Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are now their respective parties’ nominees for President, and a lot of voters are feeling discouraged by the two choices with which they are presented. Fortunately, there is a third choice.

Gary Johnson, a former Republican governor, is the Libertarian candidate for President of the United States, and every American can find a reason to support him over the two evils that are Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Even Bernie Sanders supporters can find many of Johnson's policies agreeable.

Yes, even those who supported a democratic socialist in the primaries can reasonably support a free market Libertarian.

Skeptical? Hopefully by the end of this article, you’ll reconsider.

For starters, different people find different issues to be important. The Republican Party has people in it who are fiscally liberal but believe being socially conservative is more important. The Democratic Party has supporters who are socially conservative but think being fiscally liberal is more important.

If someone agrees with the things Gary Johnson and Bernie Sanders have in common and they don't find the issues they disagree on to be extremely objectionable, it makes sense that they would switch to be a Gary Johnson supporter.

To really understand why Bernie supporters should throw their weight behind Johnson, we first need to understand the basics of decision making.

There are 3 levels to decision making:

What - the thing you are trying to do.
How - the way you go about doing it.
Why - Your purpose / cause / belief.

What:

Issues they agree on:

Decriminalize & Legalize Marijuanna
Abolish the NSA
Net Neutrality
Path to citizenship for Immigrants
Pro-Choice
LGBT Rights
Abolish the Fed
Oppose the TPP
Decrease Military Spending
Ending Government Surveillance
Oppose Common Core
No Photo ID's to vote
Background Checks on Guns
End the Patriot Act
End Gerrymandering
Opposes the Death Penalty
Separation of Church & State
Border Security
Oppose testing welfare recipients for drugs
Classify Bitcoin as currency
Accept more refugees
Close Guantanamo Bay
Get out of the Middle East
lift the trade and travel embargo on Cuba
Give felons the right to vote
Continue Funding NASA

Major issues they disagree on:

Term Limits;
Sanders opposes, Johnson supports

Super PACs;
Sanders opposes, Johnson supports

Affordable Care Act (Obamacare);
Sanders supports, Johnson opposes

Increasing Taxes to pay for College;
Sanders supports, Johnson opposes

Increase the Minimum Wage;
Sanders supports, Johnson opposes

Increase Regulations;
Sanders supports, Johnson opposes

How:

Admittedly this is the point where Sanders and Johnson take a sharp turn from each other on how they would solve the issues they disagree on. Sanders wants more government intervention, and Johnson wants less. At the end of the day though, if the job gets done, does it matter how it got done?

Why:

Why is the deepest level of decision making. People relate with people who believe what they believe. Why is something you can feel. It is a trust that goes deeper than what or how.

Here are a few examples:

Why #1: Fed up with trying to play the game within the 2 parties.

Ron Paul supporters perceived unfair coverage 4 years ago and people left the GOP because of it.

Bernie Sanders supporters perceived unfair coverage this election and people are willing to go 3rd party because of it.

Why #2: Get the money out of politics

Bernie Sanders wants to do this through more regulations such as ending Super PACs.

Gary Johnson believes that would just result in the money in politics being hidden better. His solution comes through term limits, fewer government contracts, and ending crony capitalism. If the tax laws are rewritten so that no one gets a tax break then there is much less incentive to drop $2 million on a candidate to save $5 million in taxes or to get an $8 million government contract.

Why #3: Education should be made affordable

Many Bernie supporters don't have a problem paying something for college, the issue is that college has gotten unmanageably expensive.

The reason is that universities have drastically increased the number of administrators while the faculty stays the same is that they have realized that students will take loans that are supported by the government and so, they can, and do increase prices because people don't feel it right away.

With an open market there is more competition. Loans are more readily given out to future Software Developers instead of Art Appreciation majors because the developer has more chance at getting a good job and paying it back. This forces people into society's needed career paths.

Why #4: Healthcare should be made affordable

Substitute education for healthcare and you get pretty much the same answer. The fact is that the lack of competition has driven up prices, so the two options become eliminate all competition and go single payer so the doctors have no negotiating power or allow all the competition so that individuals can pay the same rates that the insurance companies do.

Why #5: Standard of living for the lower class

This is easily the most complicated so I saved it for last.

Bernie believes the best way to increase the standard of living is to instate a $15/hr minimum wage and provide a universal basic income.

Gary Johnson actually supports a basic income through the FairTax that would offset any taxes paid on basic needs which puts poorer people back at the same level they are now. Then, within the FairTax, you get to take home your entire paycheck so you have more money to spend (or save) so the poor are now much better off than they are currently. Lastly, within the FairTax is a plan to eliminate all loopholes and all other federal taxes. This means that the taxes embedded in every product you buy (~23% of the cost of goods) are removed. All of the corporate income taxes, payroll taxes, compliance costs, etc. that are being passed straight on down to the end consumer (you and I) are removed. Through competition the price of goods would fall accordingly (~23%). Lastly no stress or paying someone else to file your taxes for you every year.

This plan would eliminate all loopholes so weather you are a CEO or are paid under the table, you are still paying your fair share.

So through Gary Johnson's FairTax plan the lower class pays less tax, takes home more money, the things they buy cost less, and they don't have to pay someone else to make sure they get all their refund they paid into.

Each of these examples represent completely different ideas of how to get there but both candidates are focused on the same why.

It all comes down to trust. Believing someone's "why" is about trust.

Hillary and Trump might say they want to get money out of politics, but do you believe them? Is the woman funded by Wall Street or the man from Wall Street more likely to stick their necks out and put a stop to corporate welfare and crony capitalism? Why are they really running?

Decisions that are driven by your gut are driven by people you believe and trust

Hopefully this helps to explain why a Bernie Sanders supporter might have found their way to the light.

Want to hear more? Check out garyjohnson2016.com