Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party may seem like an alternative in his run for president of the United States, but his ideology would be a disaster for the common people.
True, Johnson has taken positions that sound progressive. He supports a woman's right to choose, the separation of church and state, the legalization of marijuana, LGBT rights, opposes the Drug War, opposed the Iraq War and favors a 43% cut in military spending. But on economic issues and government, Johnson is a far right extremist.
Johnson doesn't want insurers to provide birth control, even though healthcare costs continue to rise. The corporate health insurance industry can afford to offer birth control. Profits have soared. Johnson also doesn't want federal funding for stem cell research. But there's a reason why federal funding should be applied. It's called promoting the general welfare. Johnson, in fact, wants to eliminate the fed. For example, he wants to eliminate Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Education. Housing and education would be at the mercy of the "free" market.
So, in typical right-wing, libertarian fashion, Johnson thinks all problems will be solved with the "invisible hand" of the "free" market. How 19th century-like; turning back the clock to where there would be way less government, if at all, no union protection and no environmental safeguards.
Johnson is a friend to the big corporations. He would eliminate corporate income tax and the capital gains tax. He favors no restrictions on campaign donations (complementing Citizens' United). For trade, Johnson favors no restrictions and no tariffs. He would eliminate barriers to "free" trade. He has claimed that NAFTA is beneficial, although hundreds of thousands of U.S. jobs have been lost. Johnson favors for-profit prisons. He doesn't want to raise the minimum wage. In fact, he would abolish it. Slave wages are preferable to him.
And Johnson would privatize Social Security and Medicare, if he could get away with it.
While Johnson implies he is against corporatism, his "free" trade policies would make it stronger.
Oddly, though, while Johnson says he wants to end the fed, he supports federal funding: tax incentives for energy, more funding for the Drug War (although he said this in 2000), federal block grants for crime programs and federal funding for rural health services. So, which is it?
Johnson's record as New Mexico's governor should be viewed as a warning: while there was a budget surplus, Johnson used 750 vetoes-the most by a governor-to, e.g., chop away at much-needed social programs.
According to the Children's Rights Council, New Mexico was the worst U.S. state to raise a child. New Mexico had the highest poverty rate of any U.S. state. And New Mexico had the sixth highest unemployment rate. ("New Mexico governor fails in home state and drugs," Danielle Gonzales, GW Hatchett, 10/14/1999)
Johnson has been associated with GOP operatives connected to the ultra-nationalist Minute Men, vote rigging, English-only fanatics and smear tactics. He has also been associated with the Koch brothers. The Koch brothers formed the Libertarian Party. ("The Gary Johnson Swindle and the Degradation of Third Party Politics," Mark Ames, nsfwcorp, 24 Hours in America, 11/06/2012)
Johnson's thinking, like his right-wing, libertarian ideology, is grossly flawed. Unfettered "free" trade? For whom to do what? Making the rich richer and the poor poorer. That's how Johnson's policies as president would "benefit" the 99%. In that sense, Johnson IS NOT an alternative.