Natural Law Party in Natural Law Party Platform 2000


On Civil Rights: Uphold laws guaranteeing equal opportunity, not quotas

The Natural Law Party believes that affirmative action is a necessary evil - a stop-gap measure to prevent discrimination. However, the Party does not support quotas, since we feel that representatives of all sectors of society find quotas to be demeaning and a source of resentment in the workplace. The Natural Law Party upholds laws guaranteeing equal opportunity, not equal outcomes.
Source: Natural Law Party Platform 2000 Nov 7, 2000

On Civil Rights: Same sex marriage is not a government issue

Government should not attempt to legislate morality or to intervene in the private moral decisions of its citizenry. Therefore, on principle, the Natural Law Party will not draft legislation to discriminate against, nor to actively support, same-sex marriage.
Source: Natural Law Party Platform 2000 Nov 7, 2000

On Crime: Meditation can help reduce stress, which causes crime

Current crime prevention programs overlook the devastation wrought by traumatic stress. To reduce crime, stress must be reduced in at-risk individuals. Scientific studies have shown that practicing Transcendental Meditation reduces stress and violence.
Source: Natural Law Party Platform 2000 Nov 7, 2000

On Crime: Death penalty is not an effective deterrent

Experience shows that capital punishment neither deters crime nor saves money. Although we support a strong penal code, especially for violent crimes, the current effort to extend the death penalty to include a wide range of crimes is a desperate reaction arising from deep frustration. We believe the national mood will shift away from an outcry for the harshest possible punishment and towards more compassionate solutions.
Source: Natural Law Party Platform 2000 Nov 7, 2000

On Education: Vouchers will increase options & competition

The Natural Law Party supports federally funded vouchers to increase parental options and to foster competition among schools. These vouchers could be used to pay for any school of the parents’ choice -- public, private, or parochial -- provided that the school maintains high academic performance on standardized national tests. The competition that this system will engender will help reverse declining educational outcomes.
Source: Natural Law Party Platform 2000 Nov 7, 2000

On Energy & Oil: Reducing global warming will help economy

America should lead the effort to prevent the destruction of the earth’s forests, the decimation of diversity, and damage from ozone depletion and the greenhouse effect. The programs supported by the Natural Law Party will stimulate the economy. Cleaning the air will reduce medical costs. Protecting forests and reducing exhaust emissions will avert the disastrous expenses of adapting to climatic changes due to global warming.
Source: Natural Law Party Platform 2000 Nov 7, 2000

On Foreign Policy: Aid Russia and China with knowledge to build economies

There is a need to address America’s deteriorating relations with China, trade deficit with Japan, and competition with Western Europe. Americans wish to help the emerging democracies of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, yet protest substantial funds given directly to Russia and other republics because of so many pressing priorities at home. The Natural Law Party would create an immediate shift in U.S. foreign policy toward a policy based on the exportation of U.S. know-how.
Source: Natural Law Party Platform 2000 Nov 7, 2000

On Free Trade: Revisit NAFTA and WTO to reflect U.S. interests

The Natural Law Party supports a trade program that promotes the economic welfare of all our citizens; provides markets for our domestic small businesses; safeguards American employment and labor standards; and ensures that imported goods meet our safety standards. NAFTA must be revisited to ensure that America’s interests are upheld. The Natural Law Party would give the WTO twelve months to adopt more democratic procedures or would withdraw the U.S.
Source: Natural Law Party Platform 2000 Nov 7, 2000

On Gun Control: Widespread availability of guns causes crime

The Natural Law Party believes that the widespread availability of guns is, in itself, a significant contributing factor to the rise of violent crime. The Natural Law Party therefore upholds existing gun-control legislation and believes that such legislation represents a suitable balance between safety and the right to bear arms.
Source: Natural Law Party Platform 2000 Nov 7, 2000

On Health Care: Save Medicare by rewarding good health & providing choice

We support financial incentives that will prevent abuse of the health care system. These include medical savings accounts for Medicare and Medicaid subscribers, which will provide financial rewards for good health & vouchers enabling Medicare and Medicaid subscribers to choose any insurance plan or provider they desire. Through our approach of preventive health care and financial incentives, we can rescue Medicare and Medicaid from bankruptcy & save $500 billion a year in health care costs.
Source: Natural Law Party Platform 2000 Nov 7, 2000

On Health Care: Savings from prevention will allow health insurance for all

The enormous savings generated by the Natural Law Party’s prevention-oriented programs, coupled with the financial incentives created by medical vouchers and savings accounts, will allow the government to realistically extend high-quality health care to tens of millions of uninsured Americans.
Source: Natural Law Party Platform 2000 Nov 7, 2000

On Homeland Security: Cut funding for expensive, ineffective weapons systems

We emphasize human rather than material resources. For example, the Natural Law Party believes that funding for costly, wasteful, and ineffective weapons systems could be rapidly scaled down. We would (1) accelerate the decrease of U.S. nuclear arsenals, (2) permanently halt all U.S. nuclear testing and nuclear weapons research, and (3) reduce the U.S. presence in NATO and the Pacific Rim. There is strong evidence that more jobs are created through domestic programs than through military.
Source: Natural Law Party Platform 2000 Nov 7, 2000

On Jobs: A pro-working environment will accomplish more than unions

The Natural Law Party believes that working citizens have a right to associate and to engage in collective bargaining to ensure good working conditions and fair compensation. However, the at most powerful way to improve the job conditions and earnings of American workers is to stimulate job growth. Through pro-growth economic policies, America will be a seller’s market from the worker’s perspective.
Source: Natural Law Party Platform 2000 Nov 7, 2000

On Tax Reform: A flat tax will stimulate economy while paying debt

The most powerful fiscal action to stimulate the economy is to lower taxes. The Natural Law Party offers a strategy for tax reduction that protects the integrity of social programs. The flat tax would stimulate and sustain strong economic growth. This strong economic growth, with its associated increase in government revenues, combined with the savings from our cost-effective solutions, would ensure a balanced budget and gradual repayment of the debt without borrowing from Social Security.
Source: Natural Law Party Platform 2000 Nov 7, 2000

On Welfare & Poverty: Welfare should be a safety net for unemployed

Welfare should not be a lifestyle, but a short-term safety net. The Natural Law Party is in favor of welfare, including a two-year limit on benefits. We can broaden the idea of “welfare” from a notion of cash to a more expansive notion of well-being.
Source: Natural Law Party Platform 2000 Nov 7, 2000

The above quotations are from Natural Law Party Platform 2000.
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Page last updated: Nov 29, 2018