National Chairman's Letter

Platform - Government

February 2004

Dear Independent American friends,

I wish to comment on the Government section of our IAP National Platform. The tenth belief point of the Introduction section of our Platform states:

10. [Government] We believe that the sole function of government is to protect life, liberty and property; that the federal government is an agent of the states and the people; and that each state is sovereign in performing those functions reserved to it by the U.S. Constitution.

George Washington said: "Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master."

Thomas Jefferson said: "Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms [of government] those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny."

The Government, or tenth numbered section of our Platform, includes the subtopics Function, Bureaucracy, States Rights and Elections, and begins:

10. GOVERNMENT

Function. We believe that to maintain freedom, our political institutions must be founded upon faith in nature's God and upon moral laws and principles embodied in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution for the United States, the Bill of Rights, and the Holy Scriptures. We believe that the function of government is to protect life, liberty, property, and the fundamental and God-given rights of the people, and that anything more than this is usurpation and oppression. We believe it imperative to achieve a substantial reduction in government size and budget at all levels except national defense. We also deem it imperative to expose and eliminate government promotion of all principles, policies and agendas that threaten our Constitution including Socialism, Marxism, Fascism, Nazism, and Secular Humanism.

We support a requirement that all government positions, agencies, activities, etc. be held fully accountable to moral and Constitutional law. We oppose sovereign immunity claims at the federal, state and local level that remove government and its agents from accountability.

The Declaration of Independence called for "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" -- but today we shun protection of life for the unborn; we favor security and centralized government over personal liberty and responsibility; and our pursuit of happiness is impeded by oppressive taxation and government intrusion.

The Declaration also called for "a firm Reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence" -- but we eschew this today by the non-Constitutional notion of separation of church and state, the undermining of our Christian heritage, and the spread of paganism and immorality in America.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Parker said: "It is not the function of the government to keep the citizen from falling into error; it is the function of the citizen to keep the government from falling into error."

Bureaucracy. We favor abolishing regional governments, run by appointed bureaucrats, that impose direct federal control on metropolitan areas and undermine state and local sovereignty. We favor the abolishment of all unconstitutional federal agencies and entities which usurp legislative, executive and judicial powers. We advocate and promote the supervision of public servants by the people they are elected to represent.

One of the grievances in the Declaration of Independence was that "He has erected a Multitude of new Offices, and sent hither Swarms of Officers to harass our People" -- think today of the multitude of federal agencies such as the IRS, EPA, BLM, OSHA, etc.

Another grievance in the Declaration was "For ... altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments" -- evident today with regional government and administrative agencies that are immune to our Constitutional checks and balances.

Barry Goldwater said: "A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you have."

States Rights. We assert that the Constitution guarantees all powers, not delegated to the federal government, belong to the states or the people. We maintain that additional federal powers are available only by Constitutional Amendment. It is self-evident that no state or local government can accept funds from the federal government and remain independent in performing their sovereign functions. We oppose intrusion of the federal government in areas that rightfully belong to the states. We favor abolishing federal control of all lands, except for necessary forts, military bases, post offices, etc., as enumerated in, but limited by, the Constitution. We support the return to the states of all lands unconstitutionally seized, acquired or controlled by the federal government (10th Amendment), and those taken unconstitutionally as tribute for that state to join the Union.

The Tenth Amendment says: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

We see today the erosion of state sovereignty as a result of socialism in America. Regional and metro government is used by federal bureaucrats to bypass state and local governments in matters that were once reserved to the states. Revenue Sharing and other money strings are used to force the states to comply with federal edicts. The national government is no longer the agent of the states. Rather, the states are now agents of the federal government.

Elections. We support the right of every citizen to seek public office in accordance with the qualifications and principles set forth in the U.S. Constitution. We oppose unfair ballot access laws that favor the two-party monopoly which discriminates against all other parties. We oppose the use of tax money for financing political campaigns or political party activities. We favor abolishing the Federal Election Commission, and support restoring control and verification of the electoral process at the state and local level. We oppose any amendment to abolish the electoral college, which would destroy another of our checks and balances. We favor criminal prosecution for vote fraud and electronic manipulation of vote tallies.

As our nation falters and our leaders have failed us, we have lost much respect for government; Many voters are apathetic because of disillusionment, being turned off by politics, a feeling of helplessness to do anything about it, and indifference or ignorance.

But we can make a difference! We need to elect good moral candidates to office who will be righteous role models for America, and who will restore Constitutional government in America!

As Jefferson said: "Does the government fear us? Or do we fear the government? When the people fear the government, tyranny has found victory. The federal government is our servant, not our master!"

For God, Family and Country!

Bruce Bangerter
IAP National Chairman