It looks like presidential election is between two people, right? Think again. Gary Johnson is the libertarian candidate this year. Until I had watched a commercial of his that popped up on my TV, I had never even heard of this poor guy. The two major parties in the US are the only ones who get media coverage, or at least a ton of it. We have built up the Democratic and the Republican parties so much that we have forgotten about the other parties that may or may not have the drive to do a better job.
The US has not elected a libertarian president since the US has had presidents. Normally, the elections don't even come close. However, this year, if you're strongly against Hillary and Trump, there's a candidate out there for you. His name is Gary Johnson.
Johnson is 63 years old. He has been married once to a woman named Dee Simms, but they divorced in 2005. He is currently engaged, and has been for seven years, to a woman named Kate Prusack. He attended the University of New Mexico. He identified as a Republican up until 2011, and has since identified as a Libertarian. He's also a Lutheran.
He is the current Governor of New Mexico and has been that since 1994. He was the 2012 Presidential candidate for the Libertarian party in 2012 and now again in 2016.
His views could go either way towards Democratic and Republican ends of the spectrum. They are all listed on his website, and I will list four major ones below.
Spending and Budget: Johnson is highly against the government overspending and spending on things that aren't necessary. He balanced New Mexico's budget, and blames the US debt on the presidents (namely Bush and Obama). He says his first major act will be to propose a real balanced budget to Congress that does not raise taxes or cause any major reductions.
Taxes: Johnson believes that the tax code today penalizes productivity. He wants a tax code that rewards that, and his proposition would abolish the IRS. He would eliminate tax subsidies and replace all income and payroll taxes with a single consumption tax to allow Americans to control their own taxes, essentially. Taxes based on income would be equal, a flat tax.
Immigration: Johnson thinks that a wall will make taller ladders and deeper tunnels. A surplus of immigrants is not a result of bad security, but a bad immigrant to citizen system. He wants to make it simpler to allow immigrants to enter the US and become citizens and not deport them.
Abortion: Personally, Johnson believes that abortion is wrong. However, as a government official, he believes that the government should never tell a woman what to do with her body or how to deal with contraceptives.
If you're lost, vote for Johnson! Although it is highly unlikely that he will win, at least, if you agree with him, you didn't just go with the lesser of two evils.
