Gary Johnson
Historical Details
Position on Issues
For| Read My Position
Book, 2012
"I proposed that every K-12 student in the state of NM, all 300,000 of them, get a $3,500 voucher to attend whatever school the family wanted.
"I realized that many people believed vouchers take money away from the public school system. But my plan would have increased the per capita funding for kids who remained in public schools because we were actually spending about $5,500/child--so each public school district would get an extra $2,000 for each student who opted out.
"I used this example to explain: If every student in Santa Fe were to opt out of public schools, which would never happen, Santa Fe public schools would be left with about 40% of their budget and no students. Tell me how that takes away from public education.
"I believe that we should treat K-12 education more like higher education. The reason higher education in the US is the best in the world is because these institutions compete with each other for tuition dollars. We need that same competition in public education." ("Seven Principles" by Gary Johnson)
For| Read My Position
"There should be a two-year grace period for illegal immigrants to attain work visas so they can continue contributing to America and begin taking part in American society openly."
For| Read My Position
Supports legalizing marijuana and abolishing the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)
Against| Read My Position
"I'm one of those who believe the bumper sticker: If you outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns. The first people who are going to be in line to turn in their guns are law-abiding citizens. Criminals are going to be left with guns."
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Candidate's Twitter Feed, 2014
"I would ratify a balanced budget amendment -- and repeal the 17th Amendment."
Against| Read My Position
"I accept the fact that there is global warming and I accept the fact that it's man-caused. That said, I am opposed to cap and trade. I'm a free market guy when it comes to the clean environment. The number-one factor when it comes to the clean environment is a good economy."
Other| Read My Position
"Governor Johnson advocates the elimination of tax subsidies, the double taxation embodied in business income taxes, and ultimately, the replacement of all income and payroll taxes with a single consumption tax that will allow every American and every business to determine their tax burden by making their own spending decisions."
For| Read My Position
"I'm opposed to cutting the funding for, or eliminating funding to, Planned Parenthood... but Planned Parenthood has to take cuts just along with everybody else."
Against| Read My Position
"I just think that when government gets involved in setting wages, that there's no stopping what government will intervene in doing, and who's to say that government is right? Let the marketplace function."
Other| Read My Position
"ISIS is collecting an estimated $1 million per day in profits from oil sales. That buys a lot of terror. Reducing or stopping that flow of money will do more to stop ISIS than bombing a training camp here or there, and the United States - along with our allies - must get serious about turning off the ISIS oil spigot. While ISIS is receiving support from sympathic individuals and organizations in the region, even the governments of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are taking concrete steps to cut off ISIS's daily oil windfall. The U.S. must do the same. The finances and transactions of ISIS and their brethren must be disrupted.
"ISIS's recruitment and attacks are being executed largely via cyberspace. There will be no invasion that can be repelled with missiles or warships. Rather, they will enlist, plan, finance and coordinate with believers who are already here to conduct their murderous campaign. Paris was just the latest example. We must deploy our formidable technological might to join the battle in cyberspace - and win.
"And while invasions and doomed-to-fail attempts at imposing Western democratic values on unwilling peoples will not work, reviving and supporting strategic partnerships with those who are fighting ISIS in Syria and elsewhere just makes sense. The U.S. must assume a stronger, more committed role to galvanize and lead an alliance based on those partnerships that will first contain and ultimately neuter ISIS."
For| Read My Position
Candidate's Twitter Feed, 2011
"I do believe we should be pursuing off-shore drilling and ANWAR drilling."
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Supports eliminating income and corporate taxes, abolishing the IRS, and instituting a nationwide consumption tax.
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Supports lowering the drinking age to 18 years-old.
Other| Read My Position
"I support women's rights to choose up until viability of the fetus. I've supported the notion of parental notification. I've supported counseling and I've supported the notion that public funds not be used for abortions. But I don't want for a second to pretend that I have a better idea of how a woman should choose when it comes to this situation. Fundamentally this is a choice that a woman should have."
Against| Read My Position
"As governor of New Mexico, I was a bit naive and I did not think the government made mistakes with regard to the death penalty. I came to realize that they do. I don't want to put one innocent person to death to punish 99 who are guilty."
Against| Read My Position
Book, 2012
"While many of our liberties are threatened by a government grown too large and too intrusive, there are some fundamental freedoms that are under particular threat. The Patriot Act, for example, is a direct assault on both privacy and the due processes of law. It should be repealed." ("Seven Principles" by Gary Johnson)
For| Read My Position
Supports raising the retirement age and privatizing some social security.
For| Read My Position
"Repeal ObamaCare, as well as the failed Medicare prescription drug benefit."
For| Read My Position
"Repeal [Dodd-Frank], for starters, understanding that this is just another example of government passing laws with unintended consequences."
Against| Read My Position
Supports same-sex marriage rights at both state and federal levels.
Against| Read My Position
"No, let the insurance companies decide instead of a government mandate."
Against| Read My Position
"I think the reasons for higher costs in higher education rest with the fact that you as a student, you know, tuition is getting high, and rather than making a decision not to attend higher education, because it costs so much, you're making a decision to take out a loan because government guarantees student loans... I'm a believer in free markets. I just suggest to you that if student loans did not exist - and I am not advocating that with regard to the federal government - but if student loans did not exist, I think tuition would be a lot lower"
