Resolution of the Libertarian Party of Santa Clara County
Regarding Government Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Adopted 1 May 2020 by the LP SCC Executive Committee

Whereas, people own their own bodies, and it is their personal responsibility to take care of them;

Whereas, people have a natural and constitutional right to travel and trade;

Whereas, the economy of Santa Clara County and the greater Bay Area depends on the free flow of goods and people acting autonomously;

Whereas, governments, where they exist, do not have the right to impede the travel and free trade that people depend on for their well being;

Whereas, the government's orders have caused tremendous damage to the people of our county by subjecting them to poverty and restricting their movement, with this disproportionately impacting low income people, undocumented people, LGBT people, and other at risk populations;

Whereas, neither the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, other county officials, nor their staff have the authority to dictate what people can and cannot do with their own bodies and property;

Whereas, these government impositions have already lasted for longer than could be justified by the purpose for which they were allegedly necessary, constituting a sort of "mission creep" that could potentially keep them in place with no definite end, and with economic and social damage continuing to accumulate and becoming more severe;

Therefore:

We, the Libertarian Party of Santa Clara County, support the voluntary actions of individuals doing whatever they need to do to ensure their own health and the health of their families and to help any others they may choose to help, as long as they don't harm the person or property of others; and

We, the Libertarian Party of Santa Clara County, oppose the Santa Clara County, Bay Area, and California shelter in place orders and all similar laws, penalties, and legislation, and we call for their swift removal.