Limited Government

Limited Government – The rightful functions of government are to guarantee individual liberty, private property, internal order, the provision of national defense, and the administration of justice. When the state exceeds this proper role, it accumulates power and becomes a threat to personal liberty.

› Centralization of governmental authority at the expense of civic institutions and local government is abhorrent. Governmental power should be strongest at the local level where it can be most responsive to the will of the governed. Federal intrusion into state policy should be resisted.

› Citizens deserve a government which is fiscally responsible. Waste, fraud and duplication in government functions and/or programs must be eliminated. Public debt, except for building infrastructure, should be avoided. Government budgets should fit within existing revenues. Spending reductions, not tax increases, are the preferred solutions to revenue shortfalls.

› Taxation should be restricted to the most minimal levels, and the burden of taxation should be spread as equally as possible among tax payers. Taxation should never be employed for the purposes of redistributing wealth or restrict productivity, economic growth, or savings.

› Government policy should encourage self-sufficiency and promote the work ethic among its citizenry. Public funds should not be used to support persons who are capable, albeit unwilling, to provide for their own needs. Government welfare programs for the needy should strive to enforce the dignity of the individual, strengthen the family unit, and encourage the individual’s potential for self-sufficiency.