If you’re like me, you’re probably fed up with the current two party system and ready for a change. Unfortunately, if you vote for Hillary, you’ll be voting for another corrupt politician who arguably should be imprisoned, and if you vote for Trump, you’re supporting someone who is bigot and has had ultimately no political experience whatsoever. Settling for either candidate is settling for evil.
“What astounds me is that the American public willingly accepts that these are the two choices the political gangs that run our country are offering us. And until this country wakes up and realizes that there are in fact more than two choices, despite what mainstream media shoves down our throats, then this is what we're going to get.” -Jesse Ventura
As Jesse Ventura alluded to, there is a third option for a presidential candidate, and you may have heard of him. His name is Gary Johnson, and he is running for presidential office under the Libertarian Party (LP).
Johnson, the former New Mexico Governor is running with another governor, Bill Weld, as his Vice President. Bill Weld was the Governor of Massachusetts from 1991-1997. Although him and Johnson both ran as republicans, they have transformed their stance into a libertarian platform. In a broad sense, this means they are “fiscally conservative and socially don’t give a damn” (Gary Johnson).
As a strong advocate for marijuana legalization, Gary Johnson is against the drug war, but does not support legalization of other illicit drugs. He believes each state should have the right to legalize marijuana, and regulate it as they see fit. His platform recognizes that the war on drugs is a harmful concern, and will fight for policies that do not lock up low level nonviolent drug offenders. Instead he offers a new approach which aims at helping drug offenders with drug rehabilitation and harm reduction programs. These policies are directed at benefiting and supporting the individual.
The LP candidates back criminal justice reform. As a nation with the highest incarceration rate in the world, Johnson believes the US has over criminalized its citizens. He thinks there are too many unnecessary laws that lock low level offenders away for too long, which brings unnecessary harm to the individual, and economically hurts the state. They also support change for minimum sentencing laws which could be transformed or abolished.
Governor Gary Johnson is a pioneer in the field of education policies, as he was one of the first governors in the nation to propose and advocate a universally available program of school choice. School choice gives more options to parents, as it allows students to enroll in their preferred school. It also allows for student funding to follow student to respective school. The current education system is failing many Americans, and Johnson and Weld know it is time for a change in the way schools are funded and controlled. That’s why they are pushing for greater state control over school budgets, without imposing national standards and requirements on local schools. According to the candidate's website, the costs of federal education programs and mandates far outweigh any benefits, both educationally and financially.
On foreign policy and national defense, Johnson's official stance is that the military should have one goal: To protect us from harm and to allow the exercise of our freedoms. He is against expanding the military, and believes that the US has conducted far too many foreign interventions, with too many lives lost over the past couple of decades. Building strong relationships with other nations is a must, and strategic allies need to be made and maintained in order to sustain peace in the US and counter violent extremist groups.
Gary Johnson and Bill Weld are the most dependable option in the upcoming presidential race. Instead of voting for someone on the basis that you don’t want the other elected, vote for someone you believe in.
