CTIR Episode 118: Gary Johnson
Introduction
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Why talk about it?
●2016 Elections.
Summary
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Gary Johnson
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oPLAY FULL CLIP.
●Running for Libertarian Candidate for President.
●He has climbed Mount Everest and is the former CEO of a legal cannabis company.
●Libertarians will make all 50 state ballots; the Green Party will make 46.
●In 2012, he also ran as the Libertarian candidate for president with 1.2 million votes (about 1% of the total votes cast that year).
●He is averaging around 9% of support now.
●If the race is close between the main two candidates, and he receives a few electoral votes, it could prevent the other candidates from receiving the required 270 electoral votes to be elected, which would place the presidential choice in the House of Representatives.
●He was Governor of New Mexico twice (Republican).
oVetoed 750 bills.
oIn his 1998 campaign he ran tough on crime ads proposing to make criminals serve “every lousy second” of their terms.
oLeft office with a billion dollar surplus.
▪Though another website says “Johnson inherited a debt of $1.8 billion and left a debt of $4.6 billion.”
Issues
●Environment.
oSupports protecting national parks.
o“Preventing a polluter from harming our water or air is one thing. Having politicians...acting on behalf of high powered lobbyists, determine the future of clean energy innovation is another.”
oClimate change is “probably” happening and man “probably” contributed to it.
oHe argued that a carbon tax is a “libertarian” position.
oIs against fracking as inefficient but supports doing it more.
●Economy.
oSubmit a balanced budget to Congress as the “first major act as President.”
▪He wants to cut federal spending 20% in the first year (in 2012, he proposed a 42% cut).
oEliminate special interest tax loopholes, get rid of double taxation on small businesses and replace all income and payroll taxes with a single consumption tax (Fair Tax?).
oSupports the TPP.
oSupports the Keystone XL pipeline so long as “it’s not an issue of the government implementing eminent domain to procure right of ways.”
●Voting.
oSupports term limits for Congress.
oCitizens United allows corporations to contribute as much money as they want towards politicians.
●Health Care.
oSupports repealing Obamacare.
●Education.
oSupports eliminating the federal Department of Education. “state and local government should have more control over education policy.” Get rid of common core.
oDoes NOT think college should be free.
●Civil Liberties.
o“People, not politicians, should make choices in their personal lives. Responsible adults should be free to marry whom they want, arm themselves if they want, and lead their personal lives as they fit - as long as they aren’t harming anyone else in doing so.”
oThe right of a woman to choose is the law of the land and must be respected.
oLegalize and regulate marijuana. It should be removed from Schedule I of the Federal Controlled Substances Act. Allow individual states to make decisions. He supported this even back in 1999 as Governor of New Mexico.
oThe War on Drugs is a massive failure especially for minorities and the poor.
oNo restrictions on firearms except for criminals and the mentally ill.
oHe would have vetoed the North Carolina bill that forces trans individuals to use the bathroom of their “sex at birth” if he had been Governor.
●National Defense.
oVeterans should have access to private health care.
oEnd the US imperialism. “Doing so creates new enemies and perpetual war.”
oHe will “move quickly and decisively to cut off the funding on which violent extremist armies depend.”
●Immigration.
oCreate a more efficient system of providing work visas, conducting background checks, and incentivising non-citizens to pay their taxes.
oNO wall.
Conclusion
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In Episode 118 of CTIR, I discuss the 2016 US Libertarian Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson. Specifically, his views on the various views on US policy.
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Critical Thinking is Required is a political and educational podcast for individuals with endless curiosity.
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Thank you for listening to CTIR. If you enjoyed the show, please share it with your friends.
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The intro song is titled "Easy Easy” by David Szesztay.
The outro song is titled "Photo Album” by David Szesztay. .
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Sources:
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