Whereas the Libertarian Party of Massachusetts recognizes that the COVID-19 pandemic has created a global and national crisis that is threatening lives, especially of those with a weakened immune response and of the elderly.
Whereas the Libertarian Party of Massachusetts sees indications that social distancing and stay-at-home recommendations for those who have that option, as well as cancellations of mass-events have likely contributed to slowing the further spread of COVID-19, although the actual infection rate of the general population is unknown.
Whereas the Libertarian Party of Massachusetts holds that government regulation in general and the government reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic specifically has contributed in multiple ways to worsening the crisis and has created an additional economic threat with significant long-term consequences, especially for the working population, family owned and small businesses, and the communities they are part of.
Whereas the Libertarian Party of Massachusetts holds that the expansion of government reach with forced detentions, mandatory lockdowns and government officials making arbitrary decisions on ‘essential’ vs ‘non-essential’ businesses, etc. has gone beyond the boundaries of what constitutes a free society or in some cases beyond what is permitted by the US Constitution.
Whereas the Libertarian Party of Massachusetts holds that the response to the crisis needs to protect the vulnerable while respecting the civil liberties of all, and that it needs to be based on scientific evidence not speculation.
Whereas the Libertarian Party of Massachusetts sees arrests for violation of social distancing rules and curfews as a clear violation of constitutional rights and as risking the lives of innocent people by violating the recommended social distancing in the enforcement of these very rules..
Whereas the Libertarian Party of Massachusetts sees insufficient evidence that the extreme measure and government mandates have a significant impact beyond voluntary compliance to justify the significant rights violations and human cost of the human and economic crisis it has created.
It be resolved that the Libertarian Party of Massachusetts calls for an end to the government mandated shutdown of the economy and the curtailing of civil liberties, as well as an end to the discriminatory treatment of businesses that might not be politically in favor; that any and all measures of extended government authority if they stay in place must be strictly time limited.
It be further resolved that the Libertarian Party of Massachusetts calls for a more efficient and just approach against the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on voluntary collaboration: voluntary identification of the immune, voluntary social distancing, voluntary avoidance of large gatherings and mass events, targeted isolation of the infected, as well as on enabling the vulnerable to self-protect; that measures be adjusted to the concrete local circumstances rather than driven by centralized planning.
Adopted by the LAMA State Committee on May 04, 2020
