If you are like me and find yourself morbidly dissatisfied with the two predominant parties' choices for the next President of the United States, then you've come to the right place, Dante's Inferno. Both the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, and the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, have their own horrifyingly colossal faults that I, personally, can't seem to get past. I cannot fathom voting for a man who has spewed hateful, ignorant rhetoric at women, non-white races, and everyone in between for over a year now. I also am not ecstatic about voting the first woman president into power when she clearly has unscrupulous skeletons hiding in her closet. I wanted to channel my vexation with the status-quo candidates into learning about my other options this election cycle; one being the Libertarian nominee, Gary Johnson and his running mate, Bill Weld. Weld encapsulated many Americans' frustrations when he said, "The two-party system is a two-party dinosaur… It's almost like the parties exist more for the purpose of slandering each other than they do for having constructive approaches to legislation." Although you might think you are unwaveringly opposed to voting for a Libertarian candidate, I urge you to keep reading, so you can at least say you made an informed decision in November. All of the following information is taken directly from their website (www.johnsonweld.com), so there is no right-wing or left-wing bias from any news sources or any writer-bias from my own opinions. This is strictly where Johnson and Weld stand on important issues.
Education
"Gov. Johnson believes there is no role for the Federal Government in education. He would eliminate the federal Department of Education, and return control to the state and local levels. He opposes Common Core and any other attempts to impose national standards and requirements on local schools, believing the key to restoring education excellence in the U.S. lies in the innovation, freedom and flexibility that federal interference inherently discourages. As Governor, he saw first-hand that the costs of federal education programs and mandates far outweigh any benefits, both educationally and financially."
Immigration
"Having served as Governor of a border state, Gary Johnson understands immigration. Militarizing the border, bigger fences, and other punitive measures espoused by too many politicians are all simplistic “solutions” to a problem caused by artificial quotas, bureaucratic incompetence and the shameful failure of Congress to actually put in place an immigration system that matches reality. Making it simpler and efficient to enter the U.S. legally will provide the greatest security possible, allowing law enforcement to focus its time and resources on the criminals and bad actors who are, in reality, a relatively small portion of those who are today entering the country illegally."
Abortion
"As Governor, Johnson never advocated abortion or taxpayer funding of it. He supported a ban on late-term abortions. In his personal life, the Governor believes in the sanctity of the life of the unborn. However, Gov. Johnson recognizes that the right of a woman to choose is the law of the land, and has been for several decades. That right must be respected, and ultimately he believes this is a very personal and individual decision. He feels that each woman must be allowed to make decisions about her own health and well-being and that these decisions should not be dictated by the government... And must not be subjected to persecution or denied access to health services."
National Defense
”As President, Gary Johnson will move quickly and decisively to refocus U.S. efforts and resources to attack the real threats we face in a strategic, thoughtful way. The U.S. must get serious about cutting off the millions of dollars that are flowing into the violent extremists’ coffers every day. Relationships with strategic allies must be repaired and reinforced. And the simplistic options of “more boots on the ground” and dropping more bombs must be replaced with strategies that will isolate and ultimately neuter those violent extremist groups.”
Taxes
"Governor Johnson advocates the elimination of tax subsidies, the double taxation embodied in business income taxes, and ultimately, the replacement of all income and payroll taxes with a single consumption tax that will allow every American and every business to determine their tax burden by making their own spending decisions. Taxes on purchases for basic necessities would be “prebated,” with all other purchases taxed equally regardless of income, status or purpose. Count on [Johnson] to sign on tax policy that would reduce or simplify taxes in this country."
Environment
"Gary Johnson believes it is the proper role of government to enforce reasonable environmental protections. However, Gov. Johnson also believes that it is NOT the proper role of government to engage in social and economic engineering for the purpose of manipulating the energy marketplace or creating winners and losers in what should be a robust free market... Preventing a polluter from harming our water or air is one thing. Deciding in Washington, DC, that one source of energy should be subsidized and others penalized is a different matter... Whatever the realities of global climate change are, he believes “there is little evidence that the burden being placed on Americans is making a difference that justifies the cost.”
Creating Jobs
"Government’s role is to create and maintain a regulatory and tax environment in which private job-creators can prosper. Government regulation should only exist to protect citizens from bad actors and the harm they might do to health, safety and property. Regulation should not be used to manipulate behavior, manage private lives and businesses, and to place unnecessary burdens on those who make our economy work. Eliminating unnecessary regulations and applying common sense to those rules that are necessary will free up capital and allow those who want and need to create jobs to do so."
Criminal Justice Reform
"Over time, the politicians have “criminalized” far too many aspects of people’s personal lives... Mandatory minimum sentences for a wide range of offenses and other efforts by politicians to be “tough” have removed far too much common-sense discretion from judges and prosecutors. These factors, combined with the simple fact that we have too many unnecessary laws, have produced a society with too many people in our prisons and jails, too many undeserving individuals saddled with criminal records, and a seriously frayed relationship between law enforcement and those they serve."
Other Issues
Johnson also believes in term limits for Governors, Senators, and Representatives, drugs being decriminalized and legalized, and internet freedom without government regulation, so innovation can still exist. He is a strong advocate of Second Amendments rights, but open for a discussion around solutions to incidences of gun violence.
In summation
“Gary Johnson believes the government should be truly limited -- limited in the way the Founders envisioned. Responsible adults should be free to marry whom they want, arm themselves if they want, make their own decisions about their bodies, and lead their personal lives as they see fit -- as long as no harm is done to others. And they should be able to do so without unconstitutional scrutiny by the NSA, the ATF, the DEA or any other government agency.”
The disapprobation with Trump and Clinton is so monstrous that almost half of all Americans are open to a third-party candidate. Meaning the Libertarians mentioned above have a bonafide shot at winning this presidential election. Stay tuned...
