With the presidential election less than a month away on Nov. 6, we are sure to see more campaign ads and bumper stickers as the big day approaches.
Millions of voters will watch the debates, many of them undecided, looking for a candidate that they can stand behind.? Of course there are two big names in the race that we have heard over and over throughout their campaigns: Mitt Romney and Barack Obama.
But there is a third candidate that will be on the ballot in 47 states, with just as much experience and credibility as either of the two main candidates, Libertarian Party Presidential candidate Gary Johnson.
Johnson was the governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003 as a member of the Republican Party. In 1994 he defeated Democratic Governor Bruce King by 50 to 40 percent in a state that was two to one democratic.
His campaign slogan was ?People before Politics,? and as governor he followed a strict small government approach.? During his first term he vetoed 200 bills and proposed a wide range of tax cuts on prescription drugs, income tax and gasoline.
During Johnson?s second term, he became one of the highest ranking elected officials in the country to support the decriminalization of marijuana use.? He called the war on drugs, ?an expensive bust,? and compared it to the nation?s failed attempt at alcohol prohibition.
He suggested that instead of being treated as a criminal issue, drug abuse should be treated as a health issue.? He left New Mexico with a one billion dollar budget surplus and the size of state government substantially reduced.
In April 2011, Johnson announced via Twitter, ?I am running for president.?? He participated in several of the Republican presidential debates, but due to his inability to gain any traction within the party, he withdrew his candidacy for the Republican nomination on Dec. 28, 2011 and declared his candidacy for the Libertarian nomination.
On May 5, 2012, he received the Libertarian Party?s official nomination for President of the United States.? Johnson?s platform is built around fiscally conservative, socially tolerant views and a philosophy of limited government.
Johnson pledged to cut the military budget by 43 percent in his first term as president, bring our troops home from the Middle East and refocus foreign policy toward the protection of US citizens and interests.
Johnson also wants to cut spending by revising the terms of programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.? Along with cutting spending, Johnson wants to cut taxes by abolishing the IRS and enacting the Fair Tax system, which would increase tax on the purchase of goods and eliminate income tax.
Johnson also strongly opposes the censorship and regulation of the Internet and the Patriot Act, while promising to protect the Second Amendment as a constitutional individual right.
Along with being an experienced politician, Johnson is a fitness enthusiast who has competed in three Ironman competitions, several triathlons, marathons and bike races. He is also a world-class mountain climber and reached the Summit of Mount Everest in May 2003.? He has also climbed Mount Elbrus, Mount McKinley and Mount Kilimanjaro; the tallest mountains in Europe, North America and Africa.
You can learn more about Johnson?s campaign and political platform at his website www.garyjohnson2012.com.
Category: Niner Times, Opinion
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