If you were me a week ago, you were dreading the 2016 presidential election. And you almost passed out after a 60-minute bike ride.
Hillary doesn't have a great sense of honesty, and Trump, well, as brutally honest as he is, he's the most hated person in America at the moment for multiple reasons.
Anyway, I was on a bike ride with my sister last Friday, and we stopped at Dairy Queen. As we were sitting outside of the DQ on a bench, she mentioned a new presidential candidate: Gary Johnson, former Governor of New Mexico. He's the Libertarian nominee. So my sister described this new candidate, and I really liked what I heard. Here's an introduction of Gary Johnson to those of you who have never heard of him.
1. He's a libertarian.
Meaning he is fiscally conservative and socially liberal. "If I'm elected president, you can expect me to sign anything that reduces taxes." Basically what being libertarian is about is freedoms, and the federal government staying out of those freedoms. Being socially liberal, Johnson believes that the government should stay out of such personal things such as marriage.
"I think very fundamental to being Libertarian is not having a social agenda. I accept who you are and the life that you live as long as your life does not adversely affect mine." - Gary Johnson.
Also, Ron Swanson is a Libertarian. And that's important.
2. He's climbed Mt. Everest.
Really. This man is so cool that he's hiked 29,029 ft. into the atmosphere along with the 4,000 people before him who have accomplished the climb and lived to tell the tale, and wants to be our next president. He has also climbed the other six of the seven summits. Although that has nothing to do with his political stances, we have to admit that says something about his character, and the dedication he has.
3. He is for getting hard-working illegal immigrants citizenship.
And also legalization of marijuana. And although he is pro-life in his own personal life, doesn't think the federal government belongs in a woman's reproductive system. Yeah, I'd say that is socially liberal.
4. He wants to start an open-door policy.
While governor of New Mexico, Johnson had a program where any citizen of New Mexico could go into his office for five minutes, Visit, propose ideas, or simply take a picture with him. And through that, New Mexico thrived. It gave citizens of NM a louder voice and Johnson believes he could do this while president. Obviously, the president's schedule is incredibly busy, but meeting with citizens who have applied to have five minutes of his time for one day out of the week could make some worth while changes in our government.
5. He's the first unmarried presidential candidate since Grover Cleveland.
He is engaged, but this is still something of a "fun fact." His first marriage ended in divorce. He and his future wife were engaged on a ski lift in New Mexico. Great story for the grandkids, right?
So now you've met Gary Johnson. The third party nominee. I am not going to tell you who to vote for and how to live your life; I hope you have somewhat of an idea of who he is and what he believes, and can cast your vote in November without second thoughts, for whoever you choose.
