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KS Libertarian Party Responds To Legislature

By Submitted

02/13/2014

Kansas Libertarians Call for Wisdom From Senate and Governor

The Libertarian Party of Kansas (LPKS) is encouraging the Kansas Senate to use better judgment than they believe was demonstrated by the representatives in the Kansas House when they passed HB 2453, An Act concerning religious freedoms with respect to marriage.

The Libertarian Party has a number of serious concerns with the bill which they believe make the proposed law unacceptable for Kansas.

First, the LPKS points out that government officials and employees work for all Kansans, and that by choosing to accept a job paid for by tax-dollars those individuals have agreed to serve all citizens.

Second, the LPKS believes that Kansas businesses already have the liberty to choose who they do business with. If those businesses make choices that are distasteful to the majority of our citizens, the free market will remove their support from that business. More laws will not make the situation better nor move Kansas toward the Libertarian goal of “Liberty for All”.

Finally, the Libertarian Party finds this bill unacceptable because they believe it is clearly aimed at a single segment of our society. The LPKS believes that all good laws should apply equally to all people all of the time, and this bill clearly does not meet that basic tenet of good government.

Should their call for ‘better judgment’ fail in the Senate, both of the Libertarian candidates for Kansas Governor are calling upon current Governor Sam Brownback to veto the bill. Both Libertarian candidates say they would veto the bill if they were governor.

Tresa McAlhaney said, “As Governor, I would veto HB 2453 based on the principle that it is inappropriate to use the force of law to justify discrimination by public employees.” Her opponent, Keen Umbehr said, “We must remember that public employees are agents of the government and their actions within that role are the actions of the government. It is not acceptable for the government to choose to provide services to some Kansans while refusing to do the same for others. To do otherwise is contrary to the equal protection guaranteed within the 14^th amendment of the US Constitution.”

Regardless of which candidate wins the Libertarian nomination for Kansas Governor, if Governor Brownback does not veto this bill he will likely hear about it from his Libertarian opponent during the general election.

While LPKS Policy Researcher Stacey Davis doubts that Governor Brownback will actually veto the bill should it be passed by the Senate, Davis hopes that Kansans understand that real Libertarians are not found within the ranks of the Republican Party. “It has become very trendy for some elected Republicans to claim Libertarian leanings or to even claim that they are actually Libertarians, but that is simply not the case,” says Davis. “Real Libertarians understand that it is not enough to fight for the liberties that you personally agree with. Instead, real Libertarians understand that to finally break out of the political status-quo, our representatives have to commit to supporting everyone’s liberty. That’s why I expect the Libertarian Party to remain the fastest growing political party in Kansas.”

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