The Libertarian Party of Utah – Values
We believe that all people are endowed with basic individual rights. These rights are inherent and the government’s job, having only the authority granted by the people, is to uphold and protect our rights. We believe in a strong national defense to protect our rights and property and disagree with our military being used in an offensive manner. We also believe in a strong yet fair criminal justice system and a government which promotes, not provides, the general welfare of all citizens by having equal justice under the law.
We believe individuals, families, and communities are best served by having a variety of choices in areas such as education, transportation, self defense, and personal lifestyle choices, so long as those choices do not violate others’ rights, property, or agency. We don’t look to government to provide or decide for us in these areas. Rather, we look to the government to act as a referee and foster an environment that allows each of us to pursue our dreams and goals as long as we aren’t harming others in the process. The government can only protect our rights. It does not give us rights, nor do we believe that any service provided for the people by the state should be labeled a right.
We believe that adults have the right and responsibility to treat their bodies as their own, without needing permission from the government to manage their life, liberty, or property. To be clear we discourage the use of taxpayer dollars being used to force or coerce consenting adult citizens to act as one segment of society wishes, even if the majority of society dislikes a certain behavior.