Breaking the Deadlock — Your third choice this election
I am not Gov. Gary Johnson. I am not Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump either. I am just your average citizen who has had enough of politicians and is looking for a true public servant. But if I was Gary though — this is what I would say after the third and final debate:
Whew… wow… I’m sure glad that is over because, man, this election has turned a bad situation into a terrible disaster for the millions of Americans still paying attention to the partisans. It is no wonder that only sixty percent of eligible voters now bother showing up at the polls. I mean, why waste your time when your only two choices are compromised or crazy?
Did you know that during the primaries, only 7.7 percent of eligible voters picked Hillary Clinton?
Donald Trump? He netted a mere 5.9 percent.
Can you believe that? This ultimately means that less than eight percent of the eligible citizens in the US, have already decided who your next president is going to be. So tell me now — where is the democracy in that?
But, what else are you going to do though, right? If you don’t vote for compromised then we might end up with crazy, and vice versa.
Except! You do have a third choice. One that is on the ballot for every voter in all fifty states, including the Capitol.
Hi, I’m Gary Johnson, the son of a North Dakota school teacher and the entrepreneur that turned a one-man handyman business into one of New Mexico’s largest construction companies. I am also the guy that invested my success not in myself or my name, but in running to serve the public during my two-terms as the Republican Governor of a very Democratic New Mexico. I’m Gary Johnson and I am running to be your next President of the United States.
I say your President, because for the other 86 percent of eligible citizens that voted for someone else or that did not vote at all during the primaries, I am here to listen to you. Leading up to the debates, I was polling at 7.8 percent of eligible voters — more than either of the candidates had to get to win their primaries.
Yet, the so-called nonpartisan Commision on Presidential Debates kept me from taking the stage by setting a much higher bar to cross. Sponsored by Democrats and Republicans after the truly nonpartisan League of Women Voters had successfully run the debates for decades, we sued against their nonprofit status, because they were clearly influencing the outcome of the election.
Can you guess when the date for the court hearing is?
After the election, of course!
Listen though, I’m actually glad that I was not up on the stage now. Do you know why?
Because those were not debates. They were circus sideshows, designed to keep you distracted from the main event. Did you notice how much time was spent addressing character flaws versus how much was spent discussing the massive challenges before us as a nation and as a planet?
My flaws? Let me save you some time. My primary character “flaw” is that I am so honest, I admit when I don’t know something, even if I was just caught flat footed. If you didn’t see it, the partisan media did a really fantastic job contrasting my honesty “flaw” against the numerous other character flaws displayed by the other two candidates.
As a successful executive in both private business and public office, I have always learned from my mistakes and admitted when I did not know enough to make decisions. As a leader, I know how to turn to the experts, measure their trustworthiness and sincerity, and then decide and act. I have hired thousands of people, but also fired my share of others that just did not work out. I know what it takes to execute and lead.
I am not in this, because I wanted to climb to the top of a political dynasty. I am not in this for my own personal ego or advantage. I am running to be President of the United States, because I want to serve my country. Because I want to break the deadlock in Washington and get Congress back to working for the American people.
And let me tell you, no one will work harder than me to serve you. Because no other candidate is fit enough to have climbed the highest peaks on each of the seven continents.
But where do I stand on the issues? First let me tell you where I don’t stand.
I don’t stand on the side of the partisans, the lobbyists, or the mega donors, because I do not know any of them, much less, owe them anything. I also don’t stand on the side of the crony capitalists that manipulate government into subsiding their waste or bailing out their mistakes, because I am entirely for free market economics.
Ultimately, I stand for sustainability across the board. We need to eliminate unsustainable debt, we need to eliminate unsustainable growth in government spending, and we need to eliminate unsustainable CO2 pollution that has changed, is changing, and will continue to change our planet.
I stand for a humane immigration policy. We need to bring the eleven million people living in fear back into a functioning system. Yes, it is wrong for people to break the law, but it is even more wrong for a broken system to leave decent, hard working people with no other choice. We are a nation of immigrants and we must recognize how time and again it has strengthened us. From Nobel Prize winning scientists, to innovators and CEOs, to artists and musicians, to soldiers and leaders, to educators and great thinkers, to farmers and laborers. We stand above the rest not because we look within, but because we welcome all that seek to further the American dream.
I stand for a just and fair criminal code that is unbiased and that does not ruin lives over nonviolent offenses. We need to treat addiction and abuse for the disease it is instead of as a criminal issue. We absolutely must legalize marijuana, because it is far less harmful to tax and regulate and because it is proving in many cases to be a far better medicine than the opioids that are now ravaging neighborhoods across the US.
I stand for healthcare that only gets better and more affordable instead of less efficient and more costly. We need to stop letting providers and insurers control the market and let consumers, i.e. you the patient, make all the decisions in an open and free market. In a market where patients know the quality, success, and cost of medicine and procedures, every player will be incentivised to make better decisions, and for all the right reasons.
I stand for lifelong learning, where education is accessible through every stage of life be it early development or a late career change. To be accessible though, education must first and foremost be affordable. Because guaranteeing loans beyond their worth means that millions will only graduate with unreasonable debts and unprepared for entering today’s forever changing workforce.
I stand for peace, because no matter how well meaning the intentions, violence almost always begets violence. We must stop the practice of using force and putting entire generations in harm’s way in an attempt to dictate democracy and to fix every wrong in the world. A strong defense is absolutely vital, but its sole purpose should be to defend our people, and not to put others on the offense, nor to spy on Americans citizens without due process.
I stand for a strong, free, and sustainable economy. There is nothing that has done more for peace and prosperity than the free and open trade between cultures and nations around the world. When markets are fair and governments are not involved in picking the winners and losers, the entire world is your storefront. No matter what the niche there is an opportunity for every entrepreneur, artist, and innovator to prosper and grow.
I stand for a sane tax system that levies against activities of waste, pollution, and consumption instead subsidizing them. It is crazy to tax activities of labor, profit, and production when they are they key drivers of growth. There is no sane reason for subsidizing a billionaire’s mansion while taxing a small business for hiring someone. With common sense tax reforms, we can ignite an economic boom that will make all other booms sound like a whisper.
Most importantly, though, I stand for individual freedom. I stand for the rights of Americans to vote their conscience, to serve, and to pursue the life that fulfils them, just so long as it does not bring harm to others. I stand for an individual’s right to love and dignity. I stand for the rights to personal beliefs and to decisions of health. I stand for a lawful citizen’s right to bear arms and the right of government to provide protection from those that would harm us.
I am Gary Johnson, and I want to be your president because I honestly believe that I am the best person for the job. I have dedicated my entire life to the pursuit of liberty and freedom, and I promise to always tell you the truth, whether you want to hear it or not.
I know that it is the eleventh hour, but we can do this. We can decide not to pick between the two least worst options, and instead choose the best option in a generation. With a few small shifts, it only takes a quarter of the eligible citizens to vote for me on November 8th to win. When we vote with courage, we will not only win this election, we will break the deadlock in Washington, and make our greatest America yet.
So, please go to johnsonweld.com to learn more about our plan and help us pull off the biggest upset in a lifetime before election day on November 8th. No matter what though… be sure to get out and rock the vote, because nothing could be more vital for a nation than a healthy democracy.
