2020 Platform
of the
Prohibition Party
PREAMBLE –
We, the members of the Prohibition Party, assembled by telephone conference on 14 April 2019, recognizing Almighty God as the Source of all just government, and with faith in the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ, do hereby pledge to serve the needs and to preserve the prerogatives and freedoms of the citizens of the United States of America.
CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT –
We affirm our loyalty to the Constitution of the United States of America. We will protect it from violation by legislation, by evasion, or by judicial usurpation of rights belonging to the executive and legislative branches of government or reserved to the States and to the people.
AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE –
We will conduct foreign affairs with the preservation of American liberty and independence as our chief objective. We are jealous of American sovereignty; we are opposed to the interference of America in the like sovereignty of other nations.
American garrisons in foreign countries should not exceed the level required to protect American diplomatic missions, unless specifically authorized by Congress.
We support volunteer armed forces, well trained and highly motivated; we oppose conscription except in time of congressionally declared war.
The Prohibition Party opposes the use of military force in violation of Just War principles. We deplore the use of torture in any circumstance.
FOREIGN TRADE –
The Prohibition Party recognizes that international trade has the potential to raise the standard of living for all nations. If not regulated in accord with the common good, however, it can lead to the exploitation of labor and the environment, as well as causing economic insecurity.
We favor free trade, but only on a reciprocal basis. We will impose balancing tariffs on all goods imported from countries whose wage scales, labor benefits, and environmental protections are not similar to our own.
We insist on an end to the use of pressure to restructure the economies of debtor nations in ways that favor large corporate interests over protections for poor and middle-class families. We favor employing sound monetary principles when lending to other nations.
No nation which fails to protect the civil rights of its citizens may be accorded “most favored nation” status.
MONETARY POLICY –
The Constitution mandates that Congress shall have the sole power to coin money and to regulate its value. We will abolish the Federal Reserve System, establishing in its place a government-owned National Bank. Predatory lending activities and punitive rates of interest will be banned. We will encourage the formation of state banks, where qualified entrepreneurs can borrow money for investment in job-creating enterprises and minimal interest.
SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS –
We support the right of citizens to own and to carry arms for personal defense and for sport. We applaud the efforts of private organizations such as the NRA to train Americans in the proper and safe use of firearms.
LABOR AND MANAGEMENT –
We will defend the right of all workers to freely choose to join or not to join a union. Toward that end, we urge all states to adopt right-to-work laws.
We endorse the concepts of a living wage and of reasonable family leave.
The Prohibition Party advocates that no one (excepting public safety and medical personnel) be forced to work on their personal Sabbath day.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT –
Government-subsidized economic development projects should be designed to improve the life of all citizens, rather than as “trickle down” projects primarily benefitting the rich and influential. The Prohibition Party believes in the Free Enterprise System. We support the establishment of family businesses and worker co-operatives, as well as policies which encourage local farming and production.
We advocate an actuarially sound federal Social Security System independent of any other program.
We favor a balanced budget amendment to the United States Constitution.
Well-maintained roads, railways, waterways, and electrical grid are vital to America’s economic health. We would spend more on maintaining and improving our national infrastructure.
BORDER SECURITY AND IMMIGRATION –
The Prohibition Party recognizes and commends the contributions of immigrants to United States’ culture, economy, and national identity.
We recognize that immigration and naturalization should be done through an orderly legal process, under terms established by congressional law. We also recognize that protecting our borders is a duty to the citizens of the United States in ensuring their safety. To this end, we would deploy sufficient resources to stop all illegal traffic across America’s land and sea borders.
We recognize that the causes of migration are complex and multi-faceted and will work toward domestic and international policies which will make immigration a choice rather than a necessity. At the same time, we support a compassionate policy of asylum for individuals facing persecution or who are living under inhumane conditions.
The Prohibition Party supports an end to the use of private, for-profit immigrant detention centers to house individuals.
MARRIAGE –
We call for a constitutional amendment, which shall read as follows: “Marriage is, historically, an Institution and Sacrament of the Church. Only religious institutions shall decide what qualifies as a ‘marriage.’ For the purpose of two individuals who need only legal protection, as for inheritance and for power-of-attorney one for the other, the state may license Civil Unions.”
We oppose any efforts to compel members of the clergy to perform marriages of any sort.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY –
We acknowledge that religious values have played a positive role in the foundation of the United States of America. We find a constitutional right of individual citizens to believe, worship, fellowship, educate, evangelize, and organize religious institutions. Voluntary prayer and other religious activities shall not be prohibited in schools and other public spaces. We deplore militant secularism which seeks to remove religion from the public square.
EDUCATION –
The Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution protects the rights of the States and of the people to regulate education, within constitutional limits. We support the right of families to choose the method for educating their children. To this end, the Prohibition Party supports vouchers that provide all parents with the ability to c hoose their preferred form of education.
We approve of the work of the federal Department of Education in collecting and disseminating essential educational information.
The major emphasis in primary and secondary schools should be on science, mathematics, citizenship, American history, and English. We advocate free tertiary education for all qualified citizens. We would promote re-training programs for displaced workers, paid for by tariffs on imports.
PRO-LIFE –
The Prohibition Party upholds a consistent life ethic with respect to abortion, capital punishment, and euthanasia. We therefore support legislation that establishes a right to life from conception until natural death. We consider abortion to be morally repugnant, and we do not support a right to procure one. We believe that taxpayer monies should not be used to fund abortions and, instead, advocate financial support for pregnancy centers and other institutions that promote the health of the mother and of the unborn child. We oppose the intentional destruction of human embryos as well.
We stand against the use of the death penalty, as imprisonment eliminates the threat of individuals to society and allows offenders to reform themselves. We stand against the practice of euthanasia and of physician-assisted suicide, which prey upon the elderly and the depressed. We recognized the importance of mental health, and we therefore advocate for policies that educate people in this area and of other policies which would curtail the tragedy of suicide.
ANIMAL CRUELTY –
We oppose “entertainments” which inflict pain upon sentient beings, including but not limited to cock- and dog-fighting and bear-baiting. We oppose using animals for consumer-product testing and weapons development, believing that simulations by computer-modeling can usuallyserve those purposes. We advocate state legislation that would make compulsory disclosure on product labels if animal-testing has been used in their development.
THE ENVIRONMENT –
We believe God has given Man dominion (responsible use) over all the Earth. We will safeguard the biosphere, soil, water, and air which we all must share. However, pollution abatement projects must balance costs with benefits.
America must not allow itself to be dependent upon other, sometimes hostile, countries for its energy supply. We advocate increased research on and development of non-fossil fuel resources, tax breaks for companies engaging in such, and subsidies for consumers wishing to change from fossil fuels to renewable domestic sources of energy.
We believe that climate change could be an existential threat to civilization, and we will cooperate with other nations in mitigating its possible effects. However, we will not surrender our sovereignty in this or any other regard.
HEALTH CARE –
We prefer state-level health care programs to federal programs. We will find ways to reduce the 33% inefficiency imposed on American health care by insurance industry overhead and price-gouging.
PUBLIC MORALITY –
Moral and spiritual considerations must be primary factors in determining both state and national policies. We deplore the gross neglect of such matters by the dominant political parties, culminating in the shocking revelations of crime and of political and economic corruption which have characterized recent years.
We believe that all people are created equal and are endowed with inalienable rights. We support justice and equality under the law for all Americans.
We would agitate against all forms of gambling, including state lotteries, which prey on the poor and the poorly educated.
We believe schools should place more emphasis on developing self-discipline and habits of good citizenship.
We support stronger efforts to combat sexual assault and abuse.
We believe that pornography exploits human persons and regard it as an evil that harms societal health.
RECREATIONAL DRUGS –
The alcohol question is the Prohibition Party’s unique, signature issue. Beverage alcohol is America’s #1 narcotic drug problem. In fact, it is a national health crisis. Currently, there are nearly 40,000,000 alcoholics in America, and one in every four Americans under the age of 30 is an alcoholic.
We oppose tobacco in all its forms: Alcohol and tobacco together are responsible for 40% of America’s health-care costs. Cannabis and so-called “hard drugs” such as heroin and cocaine account for a small, but still significant, share of the total public health bill.
Prohibitionists oppose the traffic in all of these drugs — their production, transportation, and sale, except for medicinal use as regulated by the federal Food and Drug Administration. We believe a sustained program of education and legislation, building from the local to the national, is the best way to strengthen community disapproval of drug indulgence and enable a return to National Prohibition of all recreational drugs.
We consider it immoral for government to subsidize the cultivation of tobacco and to promote exporting tobacco products to other countries; we would end business-expense deductions for advertising tobacco and alcohol products. We support programs to assist tobacco farmers and vineyard owners in switching to alternative crops.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can
change the world” - Margaret Mead, Anthropologist
"Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has
genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now." -- Goethe
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