A legitimate and primary purpose of civil government is to
safeguard the God-given rights of its citizens; namely, life, liberty,
and property. Only those duties, functions, and programs specifically
assigned to the federal government by the Constitution should be
funded. We call upon Congress and the President to stop all federal
expenditures which are not specifically authorized by the U. S.
Constitution, and to restore to the states those powers, programs, and
sources of revenue that the federal government has usurped.Budget considerations are greatly impacted by the ever rising
national debt. Interest on the debt is one of the largest expenses of
government, and unless the interest is paid, the debt will continue to
grow as interest is added to interest. If we are to get rid of the
debt, a time needs to be set within which the debt will be funded, and
then pay it off within that period. Whatever the payoff period may be,
three things must happen within that time.
- The annual reductions have to be made without fail.
- All interest must be paid as it accrues; and
- The government must not spend more than it takes in during the payoff period.
One of the greatest contributors to deficit spending is war. If the
country is to get rid of debt, the United States cannot become
gratuitously involved in constant wars. Constitutional government, as
the founders envisioned it, was not imperial. It was certainly not
contemplated that America would police the world at the taxpayers’
expense.We call for the systematic reduction of the federal debt through,
but not limited to, the elimination of further borrowing and the
elimination of unconstitutional programs and agencies.We call upon the President to use his Constitutional veto power to
stop irresponsible and unconstitutional appropriations, and use his
Constitutional authority to refuse to spend any money appropriated by
Congress for unconstitutional programs or in excess of Constitutionally
imposed tax revenue.The debt could be more rapidly eliminated if certain lands and other
assets currently held by the federal government were sold, and the
proceeds applied to the debt. This policy should be employed, and funds
from the sale of all such assets should be specifically applied to debt
reduction.We reject the misleading use of the terms “surplus” and “balanced
budget” as long as we have public debt. We oppose dishonest accounting
practices such as “off-budget items” used to hide unconstitutional
spending practices.We call for an end to the raiding by the federal government of the
Social Security, Railroad Retirement and Medicare funds. We believe
that over a protracted period the Social Security system may be
privatized without disadvantage to the beneficiaries of the system.
However, the program has been in place since the 1930s, and workers and
their employers were taxed for the program and paid in good faith. The
government promised to deliver the benefits, and must meet this
commitment.We call for the abolition of the Civil Service system, which is
perceived to confer on government employees a “property right”
regarding their jobs.
The Constitution Party Platform can viewed in it’s entirety here.