicians should respect the right of local communities to govern themselves and not micromanage every aspect of peoples’ lives. Political decisions should be made at the lowest feasible level to encourage civic participation and account for regional differences.
• End exclusionary ballot access laws to foster a strong and vibrant democratic process.
• Eliminate unfunded mandates on local jurisdictions.

Property Rights

• Forbid government entities from abusing the power of eminent domain in order to transfer private property to privileged individuals.
• Phase out government entities that compete against the private sector, such as the Maryland Economic Development Corporation (MEDCO).

Land Use, Transportation, and the Environment

• Eliminate all subsidies to developers.
• Encourage efficient land use by reducing the tax on buildings and property improvements, leaving only assessments on land itself.
• Insist on maintaining local control of zoning decisions and limit state zoning mandates on local jurisdictions.
• End the bipartisan practice of raiding the Transportation Trust Fund for non-transportation projects, which increases traffic gridlock.
• Prevent pollution and increase environmental awareness by making polluters pay for their irresponsibility through civil liability. Promote free market environmentalism to promote conservation and environmental protection.