The Essential-Liberalism Manifesto (Article XII)
XII. ESSENTIAL-LIBERALISM VALUES (1/3)
1. Free economic marketplace:
The government’s primary effect on the economy is through its fiscal
policy (taxing and spending) and its monetary policy (setting the
interest rates and controlling the supply of money). Though the
government has specific roles to play in the economic marketplace
(for example, investing or promoting investment in such areas as
vital infrastructure, public health, and food production;
encouraging foreign investment in the domestic market; negotiating
trade agreements with other nations; preventing the export of
sensitive technologies to certain countries; preventing monopolies
and cartels; regulating various aspects of
corporate entities and the banking industry; and punishing economic
crime such as insider trading and unfair competition), such economic
marketplace must be characterized by a high degree of freedom from
governmental involvement—both in domestic and in international
trade. The vast majority of economic enterprise is to be in
non-governmental hands, with the government engaging only in
enterprises that are not best done by, or otherwise best left for, the private
sector.
A free economic marketplace allows participants to make
their voluntary contributions, interact with others who do so, and
negotiate among themselves—through the operation of free market
forces—the values of goods and services and their exchange, and
thereby the profit from that exchange. Free market forces include
bargaining, competing, and cooperating; supply and demand; the use
of commercial speech; and hiring and firing employees largely based
on business sense and in accordance with existing agreements between
the parties.
Business productivity in general, and
entrepreneurship, financial risk-taking, expertise, and innovation
in particular, are recognized as the engines of economic growth, and
are
therefore encouraged. Efforts by industries to self-regulate are
also favored. Due regard is given to environmentally sound and
worker-supportive business practices.
Policies leading to a reduction of poverty,
the emergence of a large economic middle class, high rates of home
ownership, low unemployment, and low inflation are supported by the
government.
2. Strong preference for
self-reliance, but also support for those who temporarily or
permanently cannot adequately resort to it: Every
adult person is presumed to possess not only a free will, but also
abilities to enable him or her to function in society according to
such will and in conformity with the reasonable expectations of
society. This means that every adult is presumed to bear a personal responsibility
for his or her affairs and for meeting his or her various needs, as
well as a responsibility and ability to act in compliance with the
law.
The societal expectation is that
individuals who temporarily or permanently cannot achieve a
sufficient degree of self-reliance will turn for support to their
relatives, their friends, and to non-governmental organizations
(including philanthropic and religious organizations), as such expectation
will lead to the strengthening of the bond among the members of the
community, and will increase direct compassion, charitable giving,
and a sense of personal and immediate duty to one’s fellow citizens.
However, society will also provide financial and other mechanisms
for collectively helping citizens in various difficult situations
and conditions—usually more so for children with special needs; the elderly
with special needs; the
physically and mentally handicapped; the poor; those unemployed
through lay-offs; those harmed by natural disaster, violent crime,
or terrorism;
and veterans of the armed forces—and less so (or not at all) for
those whom society reasonably believes are now able, or should have
been able, to meet a minimum standard of self-reliance and good
judgment.
A collective pension system serves to
ensure that all citizens who have contributed to the collective
pension fund during their working years receive a monthly allowance
during their retirement years.
3. Rationality and prudence in
governance expected: In matters concerning
governance and legislation, the exercise of reason and good judgment
by government officials is expected, with close scrutiny by such
officials of the full range
of costs, benefits, and tradeoffs of proposed government actions; careful
analysis of the practicability of suggested measures; focus on the
actual results produced by government actions, rather
than the intended results; appropriate use of empirical evidence,
scientific methodology, and the advice of recognized experts; wise
and responsible conservation, management, and expenditure of public
resources, limiting waste, limiting budget overruns, and ensuring
efficient execution; minimization of the burden of bureaucratic
regulations; and learning from past mistakes and seeking future
improvement.
4. Over-legislation discouraged:
As a natural consequence of the interaction between members of
society, some members who exercise their fundamental rights may at
times do so in ways that might conflict with the exercise of
fundamental rights by other members of society. Setting the boundaries for such potentially
conflicting conduct is required so as to allow as many members of
society as possible the ability to exercise their fundamental rights
without causing undue harm to other members who also seek to do the
same.
In reconciling these potential conflicts,
the laws passed and the courts interpreting them are to avoid
overly-burdening the citizenry with legal limitations on conduct
causing only slight harm or no harm to others, or on conduct that is
otherwise better left unregulated in favor of citizens’ freedom to
decide their own best course of action. As not all offensive,
unhealthy, or immoral conduct can or should be made illegal,
individuals and groups who nonetheless seek to minimize such conduct
by others may opt to exert economic, cultural, educational, and
religious pressure aimed at reducing such conduct.
In addition, government cannot consider any
inequality other than inequality of fundamental rights as a cause
necessitating legal intervention. Specifically, government cannot
seek to bring about an equality that is antithetical to the freedoms
of the adult members of society, such as equality of achievement,
education, income, wealth, or any other outward expression of
people’s fundamental rights.
 |
Page 12/14 |
 |
Page last updated: October 15, 2008