北秦南郡
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Thursday, October 29,1992
13
Natural Law Party
Condensed Platform
The Natural Law Party of the United States of America was founded on April 20,1992, in Fairfield, Iowa - the heartland of America. The Party was established to "bring the light of Science Into Politics" - to introduce the most up-to-date and effective solutions to the nation's problems. This philosophy underlies the Natural Law Party's proposals to increase the efficiency and efficacy of the Federal Government and its programs. This translates directly into economic growth, increased environmental protection, and an improved standard of living for every American. Following are selected portions of the Party's complete platform. These issues were chosen due to their particular importance in the coming election.
Economics
Through efficiency and overspending, the United States Government bureaucracy has
amassed a national debt of over $4,000,000,000, with interest payments expected to be almost $214,000,000 in 1993 alone is the debt increases funds available for private investment avail.
are depleted, restricting business improvement. At the present time there is an unemployment rate of approximately 8% According to the U.S Congress and Congressional Budget Office, the unemployment rate could be reduced by 1% annually if the necessary plans were implemented The Natural Law Party is currently the only political party to endorse these ideas
The reduction of government spending as well as tax cuts across the board are also part of this economic agenda. The total annual dollar benefit to the U.S national economy after five years resulting from implementing the combined programs proposed by the Natural Law Party for health, crime reduction, rehabilitation, etc., including both cost savings and increased revenues, is nearly $1,200,000,000,000, of which approximately $700 billion pertains to the federal government. These totals include up to $400 billion in reduced health
costs, $140 billion from cutting government waste, $32 billion in prison, law enforcement, and court costs, $49 billion in reduced property damage and related costs due to crime, up to $240 billion resulting from lower unemployment, $46 billion in national energy savings, $94 billion in defense related costs, and $82 billion and $119 billion from reducing welfare payments and lost earnings due to illiteracy and lack of job skills, respectively (For justification of dollar amounts, refer to the complete Party platform available at the booth in front of Wesco Hall, or call the Party's toll free number listed below.)
These above savings are more than sufficient for government to balance the budget and cut taxes significantly for both individuals and for business.
A recent study found a sizable reduction in Okun's Misery Index - defined as the sum of the inflation rate and the unemployment rate- from implementation of the national coherence-creating program proposed by the Natural Law Party (American Statistical Association, Business and Economics Statistics Section, 1987, 799, 1988, 491, 1989, 565). An earlier study noted rising stock prices along with overall improvements in quality of life (Journal of Conflict Resolution, 32, 1988, 776)
Education
The Natural Law Party holds that the solution to all our national problems lies in proper education. We offer the knowledge and scientifically proven educational programs to unfold the full creative potential of every student. These educational programs will produce fully developed citizens who are capable of fulfilling their highest aspirations while contributing to the progress of society as a whole. Only through such educational outcomes can we expect to eliminate our nation's most urgent problems and regain competitiveness in the family of nations.
Currently, more than one of every four students drop out of high school. According to a recent U.S. Department of Education estimate, 13 million Americans cannot read or write at all, 27 million cannot read or write beyond the fourth grade level, and 40 - 60 million more are marginally illiterate. The incomplete mastery of basic skills becomes even more critical as we move into the twenty-first century, where occupations will require even higher language, math, and reasoning skills.
We face a serious crisis in mathematics and the sciences. our students consistently score near the bottom in international comparisons of industrialized nations The 1991 verbal scores on the SAT fell to a
record low Job incompetence seriously weakens American competitiveness: one of every four youth entering the U.S. job market is a school drop-out, compared to Japan, where 98% of those who apply for jobs have high-school diplomas
The Natural Law Party supports many initiatives which will help create an ideal educational system for the U.S., some of which are listed below
~Fully fund the Head Start program, to give all eligible children an opportunity to excel at an early age.
~Provide support for every student who wants to go to college Government loans can be repaid after graduation, either through mandatory salary deductions or through community service.
- Establish ties with organizations and schools to develop programs which upgrade the status and skills of teachers.
- Provide tax incentives for parents to keep
-Provide tax incentives for parents to keep their children in school until the age of 21
-Initiate a National Apprenticeship Program to develop a system that offers training in a valuable skill for students who are not college-bound.
(For details about the above and other proposed educational plans, refer to the complete Party platform.)
Abortion
Environment
The Natural Law Party offers something new and useful on the issue of abortion prevention on a realistic basis. Through effective education, we can reduce the number of abortions significantly more than by introducing new legislation to restrict or prohibit abortions. New legislation restricting abortions would create more problems, and would not significantly reduce the number of abortions. The role of the government should instead be to provide quality leadership and education.
Our policy of prevention unites two apparently irreconcilable factions dividing the nation -- pro-life and pro-choice -- replacing conflict with harmony. Those who are pro-life find fulfillment in this platform, for their desire to decrease the number of abortions can be achieved more effectively through education and prevention than through legislation. Those who are pro-choice are also satisfied because they wish to keep the decision-making power in the hands of those whose lives are affected most -- a principle which we strongly uphold. We believe it is not the proper role of government to regulate the lives of its citizens, but to provide effective education, leadership, and practical programs to allow all citizens to govern their own lives more effectively.
The standard of living and the economic vitality of the United States depend on the increasing availability of inexpensive, clean, renewable sources of energy.
Until now, the U.S. has relied mainly on fossil fuels Coal, oil, and natural gas account for 84% of energy used for electricity, heat, transportation, and power.
renewable, limited in supply, pose a threat to the environment and may endanger future generations with irreversible global changes. The threat of global warming and the danger to the ozone layer are only the most dramatic perils facing the environment In addition to the hazards posed by current energy use, over $70\%$ of our rivers and streams are still so polluted from toxic agricultural and industrial waste that they are unsafe for swimming. To compound matters, approximately $93\%$ of the virgin forests in the Pacific Northwest have been cut (a non-renewable resource), and most of the remainder is scheduled to be cut in the next few years - nearly all of it on public lands. Under current policy, the industrial base of this country will inevitably decline given rising fuel costs and depletion of non-renewable resources.
Stereotypically, protecting the environment is equated with loss of jobs, increasing
costs of goods, and a loss of economic vitality The programs supported by the Natural Law Party for cleansing the environment and protecting it from irreversible damage will stimulate the economy by actually paying a dividend of increased energy efficiency and economic strength Restoring polluted rivers and lakes will increase fishing industries, tourism, and revenues from outdoor recreational activities Protecting forests and reducing exhaust emissions will avert potentially disastrous expenses of adapting to climatic changes due to global warming.
The Natural Law Party is committed to increasing both energy efficiency and the use of renewable, safe, and non-polluting energy sources. Some examples of environmental policies are the support of basic research on energy storage, the development of alternatively-fueled vehicles, the creation of performance standards for pollutant-emitting products, the improvement of solar, wind, and non-hydrocarbon energy sources, the increased taxation of and removal of subsidies for fossil fuels to reflect their real cost to the nation, and the postponing of further nuclear power plant construction until nuclear waste can be safely eliminated (Refer to the complete Party platform for further details.)
Civil Rights
The rights of all American citizens are guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, and the Natural Law Party would support any legislation deemed necessary to uphold these constitutional rights for women and minorities At the same time, the Natural Law Party recognizes the difficulties in "legislating" equality, and regards such legislation as a stop-gap measure.
Until now, democracy has been willing to compromise the interests of the minority for the sake of the majority because it has been based on limited principles of manmade law which are not sufficient to be simultaneously nourishing to everyone. By compromising the interests of the minority, some segments of our population have been left unfulfilled.
The Natural Law Party will propose the establishment of federal departments concerned solely with women's issues and minority issues. These departments will protect the rights of women and minorities, and will be concerned with their education, employment, and social welfare We believe that increased participation in government by women and minorities will bring greater strength and balance to the administration, and resultingly, nearly one-half of our candidates are minorities or women.
America was founded on the principle of natural law. Our founding fathers (particularly Thomas Jefferson) believed in certain immutable laws of nature, which include the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for every American citizen. They held that as long as every citizen and the elected government conducted their affairs in accord with natural law, then the country would enjoy success, the role of government would be simple, and citizens would uphold each other's rights. Law "enforcement" would be practically unnecessary, and government would remain small and efficient. The extensively documented programs proposed by the Natural Law Party will bring national law into alliance with natural law, thus fulfilling the highest aspirations of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and every American Citizen.
The Natural Law Party is currently on the ballot in 31 states. However, it is necessary to write-in the above candidates in the State of Kansas. Thank you.
Natural Law Party Write-in Candidates:
Dr. John Hagelin-President Dr. Mike Tompkins-Vice President Jessie Nichols-U.S. Senate, Kansas Beverly Hanger-U.S. Rep., 3rd District-Kansas
1-800-862-9696
Bringing the Light of Science into Politics
Paid for by Beverly Hanger. Authorized by Jessie Nichols for U.S. Senate and Hagelin/Tomkins '92
Informational meeting tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Alcove F of the Kansas Union.