Government programs have failed. Government reforms have failed. Democratic and Republican politicians have failed. Government doesn't work. 

Still, whatever the issue, Republican and Democratic politicians propose more government as the answer --- even when, as is usually the case, government caused the problem. 

Libertarians, on the other hand, stand for individual liberty and personal responsibility on all issues at all times. 

If there's a problem, our first question is not: "How can government solve it?" Instead, we ask: "What government program caused it to begin with, and what government program must be eliminated to fix it?" 

• We're the only party dedicated to dramatically reducing government and doing it as quickly as possible, not in some pie-in-the-sky future year.
• We're the only party that recognizes that the federal government has expanded far beyond the small, limited government envisioned by the Founding Fathers.
• We're the only party that believes the Bill of Rights is an absolute document, to be taken literally. Government has no right to violate the Bill of Rights in any circumstance.

Because politicians have long disregarded the limitations of the Constitution, the federal govern-ment has exploded in size. It is intrusive, oppressive, and obscenely expensive. And we the people suffer from all of its failed programs. 

• The government's War on Poverty has expanded poverty.
• The government's War on Drugs has created a huge, illicit drug industry, escalated drug use, and generated a crime wave in every American city.

Still, politicians of both old political parties insist that the next government program will work, will improve America, will solve social problems. 

But government doesn't work. Why? Because it lives off taxes --- money confiscated, rather than freely given in return for a service. 

Government has no incentive to perform. Its only incentive is to lie about the damaging effects of the things it does - in order to justify more government programs designed to fix problems that were created by earlier programs. 

• Government doesn't work. Government cannot work.

The overriding question in American politics is: How can we make the federal government much smaller? 

Democratic and Republican politicians try to pose as supporters of smaller government. But on issue after issue, they still call for more government to solve problems. The differences among them are trivial.