Libertarians Call for Permanent Government Shutdown

Libertarian Party Not Afraid, Wants Permanent Shutdown

April 8, 2011

Daily Caller - The leaders of the two largest political parties in the U.S. say they don’t want a government shutdown. As that outcome becomes more and more imminent, the Libertarian Party, America’s third-largest political party, has thrown its support behind making the shutdown a permanent fixture of the federal government.

“Just think how a permanent government shutdown would allow so many Americans to regain the blessings of liberty,” Libertarian Party Executive Director Wes Benedict said in a statement [see below].

The Libertarian Party, whose slogan is “minimum government, maximum freedom,” wants to end programs, agencies and other federal activities not authorized by the nation’s founding document. The Constitution explicitly enumerates powers to Congress and to the president, but libertarians contend that that is where federal power should stop.

“We’re not talking about eliminating the federal government … we want to cut everything else as much as we can,” he said.

Benedict made several suggestions for curbing the enormous amount of money the federal government spends — this year $3.8 trillion. He proposed dismantling the Department of Education and its “one-size-fits-all centralized mandates.” U.S. forces would be withdrawn from Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, he said, and the War on Drugs would cease.

Americans would no longer be chased down every April by the Internal Revenue Service, which he called “byzantine and oppressive.”

Best of all, Benedict said, “Americans would once again be free of unjust and unconstitutional violations of their unalienable rights,” referring to the warrantless wiretapping program, among other things, the Bush administration started and the Obama administration has continued.

“Things are going the wrong way — fast,” he said.

The Libertarian Party Press Release, April 8, 2011:

As elected officials put on a dog-and-pony media show about a temporary shutdown of small parts of the federal government, the Libertarian Party calls for a permanent shutdown of most of the federal government.

Libertarian Party Executive Director Wes Benedict said, "Just think how a permanent government shutdown would allow so many Americans to regain the blessings of liberty.

"Education would blossom as the Department of Education ended its War on Learning, no longer wasting our money and preventing educational innovation with one-size-fits-all centralized mandates.

"Job opportunities at companies big and small would multiply, providing opportunity and choice for American workers.

"The world would enjoy peace as we withdrew our forces from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya. Our government spends almost as much on the military as the rest of the world combined. Millions of industrious men and women who work for the military and its contractors could be focusing on building up our economy, rather than tearing down others'.

"Crime would plummet as the government's War on Drugs ended, no longer sustaining a giant violent black market and overfilling our prisons.

"The life of many poorer Americans would improve as welfare programs stopped, no longer trapping low-income families in an endless cycle of government dependency.

"All Americans would feel a huge burden lifted every April, as they were no longer required to wrestle with a byzantine and oppressive IRS.

"But most importantly, Americans would once again be free of unjust and unconstitutional violations of their unalienable rights."

Benedict added, "We're not talking about eliminating the federal government. We want to end all federal activities that are not authorized by the Constitution, and we want to cut everything else as much as we can. In 2000, the federal government spent $1.8 trillion. This year it's expected to spend $3.8 trillion. Things are going the wrong way -- fast."

For more information, or to arrange an interview, call LP Executive Director Wes Benedict at 202-333-0008 ext. 222.

The LP is America's third-largest political party, founded in 1971. The Libertarian Party stands for free markets, civil liberties, and peace. You can find more information on the Libertarian Party at our website.