Rob Magliacano

Staff Writer

The 2016 election is one that will be talked about for years and years to come. Not only because of the two main candidates in Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, but also for what could be the start of the rise of a third party.

Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson can be thanked for that. You might recognize him from the ballot in 2012 where he reached roughly one percent on the vote, the biggest win for a third party presidential candidate since Ralph Nader in 2000.

So who is Gary Johnson? He’s the former two-term governor of New Mexico. In New Mexico, he was a member of the Republican party. In his first term, he vetoed 200 bills, many of them spending bills. The state Democrats made defeating Johnson a top priority in 1998, but not only did he win, he served two terms.

According to recent polls, he is polling at 13 percent, two percent away from his target of 15 percent so he can be a part of the presidential debates. If he does make it onto that stage, thanks to the unpopularity of Trump and Clinton, the exposure he gets will certainly be interesting to see.

You’re probably thinking to yourself, “What the hell is a libertarian?”

Gary Johnson gives a short and simple answer to that question. Being a Libertarian is being socially liberal and fiscally conservative. According to Johnson, the Libertarian Party “starts out from a fundamental premise: As Americans, we believe in freedom. Every individual has dignity and is worthy of civility and respect. The core of our character is one of generous and enlightened self-interest: Every man and women has the right to choose what to do with their time, their talents, and their lives.”

I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a pretty damn good start to me.

Perhaps the thing that won me over the most, was his statement after the shootings of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and the attack on law enforcement that followed them.

“Once again, we find ourselves grieving for the victims of a senseless attack, their families and a community. And once again, we are trying to understand it.

"We have no idea what is truly behind the murder of three law enforcement officers in Baton Rouge. But as was the case in Dallas just days ago, we do know that violence and killing are not how we deal with problems in America. We cannot hide from the broader and very real issues of distrust that create tensions between law enforcement and the citizens they serve.

"We must focus on healing those divides, while also rejecting these attacks on law enforcement as the cowardly acts that they are -- regardless of the motivation.”

Gary Johnson hit the nail on the head with this statement.

The two party system is slowly dying, and that’s probably a good thing. I think it’s insane how we’re supposed to identify ourselves with one side of the political spectrum and stick with their out-dated and extreme policies and ideas.

I think the common misconception with Gary Johnson and third parties is that voting for them is a wasted vote. To me, that’s the furthest from the truth. If you ask me, wasting your vote is walking into your precinct and voting for someone your conscious will haunt you for just because of some stupid party affiliation that says you must vote for them.

I encourage everyone to go to isidewith.com and take the political quiz they offer. It’s a simple 60 questions and at the end, they tell you who you match up most with. Even if you’ve taken it before, do it again, Gary Johnson is now included on this list.

The two major candidates are so polarizing and controversial it’s overwhelming; we have an opportunity to make our voices actually heard here. Make a vote for your conscious this November, not for the lesser of two evils.

Where Johnson stands on the issues, per Johnsonweld.com

War on drugs

“The Johnson/Weld team supports the legalization of marijuana and believes each state should have the right to legalize and regulate it, as is the case with alcohol. Johnson and Weld do not support the legalization of other recreational drugs that are currently illegal. It is, however, their belief that drug rehabilitation and harm reduction programs are more acceptable and successful than incarceration and arrests for drug use.”

Abortion

“Gary Johnson has the utmost respect for the deeply-held convictions of those on both sides of the abortion issue. It is an intensely personal question, and one that government is ill-equipped to answer. As Governor, Johnson never advocated abortion or taxpayer funding of it. However, Gov. Johnson recognizes the right of w women to choose.”

Immigration

“Having served as Governor of a border state, Gary Johnson understands immigration. He understands that a robust flow of labor, regulated not by politics, but by the marketplace, is essential. He understands that a bigger fence will only produce taller ladders and deeper tunnels, and that the flow of illegal immigrants across the border is not a consequence of too little security, but rather a legal immigration system that simply doesn’t work. 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.”

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.”

Wasteful Spending

“Governor Johnson has pledged that his first major act as President will be to submit to Congress a truly balanced budget. No gimmicks, no imaginary cuts in the distant future. Real reductions to bring spending into line with revenues, without tax increases.

The idea that we can somehow balance the federal budget without cutting military spending and reforming entitlements is fantasy. What is required is leadership and political courage. As Governor of a state with an overwhelmingly Democrat legislature, Gary Johnson stood up to excess spending, vetoed 750 bills and literally thousands of budget line items…and balanced the state’s budget.”

Jobs

“Government’s role is to create and maintain a regulatory and tax environment in which private job-creators can prosper. Gary Johnson did that as Governor, and would do so as President. 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.”

Foreign Policy and National Defense

“The objective of both our foreign policy and our military should be straightforward: To protect us from harm and to allow the exercise of our freedoms. 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.”