Gary Johnson For Dummies (not my title)

Gary Johnson For Dummies

Alrighty, folks, don't take the title as an insult, as that's what the article is titled in the link above.

For the past few weeks now, I've been going back and forth with a few people about presidential candidates, and it seems that each one both fancies themselves as an "informed voter," but also subscribes to the two-party, lesser-of-two-evils, vote-against-instead-of-for-someone mentality that is all but saturating the American public right now.

Talk about your cognitive dissonance.

I'm really just fed up with hearing comments akin to, "Well, I know (insert candidate here) is lacking integrity and has some views that I disagree with, and I don't really like him/her, but we just can't let (insert other candidate here) win, or we're doomed." It is such utter garbage, to be honest with you. Then they usually follow up with, "Yeah, but I'm voting for someone who at least has a chance to win," when I tell them that I will be voting for Gary Johnson for a second election cycle in a row.

Then I point out the problem: A third-party candidate has no chance because people are afraid to vote for them because they think that nobody else will vote for said candidate. This is what perpetuates the broken two-party system, but I predictably get met with the sounds of crickets. Literally, they just quit talking about it. I even had one say that they knew literally nothing about the Johnson/Weld campaign, and when I told her that, at this point, it was due to willful ignorance, I was again met with crickets.

So, in the interest of educating those like the last person I just mentioned--too lazy to research a candidate that is all over social media--I have compiled the questions and short answers from the link at the top of the page. It goes into a little deeper answers in the link as well, but I understand attention spans, and I've already probably surpassed the limit of most people. ENJOY!

1. Government spending
Short answer: Cut it. No, really cut it.

2. Taxes
Short answer: No income tax. Just consumption.

3. Term limits
Short answer: Yes.

4. Jobs
Short answer: With a more capitalist country, the jobs would create themselves (sort of).

5. Personal freedom
Short answer: Oh, hell yes.

6. Foreign policy
Short answer: Production, not destruction, is key. Johnson wants to approach the issue with fresh eyes.

7. Immigration
Short answer: Yes! Come work with us and make our economy awesome!

8. Criminal justice reform
Short answer: Law enforcement has way too much power. Let’s cut some of that crap back.

9. Internet freedom and security
Short answer: Gary Johnson doesn’t want to spy on you through your webcam. He won’t let other people do it either.

And from the article as well:

So, folks, there you have it. If you'd like to learn more about Gary Johnson, or support his campaign, please visit his page here. If you've still got a political itch to scratch, check out this article from last week on voting third party, and why your vote isn't a waste.

Take care, and vote intelligently. I have no misconceptions that any candidate is perfect, but it's really imperative that we research more than just the two puppets that get thrown in our faces every four years, and vote FOR someone, not against.

a reply to: SlapMonkey

The quick and dirty for Gary Johnson.

Thanks for sharing this for our viewing pleasure. I've found this information very useful

a reply to: FamCore

Sure thing...and don't forget to click over to the article. His expanded (but still concise) answers on the issues are better.

a reply to: SlapMonkey

One of the larger issues for me is term limits, so I am pleased to see Johnson feels prepared to actually do something about this:

This is an important issue to many Americans regardless of which party they stand with. The biggest concern for most congressmen is not being a public servant, making this country greater, or taking care of the masses—its keeping their jobs (although I’d be concerned with keeping my job if I made upwards of $150,000 a year too). Johnson is an advocate for term limits in the Senate and House of Representatives. We need a leader that is ready to put this into action.

a reply to: FamCore

I will vote for Gary Johnson, and I love the idea of legislative term limits, but term limits can only be imposed by a Constitutional Amendment. There are two ways to get an amendment passed:

1. 2/3 vote of both House and Senate , and
2. Passage through 2/3 of state legislatures.


#1 is really not likely because it would involve the fools in congress voting for the de facto termination of their own job.
#2 is technically possible, but given the amount of leverage congress holds over the states in the form of federal funding, and the level of corruption I believe exists today, I doubt it would ever even get moving.

My point is there is very little that a President can do on to make something like congressional term limits happen. It is just not a power of the executive branch. However, at least one candidate is bringing up and making it an issue. Hats of to Johnson for that one!

Voted for him in 2012 and I'm voting for him in 2016.

The way I see it, especially with the past dozen election cycles, is that both sides are equally bad for the country.

It's like Coke vs Pepsi, they both will kill you and are pretty much poison.
I prefer to vote for all natural spring water.

a reply to: SlapMonkey

Especially in states which are blue or red.

Blue states are a guaranteed win for Hillary so a vote for Trump is pointless.

The same applies to red states. Trump will get the electoral votes so voting for Hillary/Sanders is a waste.

But a vote for Johnson is a vote for liberty because if we can get him 5%, it will mean matching funds in the next election and a national platform.

We have to break this 2 Party stranglehold on this nation and this is the best chance we've had in years.

He wants open borders. That's the deal breaker for me.

a reply to: EmmanuelGoldstein

It's like Coke vs Pepsi, they both will kill you and are pretty much poison. I prefer to vote for all natural spring water.

Wow, I am going to start using that saying now because it is the perfect analogy for the polarized nature of the American populist.

Though I do like Gary Johnson, he is for privatizing everything, which I am not sure is a good idea. We don't have a good mechanic in place that will protect the workers from the owners. Full privatization will seem awesome for those who can afford it but will quickly marginalize the poor, making their options very limited. We are still suffering from this to some degree because of the end of economic checks that Regan started and each president since has been eroding away. Reaganomics and full private capitalist economies will never work cause people are naturally greedy and not altruistic.

Anyway, I have posted this before a few time on a few other topics like this but I felt it was worth posting again:

Here is a long list of all the people who are running for President in 2016. There is well over 100 people on the list, most people have a link to their own website promoting their ideas. It is a great place to start researching the different political views one could have here in America.

In Obama's most recent DNC speech he basically says that America has two choices this fall, but if he would check his own facts he would see we have a ton of choice. If you really want to vote for what you believe use the link above to do some research and don't listen to the media. Find quotes and voting records, there are great nonpartisan sites for that.

originally posted by: jtrenthacker
He wants open borders. That's the deal breaker for me.

Johnson is a politician and will say anything to get a vote/power/money. He is not unique but he knows who might be receptive to his con and says what they want to hear.
The fact of the matter is that he is a dangerous, one world government, pawn. He will continue foreign intervention and allow the US to do the dirty work of Israel. He will control illegal immigration by making it legal. He will battle the economic divide by making everyone equally poor.
Cognitive dissonance is a cool sounding catch phrase but it does not make wrong into right or lies into truth.
Yes! Our two party system is cancer but now is not the time for folly and Johnson is not who he presents himself as.

originally posted by: jtrenthacker
He wants open borders. That's the deal breaker for me.

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. 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.

Governor Johnson has long advocated a simplified and secure system of work visas by which willing workers and willing employers can meet in a robust labor marketplace efficiently and economically. Aspiring immigrants would undergo a background check, pay taxes and provide proof of employment.

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.

I don't think that you have your facts straight.

johnsonweld.com/immigration

a reply to: hubrisinxs

Actually, we don't have "a ton of choice" as far as presidential candidates go, at least not in every state. Johnson/Weld is the only third-party nominee that will be included on all ballots in all 50 states...unless something has changed.

originally posted by: hubrisinxs
Reaganomics and full private capitalist economies will never work cause people are naturally greedy and not altruistic.

Altruism is not a necessary tenet for a capitalist economy to function well. In fact, it's kind of the opposite of what a capitalist system is, to a point, where the goal is to make one's self successful (but along the way, it creates jobs and betters society overall). Altruism doesn't do crap for a society if said society doesn't have anyone with the means to be altruistic.

But then again, forced altruism through an economic model is a lack of personal freedom and choice, so I wouldn't be a fan of that, either. And that's what our over-taxing system in which we currently reside is based on. We need to get away from that.

I'm sorry that you think that there would not be enough people in a real capitalist society who would fill the need for fairness and charity...although I think you're glossing over the kindness of most people in society.

Here is Johnson's own words from his website:

During the 2012 campaign, Gary Johnson was lauded for having the best “job creation” record of all the former governors running for President.

His response: “As Governor, I didn’t create a single job.” His point, of course, being that government doesn’t create jobs — except for itself. Entrepreneurs, growing companies and a robust economy create 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.

Likewise, adopting the tax reforms Governor Johnson advocates will literally create millions of jobs. While most politicians, Democrats and Republicans alike, suggest that modest reductions in business taxes might create jobs, Gary Johnson believes eliminating income taxes on businesses will transform the U.S. into the “job magnet” of the world. Why would any corporation move its operations off-shore when the best tax “haven” on the planet is right here at home?

Show me where it discusses anything about absolute privatization of all things? Better yet, share a link that backs that claim, if you would, because I've never seen that as part of his campaign. Yes, he thinks that government handles too many things that could and should be handled by private citizens, but that's a far cry from him advocating the privatization of everything.

Open the border; flood of Mexicans would become taxpayers

Q: What is your view of the immigration issue?
A: Hispanics who immigrate care about their families like other Americans care about their families. They're living in poverty in Mexico and can come to the US and do a lot better.
Q: By--according to some--taking away jobs.
A: They work the lowest-paying jobs. And they are taking jobs that other Americans don't necessarily want. They're hardworking people who are taking jobs that others don't want. That's the reality.
Q: Would you open the borders and make it easier to immigrate legally?
A: My vision of the border with Mexico is that a truck from the United States going into Mexico and a truck coming from Mexico into the United States will pass each other at the border going 60 miles an hour. Yes, we should have open borders.
Q: Many Americans fear the flood of immigrants that would follow.
A: They would become taxpayers. They're just pursuing dreams---the same dreams we all have. They work hard. What's wrong with that?

Gray Johnson On Immigration

I don't agree.

a reply to: SlapMonkey

You always get to have a write-in vote on the ballot, regardless of the state... you can vote Mickey Mouse if you want.

And re-read my criticism of capitalism... I say capitalism does bread greediness and that a system the promotes "trickle down" love is a foolish lie used to convince the middle class its ok to become poor, as long as America as a whole is getting richer.

Here is a link to the Libertarian party platform. This is the party that Gary Johnson represents and this is their actual platform. When he swore to run as this party's candidate he swore to up-hold the values of this platform and the party if he were elected president.

I Point you to the section on Economic Liberty:

Libertarians want all members of society to have abundant opportunities to achieve economic success. A free and competitive market allocates resources in the most efficient manner. Each person has the right to offer goods and services to others on the free market. The only proper role of government in the economic realm is to protect property rights, adjudicate disputes, and provide a legal framework in which voluntary trade is protected. All efforts by government to redistribute wealth, or to control or manage trade, are improper in a free society.

Then it goes on to say how all things from education to the environment would be better off in the "free-market". But that is just a fancy way of saying private business, not the public government, should control these things. While, I do agree that a lot of things the United States government has their hands in needs to stop, I don't want a free-market education system or a free-market health care system.