"Sen. Paul . . . was the one candidate on the Republican side who was not afraid to talk about civil liberties, the perils of endless war, and the principles of liberty."
— Gov. Gary Johnson
Presidential candidate Gary Johnson agrees with Rand Paul on economic and foreign policy issues.
Former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson is running on the Libertarian Party ticket for President of the United States. He largely agrees with Senator Rand Paul on civil liberties, economic policy, and foreign policy. Here are some of their areas of agreement:
Cutting taxes and simplifying the tax code
Governor Johnson believes in reducing the overall tax burden on the American people. He believes America's complicated tax code punishes productivity and capital investment. In addition, it distorts the free market by rewarding industries favored by politicians, rather than ones favored by consumers. Governor Johnson prefers a consumption tax over an income tax, because it is more economically efficient.
Reducing the size of government
As governor of New Mexico, Gary Johnson vetoed 750 wasteful spending bills and thousands of budget line items in order to balance the state budget. He has promised to reign in federal deficit spending as President, without raising taxes, by using his presidential veto power in a similar manner. As President, he will propose balanced budgets and force Congress to either balance the budget or override his veto.
Support for free market capitalism
Hillary Clinton once said, "Don't let anybody tell you that it's corporations and businesses that create jobs." She held that position for about three days before retracting her comments. Governor Johnson holds the polar opposite position: Don't let anybody tell you that politicians and government create jobs. Gary Johnson agrees with the vast majority of economists in believing that jobs are created by entrepreneurs, growing companies, and a vibrant free market economy. He believes the best thing government can do for the economy is lower taxes, eliminate regulations, and get out of the way.
Opposition to crony capitalism
Democrats under President Obama have given wasteful government handouts to many politically-favored companies. For example, they gave $535 million in loan guarantees to Solyndra two years before it went bankrupt, leaving taxpayers with the bill. Gary Johnson opposes this kind of crony capitalism, favoring free markets instead.
Opposition to bank bailouts
Gov. Gary Johnson opposes all forms of crony capitalism, including bailing out Wall Street firms with taxpayer dollars.
Opposition to NSA surveillance
Governor Johnson opposes NSA surveillance of the American people's private communications. The NSA was created by executive order and he would end it by executive order. He also opposes attempts by government to require backdoors in encrypted communications.
Support for a peaceful, non-interventionist foreign policy
Gary Johnson believes that America's policy of repeated military interventions, regime changes, and failed attempts at nation-building have caused America to be less safe than if it hadn't engaged in these war making activities. He believes that the political instability caused by American military intervention in the Middle East led to the eventual rise of the Islamic State. He believes the United States needs to cut off the Islamic State's sources of funding, while avoiding the kinds of mistakes that led to its rise in the first place.
Support for civil liberties
Governor Johnson believes our Founding Fathers would be appalled if they saw the types of infringements on civil liberties that government engages in today. Without a warrant or due process, law enforcement can spy on our communications, photograph our license plates, monitor our financial transactions, track the location of our mobile phones, and even monitor which books we check out of a public library. Unlike Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, Gary Johnson would protect the civil liberties of the American people.
Support for gun rights
Gary Johnson says, "If you outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns." He believes that if guns are banned, law-abiding citizens will turn them in first, and criminals will turn them is last. He believes that concealed carry helps reduce crime.
Support for legalization of marijuana
Gary Johnson believes that states have a 10th Amendment right to legalize marijuana. He supports the legalization of both medical and recreational marijuana, but does not support the legalization of other illegal drugs. He opposes mandatory minimum sentencing for drug crimes, and believes overall drug policy should involve less incarceration and more rehabilitation.
Support for criminal justice reform
Gary Johnson is appalled that "the land of the free" has the second-highest incarceration rate in the world. The problem is caused by the fact that government has criminalized far too many activities, including victimless crimes like harmless marijuana use. Another reason for America's high incarceration rate is that mandatory minimum sentences have forced judges to hand down unreasonably-long sentences for many crimes. Governor Johnson believes in reducing the number of criminal laws and giving judges greater discretion in sentencing decisions.
Opposition to eminent domain abuse
Unlike Donald Trump, who has tried to abuse eminent domain for his own personal profit, Gary Johnson opposes the use of eminent domain to seize property from one private party in order to transfer it to another.
Opposition to civil-asset forfeiture
Civil-asset forfeiture allows law enforcement to seize the assets of someone suspected, but not accused, of a crime. Year ago, Gary Johnson believed that civil-asset forfeiture was a useful tool for law enforcement, but he has since reversed his position. He came to realize that civil-asset forfeiture is very abusive. "If you happen to be the individual whose assets get confiscated, it can be devastating," he says. Today, Gary calls for a ban on the practice. He believes it violates the U.S. Constitution. He also believes that because police departments get to keep much of the money, it provides them with a financial incentive to take property even from innocent people.
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Originally Posted by specsaregood
Originally Posted by Natural Citizen 
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