Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Asset Forfeiture

Civil Asset Forfeiture is the politically correct phrase for the unconstitutional warrantless seizure of property by law enforcement agencies. This policy allows police to take property or money from a person and then require that person to prove the property or money wasn't illegally obtained. Guilty until proven innocent. This is EXACTLY the sort of abuse that the 4th amendment was written to prevent. Church groups, people buying or selling real estate or vehicles, lottery winners, and many more have all had their money and/or property taken by police despite having committed no crime and no warrants or indictments being issued. Since 2000, the amount of money seized this way without warrants or indictments is in the BILLIONS of dollars. It has become a popular source of government revenue and as such it is routinely defended by both Republican and Democrat politicians and officials. It needs to stop. Ignoring the constitutional rights of people because it is convenient to do so is WRONG. It is a slap in the face to all those that fought so hard to create a country where this couldn't happen. It is as un-American as anything can be - far more disrespectful than kneeling during the National Anthem or even burning our flag. This is why the Libertarian Party specifically condemns civil asset forfeiture in our platform. It is time to start voting for Libertarian candidates and stop supporting the Democrats and Republicans that so eagerly work to destroy what our founding fathers worked so hard to create and protect.