Gary Johnson's Libertarian Views Will Shake the 2012 Presidential Election

Gary Johnson has been the dark horse in this year's presidential campaign. The former New Mexico governor has been scooped up as the Libertarian candidate after dropping out of the Republican race.

Gary Johnson has broken through as THE third-party candidate, rising in popularity with one million Google+1 and 200,000 Facebook supporters. Johnson is an emerging face for socially liberal Republicans, whose anti government spending and pro civil liberty stances just might make him a contender in November's election.

Former Governor Johnson has more experience than both Obama and Romney, serving two consecutive terms as arguably the most popular governor of New Mexico in the decade. Not only did he leave office with a $1 billion surplus, maintained no tax increases for six years, and vetoed 750 bills (more than all of the other 49 governors serving at the time) in office, he also managed to increase the funding for education by 1\3. Gary Johnson is a self-made business tycoon who grew a one-man, door-to-door handyman business into one of New Mexico's most successful companies, employing over 1,000 people.

Gov. Johnson plans to reduce the federal spending by 43%, slashing military funds, Medicare, Medicade, and Social Security entitlements. Johnson is a staunch anti-war advocate and promises that his first budget cut will be military spending, cutting 43% by recalling many troops from not only Afghanistan and Iraq but also from countries like Germany and Japan, and by reducing military spending on weapons technology, oversea bases, intelligence, and uniformed and civilian personnel (Johnson fired 1,200 government employees during his two terms as governor). Johnson is also opposed to involvement with Libya and Israel.

Gary Johnson plans to convert Medicare and Medicade into block grant programs and allow the states to decide how to spend the money.

Gary Johnson would like to abolish the IRS all together and do away with every tax except for the Consumption tax in order to promote business growth and create tens of thousands of jobs in the private sector. He especially wants to eliminate the Corporate Income Tax, which he believes is essentially a double tax and creates a hindrance for businesses to grow and expand their workforce.

Johnson's stance on civil liberties has set him out against the rest of the candidates by far. He has opposed SOPA (even blocking out his own website during the Internet-wide protest of the bill), has advocated for an amendment to the constitution including equal-rights for marriage, and not only wants to legalize marijuana, but also regulate and tax it to stimulate the economy and reduce border violence with drug cartels. He is hugely opposed of the War on Drugs and believes that drug addiction should be treated as a medical issue rather than a criminal one.

For Ron Paul supporters unhappy with Romney's nomination and Democrats disenchanted with Obama's lack of involvement regarding civil liberties, you might want to take a look at Gary Johnson. Many have been unaware of Johnson's candidacy because he has been excluded from sixteen of the eighteen CNN debates, but thanks to recent media attention and fans on social networking sites, Johnson has seen a wave of recognition. If he makes it to 15% in polls, he will be invited to the presidential debate. Although his campaign funds are a meager sum in comparison to Obama's and Romney's, this candidate's no-nonsense budget reform and advocacy of personal freedom will more than likely draw votes from both parties and perhaps may help break the stranglehold that bipartisan politics has on America today.

Here are two fun facts about Gary Johnson: he has climbed Mount Everest (with a broken leg!) and he and his wife stomped out a fire in New Mexico during the Cerro Grande Fire in 2000.

If you want anymore information regarding Gary Johnson or would like to support his campaign, please visit his website.