The America I know wasn\u2019t on the television screen on Monday night. My America is about the freedom to make choices, pursue your dreams and use your skills as entrepreneurs. It is about having more choices than just red versus blue.<\/p>\n
Americans want to be able to choose a president who is capable of reason, of learning from failures, and of telling them the truth, even when it hurts. Most of all, they want to choose a president who will adhere to the Constitution and will make government live within its means.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m offering that choice. I wasn\u2019t part of the presidential debate on Monday, but as Americans listened in dismay to the so-called major parties\u2019 candidates, Google searches for \u201cGary Johnson\u201d skyrocketed.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m the third candidate \u2014 the leader of the Libertarian Party. My name will be on every ballot<\/a> alongside that of my running mate, Bill Weld, who like me was a twice-elected Republican governor of a strongly Democratic state. Contrary to the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates, Bill and I don\u2019t believe the United States is a polarized nation.<\/p>\n We don\u2019t deny that there are very real tensions on the fringes, and we can\u2019t simply ignore those tensions. But when it comes down to the basics, most Americans really aren\u2019t that far apart.<\/p>\n Our kids are better educated than ever before. Our technology enables entrepreneurship and transparency. Our military is second to none, as it should be. But our two-party political system is an entirely different story. Hyper-partisanship may be entertaining, but it\u2019s a terrible way to try to run a country. We\u2019re the alternative \u2014 and we\u2019re the only ticket that offers Americans a chance to find common ground.<\/p>\n People might call us fiscal conservatives. Like most Americans, I believe that government does too much and costs too much. As governor of New Mexico, I vetoed more than 750 bills<\/a> and reduced government involvement in business, better known as \u201ccrony capitalism.\u201d<\/p>\n Some would call us social liberals. I\u2019ve been vocal in criticizing the disparity in the treatment of black Americans by the police. I want reform in our criminal justice and sentencing systems. \u201cThree strikes\u201d laws and mandatory minimums have put the United States among the world leaders in incarceration. Treating drug use and abuse as crimes, rather than health issues, has put far too many Americans behind bars.<\/p>\n