Constitution Party

Category: National Platform

A collection of national platform planks and white papers on important issues from a constitutional perspective.

  • DEFENSE

    DEFENSE

    “The very purpose of Government”, as defined in the 2nd paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, is: 

     “…to secure these [unalienable] rights, Governments are instituted among Men…“, “…that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…“ 

    To fulfill this obligation, the Preamble of the Constitution states one of the duties specifically delegated to the Federal Government is to:  

    “Provide for the common defense.“ 

    US Constitution, Article 1, Section 8, Clauses 11–16 give Congress further direction and authority in this area, including the power  

    “To raise and support Armies” and “To provide and maintain a Navy.“ 

    It is a primary obligation of the federal government to provide for the common defense, and to be vigilant regarding potential threats, prospective capabilities, and perceived intentions of potential enemies.  

    We oppose unilateral disarmament and dismemberment of America’s defense infrastructure. That which is hastily torn down will not be easily rebuilt. 

    We condemn the presidential assumption of authority to deploy American troops into combat without a declaration of war by Congress, pursuant to Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution. 

    Under no circumstances would we commit U.S. forces to serve under any foreign flag or command.  

    We are opposed to any New World Order, and we reject U.S. participation in or a relinquishing of command to any foreign authority. 

    STATE NATIONAL GUARD AND THE RESERVES

    The goal of U.S. security policy is to defend the national security interests of the United States. Therefore, except in time of declared war, for the purposes of state security, no state National Guard or reserve troops shall be called upon to support or conduct operations in foreign theatres. We should be the friend of liberty everywhere, but the guarantor and provisioner of ours alone. 

    We call for the maintenance of a strong, state-of-the-art military on land, sea, in the air, and in space. 

    We urge the executive and legislative branches to continue to provide for the modernization of our armed forces, in keeping with advancing technologies and a constantly changing world situation. 

    We call for the deployment of a fully-operational strategic defense system as soon as possible. 

    We believe that all defense expenditures should be directly related to the protection of our nation.

    Every item of expenditure must be carefully reviewed to eliminate foreign aid, waste, fraud, theft, inefficiency, and excess profits from all defense contracts and military expenditures. 

    We reject the policies and practices that permit women to train for or participate in combat. 

    Because of the radical feminization of the military over the past two decades, it must be recognized that these “advances” undermine the integrity, morale, and performance of our military organizations by dual qualification standards and forced integration. 

    WELL-REGULATED MILITIAS

    We fully support well-regulated militias organized at the state level. 

    We fully support and encourage the restoration of unorganized militia at the county and community level in compliance with our patriotic and legal responsibilities as free citizens of the United States. 

    PANAMA CANAL ZONE

    Under no circumstances should we have unilaterally surrendered our military base rights in Panama. The sovereign right of the United States to the United States territory of the Canal Zone has been jeopardized by treaties between the United States and Panama. Inasmuch as the United States bought both the sovereignty and the grant ownership of the ten-mile-wide Canal Zone, we propose that the government of the United States restore and protect its sovereign right and exclusive jurisdiction of the Canal Zone in perpetuity, and renegotiate the treaties with Panama by which the ownership of the canal was surrendered to Panama. 

    It should be a priority goal of the President and Congress to insist on enforcement of that portion of the 1978 Panama Canal Neutrality Treaty which prohibits control of the entrances to the Panama Canal by any entity not part of the Republic of Panama or the United States of America. By this standard, the award of port facilities at the entrances to the Panama Canal to Hutchison Whampoa, a Hong Kong company closely linked to the Chinese Communist People’s Liberation Army, must be overturned. Similarly, Congress and the President should take advantage of Panama Canal treaty provisions to negotiate the return of a U.S. military presence at the Isthmus of Panama. At a time when the U.S. Navy is one-third its former size, it is essential that rapid transit of U.S. military vessels between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans be assured.

  • CRIME

    CRIME

    St George Tucker was the pre-eminent constitutional scholar of the American founding era. He published View of the Constitution of the United States in 1803 as a comprehensive review of the Constitution of 1787 and the Bill of Rights.  

    Felonies not enumerated within the United States Constitution are, in Tucker’s view, left within the jurisdiction of the state.

    In View of the Constitution of the United States, p. 210-21, he said:  

    “…the very guarded manner in which congress are vested with authority to legislate upon the subject of crimes, and misdemeanors. They are not entrusted with a general power over these subjects, but a few offenses are selected from the great mass of crimes with which society may be infested, upon which only Congress are authorized to prescribe the punishment, or define the offense. All felonies and offenses committed upon land, in all cases not expressly enumerated, being reserved to the states respectively.” 

    US Constitution, Article I, Section 8 Clause 6:  

    “To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;”  

    US Constitution, Article III Section 3 Clause 2:  

    “The Congress shall have power to declare the Punishment of Treason”  

    Amendment 10:  

    “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” 

    Crime, in most cases, is to be dealt with by state and local governments. 

    To the degree that the federal government, in its legislation, judicial actions, regulations, and executive branch activities, interferes with the ability of the people in their communities to apprehend, judge, and penalize accused lawbreakers, it bears responsibility for the climate of crime, which has grown more destructive with each passing year. 

    We favor the right of states and localities to execute criminals convicted of capital crimes and to require restitution for the victims of criminals. 

    Federal involvement in state and local criminal justice processes should be limited to that which is Constitutionally permitted. 

    All who are accused of crimes, petty to capital, shall have a trial by jury upon request, and the jury shall be fully informed of its right to nullify the law. Furthermore, we oppose defendants being charged and tried by both state and federal jurisdictions under different laws for the same alleged criminal act, thus violating the constitutionally secured prohibition against double jeopardy. 

    We believe that all men are created equal and therefore deserve equal protection under the law. 

    We oppose all “hate crime” legislation at all levels of government, and to enhanced penalties for so-called hate crimes. 

    We recognize that a result of the designation of “hate crime” is to extend federal jurisdiction to crimes which would otherwise be in the province of the states or local communities. 

    We oppose special protection or prosecution for certain classes of people or types of employment in that all persons, made in the image of God, deserve equal protection with equal prosecution for crimes committed against the innocent victims of crime.

  • COST OF BIG GOVERNMENT

    COST OF BIG GOVERNMENT

    James Madison, Federalist Papers #45:  

    “The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined.” 

     U.S. Constitution, 10th Amendment  

    “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” 

    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.  

    We call upon the President to use his veto power to stop irresponsible and unconstitutional appropriations and refuse to spend money appropriated by Congress for unconstitutional programs or in excess of tax revenue collected. 

    THE CONSTITUTION PLAN TO DEFEAT THE DEBT

    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. 

    We must eliminate the debt in the shortest reasonable time by: 

    • Not spending more than collected revenues; 
    • Paying interest as it accrues; and 
    • Making annual reductions in the principal 

    We must stop deficit spending. 

    One of the greatest contributors to deficit spending is war. If the country is to eliminate debt, these 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 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 to fund current accounts.  

    We call for the abolition of the Civil Service system, which is perceived to confer on government employees a “property right” regarding their jobs.

  • CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION

    CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION

    We affirm the original text of the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

    We affirm that the nation’s Charter, i.e., the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights contain the foundational law of the federal union between the states.

    We condemn all legislative, executive, and judicial action that departs from the texts and intent of the Charter and the Constitution and their original meaning.  

    We oppose any attempt to call for a Constitutional convention, for any purpose whatsoever, because it cannot be limited to any single issue, and such convention could seriously erode our Constitutionally protected unalienable rights.

  • CONSCRIPTION

    CONSCRIPTION

    US Constitution, 5th Amendment:  

    “No person shall be … deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.” 

    Conscription deprives a person of liberty without due process of law. This is clearly prohibited by the Fifth Amendment. 

    Conscription is forcibly taking a person’s labor—which is a form of property. 

    Allowing conscription removes a critical check on the unconstitutional expansion of the Executive Branch. 

    Compulsory government service is incompatible with individual liberty. 

    We oppose imposition of the draft, the registration law, compulsory military training or any other form of compulsory government service. 

    We support a well-trained and highly organized volunteer state home militia, and voluntary Reserve Officer Training Corps (R.O.T.C.) military training in our schools, colleges, and universities.

  • CONGRESSIONAL REFORM

    CONGRESSIONAL REFORM

    US Constitution, Article 6, Clause 3: 

    “The Senators and Representatives… shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution . . .” 

    The Congress of these United States has become an overpaid, overstaffed, self-serving institution. 

    It confiscates taxpayer funds to finance exorbitant and unconstitutionally determined salaries, pensions, and perks. Most members of Congress have become more accountable to the Washington establishment than to their constituents. Both chambers of Congress are all too often unresponsive and irresponsible, arrogantly placing themselves above the very laws they enact, and beyond the control of the citizens they have sworn to represent and serve. 

    It is time for the American people to renew effective supervision of their public servants, to restore right standards, and to take back the government. 

    Congress must once again be accountable to the people and obedient to the Constitution, repealing all laws that delegate legislative powers to regulatory agencies, bureaucracies, private organizations, the Federal Reserve Board, international agencies, the president, and the judiciary. 

    PROBLEM: THE SEVENTEENTH AMENDMENT

    The U.S. Constitution, as originally framed in Article I, Section 3, provided for U.S. Senators to be chosen by state legislators. This provided the states direct representation in the legislative branch so as to deter the usurpation of powers that are constitutionally reserved to the states or to the people. The Seventeenth Amendment (providing for direct, popular election of U.S. Senators) took away from state governments their representation in the federal legislative process. 

    Since then, Congress has usurped power relatively unchecked, where today, very few members of Congress make it through a single session without violating their oath of office to the Constitution. 

    SOLUTION: REPEAL THE SEVENTEENTH AMENDMENT

    If we are to see a return to the states those powers, programs, and sources of revenue that the federal government has unconstitutionally taken away, then it is also vital that we repeal the Seventeenth Amendment and return to state legislatures the function of electing the Senate. 

    In so doing, the U.S. Senate would return to being a body that represents the legislatures of the several states on the federal level and, thus, a tremendously vital part of the designed checks and balances of power that our Constitution originally provided. 

    IN THE MEANTIME . . .

    We support legislation to prohibit the attachment of unrelated riders to bills. Any amendments must fit within the scope and object of the original bill. 

    We support legislation to require that the Congressional Record contain an accurate record of proceedings. 

    Members of Congress are not to be permitted to rewrite the speeches delivered during the course of debates, or other remarks offered from the floors of their respective houses; nor may any additional materials be inserted in the Record, except those referred to in the speaker’s presentation and for which space is reserved. 

    Abolish Congressional Pensions and Benefits

    We seek to abolish Congressional pensions and other benefits that extend beyond their term in office and favor a conflict-of-interest provision that prevents former congressmen from lobbying for two years after leaving office. 

  • CHARACTER AND MORAL CONDUCT

    CHARACTER AND MORAL CONDUCT

    John Adams, the 2nd President and signer of the Declaration of Independence, warned: 

    “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” 

    He also counseled: 

    “The people have a right, an indisputable, unalienable, indefeasible, divine right to that most dreaded and envied kind of knowledge–I mean of the character and conduct of their rulers.” 

    We threaten our very Constitution when we condone immoral conduct by our elected and appointed leaders. Public respect and esteem toward public officials have fallen to a shameful level. The Constitution Party finds that a cause of this national state of disgrace is the deterioration of personal character among government leaders, exacerbated by the lack of public outcry against immoral conduct by public office holders. 

    PUBLIC TRUST

    Our party leaders and public officials must display exemplary qualities of honesty, integrity, reliability, moral uprightness, fidelity, prudence, temperance, justice, fortitude, self-restraint, courage, kindness, and compassion. If they cannot be trusted in private life, neither can they be trusted in public life. 

    THE CONSTITUTION PARTY COMMITTMENT

    It is imperative that members and nominated candidates representing the Constitution Party and its state affiliates recognize the importance of demonstrating good character in their own lives.

  • BRING GOVERNMENT BACK HOME TO THE STATES AND THE PEOPLE

    BRING GOVERNMENT BACK HOME TO THE STATES AND THE PEOPLE

    The closer civil government is to the people, the more responsible, responsive, and accountable it is likely to be. 

    The Constitution itself, in Articles I through VI, enumerates the powers which may be exercised by the federal government.  

    Of particular importance is Article I, Section 8, which delineates the authority of Congress. The federal government was clearly established as a government of limited authority. The Tenth Amendment to the Constitution specifically provides that:  

    “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” 

    Over time, the limitations of federal government power imposed by the Constitution have been substantially eroded. Preservation of constitutional government requires a restoration of the balance of authority between the federal government and the states as provided in the Constitution itself and as intended and construed by those who framed and ratified that document. 

    We pledge to be faithful to this constitutional requirement and to work methodically to restore to the States and to the people their rightful control over legislative, judicial, executive, and regulatory functions that are not constitutionally delegated to the federal government. 

    We stand opposed to any regionalization of governments, at any level, which results in removal of decision-making powers from the people or those directly elected by the people.