Official Website
of
The Libertarian Party of Fauquier County
Do You Support Non-Aggression?
We have categorized the issues in this list by Local, State, and Federal issues as best we can, although obviously many issues will cross over from one level of government to the next. This list is not intended to be all-inclusive, but rather is representative of the issues concerning Fauquier County residents today. If a particular link doesn't seem to go anywhere, it means that page is still under development.
Local Issues
Crime
Dominion Power Lines
Drugs
Education
Environment
Jobs
State Issues
Abortion
Families & Children
Income Tax
Property Taxes
Transportation
Welfare & Poverty
National Issues
Budget & Economy
Civil Rights
Corporations
Energy & Oil
Foreign Policy
Free Trade
Government Reform
Gun Control
Health Care
Homeland Security
Immigration
Infrastructure & Technology
Principles & Values
Social Security
Tax Reform
War & Peace
Crime
As with all our issues discussions, we begin this discussion by asking ourselves what crime is in relationship to the Non-Aggression Principle: the principle that no one may initiate force against others? What follows here is a general discussion of crime, presented to get you thinking about the Non-Aggression Principle and how you would apply it in our society where crime is concerned.
We can define crime as the initiation of force. So from this perspective, crime is the opposite of the Non-Aggression Principle. Who are the initiators of force, and where do they exist in our society?
Clearly murderers, rapists, thieves, and thugs are all initiators of force. But are they the only ones? The Non-Aggression Principle applies to all of us as individuals, but it also applies to groups and individuals, and it even applies to national, state, and local governments. Thus, an argument can be justly made that anyone in government who initiates force against others, even for purportedly "good" purposes, is violating the Non-Aggression Principle.
What do you think? If the government passes a law or initiates a policy that violates the Non-Aggression Principle, has the government committed a crime? People of good conscience will have different opinions about this. Some believe that an initiation of force isn't a crime until the government makes it a crime. Others point out that murder is still murder regardless of whether a government outlaws murder.
How would you apply the Non-Aggression Principle on the following issues that all fall under the crime heading?
- The death penalty
- Prisons and growing prison populations
- Sentencing issues
- Crimes that involve firearms
- Traffic laws
- Race and crime
- Civil lawsuits (class action, medical, etc.)
- Victimless crimes
Given that the Libertarian Party of Fauquier County supports the Non-Aggression Principle, what do you think our party's position on crime should be? If you have ideas on the subject, or if you can think of forms of initiated force where crime is concerned that this article has overlooked, please contact us.