Document:New York State Party Platform 2024

A just and prosperous society is rooted in the recognition of the inherent, unalienable rights of individuals to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness. Governments are instituted to safeguard these rights, deriving their legitimacy solely from the explicit consent of the governed. However, we acknowledge that in practice, governments often evolve into the primary threat to these fundamental rights. To ensure a government that remains true to its purpose, we steadfastly uphold the following principles to keep it accountable.

1. Individual Sovereignty. Human beings have rights by virtue of their capacity to understand and respect the rights of others. As such, each individual possesses the unalienable right of self-ownership, and thus autonomy over their life, liberty, and property. Specifically:

1.1. Autonomy of the Mind and Body. Each individual has exclusive authority over their own mind and body.

1.2. Freedom of Conscience. Individuals are free to hold beliefs according to their own moral and ethical convictions, without persecution.

1.3. Self-Determination. Individuals have the authority to decide matters including, but not limited to, their health, education, financial well-being, and self-defense.

1.4. Personal Property. Individuals have the right to acquire, own, utilize, and dispose of assets, as these are the outcomes of human dedication through the investment of time and effort.

1.5. Open Expression. Ideas, though they may challenge or offend, are distinct from acts of violence. Every individual is free to communicate, articulate, share, or otherwise assert their ideas and beliefs, and to expose themselves or refrain from exposing themselves to the freely expressed ideas of others.

1.6. Personal Privacy. Individuals have the right to manage and protect their personal information, choices, and activities, including deciding the extent to which they share this information with others.

2. Interaction and Collaboration. Every individual inherently holds the unalienable right to freely engage or not with others. Specifically:

2.1. Free Association. Every individual has the right to interact, associate, and form connections with other individuals, as well as the liberty to create, join, and participate in associations, organizations, and groups of their choosing.

2.2. Peaceful Assembly. Individuals have the right to gather peacefully with others for any purpose, whether social, recreational, cultural, political, or otherwise.

2.3. Voluntary Agreements and Free Exchange. Individuals have the right to engage in voluntary agreements, contracts, organizations, groups, and any other free exchanges with others, including the right to trade goods, services, and their time and labor. This includes the freedom to negotiate, accept, or reject terms, ensuring all agreements are transparent and made with informed consent.

3. Defense of Rights. The most basic implication of a right is that it may be defended. Individuals may determine the manner of their defense and may act individually, in groups, or authorize others to act on their behalf. The preservation and defense of individual rights is paramount to liberty.

3.1. Defensive Response. Individuals have the right to use reasonable and necessary force, including the use of weapons, to protect themselves, others, and property, and therefore have the right to keep and bear any arms.

3.2. Immediate Defensive Action. The right of defensive response protects the need for immediate action in situations where rights are under direct and imminent threat, enabling individuals to act independently without external approval.

3.3. Assistance in Defense. Individuals may allow others to aid in their defense or decline assistance. Those who provide assistance have no more right to use force than those requesting it and carry the same responsibilities. Furthermore, those delegated the authority to assist shall not be granted immunity and must be held accountable for their actions to the same extent as anyone else.

3.4. Peaceful Resolution in Defense of Rights. Recognizing that the foundation of a free society includes the potential use of force for defending rights, a civilized society provides peaceful means to achieve resolutions. Individuals and groups should seek peaceful means for resolving disputes, including but not limited to mediation, arbitration, negotiation, and legal recourse, including a fair trial and due process.

4. Universality of Rights. Human rights are the same for every man, woman, and child, however there are specific provisions for those unable to exercise them independently.

4.1. Parental Authority. A child’s parents have the sole authority to exercise the child’s rights on the child's behalf in the child's best interests, which authority may only be abrogated if a parent acts unquestionably against the child’s interest, beyond a reasonable doubt.

4.2. Rights Held in Trust. For adults who are organically incapable of informed consent, responsible adults may be appointed to exercise their rights on their behalf in their best interests, which appointment may be changed at any time if it is in the adult’s best interest to do so.

4.3. Emancipation. Individuals whose rights are being exercised by another may be emancipated at any time they become capable of informed consent.

5. Preserving Liberty. Government will inevitably grow more tyrannical if left unchecked. It is essential for citizens to be vigilant in defense of their freedom and sovereignty. Therefore, it is the responsibility of citizens to actively restrain the government, its powers, and its agents from subverting the rights of the people.