Gov. Gary Johnson's Speech at the University of Colorado-Boulder.

FYI - From RockyMountainStreams.com.

-ADY "A Regular Guy On The Issues"

How To Save The Presidential Debates? - Include Gary Johnson!

FYI - From the Colorado Springs Gazette/Barry Fagin and LP.org.

-ADY "A Regular Guy On The Issues"

FAGIN: Take a look at a candidate 

few have ever heard about

BARRY FAGIN

COLUMNIST

There’s only one way to save the presidential debates from degenerating into boring snoozefests: Put Gary Johnson in them.

Gov. Johnson is the Libertarian Party candidate, whom you’ve never heard of. Unless you’re from New Mexico, where he served two terms as a wildly popular Republican governor in a Democratic state. That means he’s been elected governor more often than Romney, and served in public office longer than Obama before he sought the presidency.  It’s not like Johnson has no political track record. He is an eminently credible and dedicated public servant.

Gov. Johnson is the only fiscal conservative running for president. He left his state with a balanced budget. He used the line item veto constantly to trim unnecessary spending from legislation; he consistently cut taxes, and established an economic regime that permitted businesses to create thousands of jobs. This is all a matter of public record, no smoke and mirrors or fact-fudging needed.

But at the same time, Gov. Johnson is pro-choice, a position he believes is the principled one. He is more zealous in his protection of civil liberties than the current president, and more enthusiastic about the protections they afford to every American than the candidates of either major party.

Gary Johnson says publicly what both parties know but are unwilling to tell you: Drug prohibition is a costly, tragic failure. A civil liberties nightmare at home, a foreign policy disaster abroad, it further weakens thinly stretched community law enforcement budgets that should be spent making sure Americans are safe from theft, rape and murder. Sane drug policy must be based on harm reduction and individual rights, not comforting delusions about how morally upright we are.

Just like ending drug prohibition is an act of true fiscal responsibility, so is cutting military spending. Gov. Johnson supports return military spending to where it was a decade ago, when we still spent more than the next 10 nations combined. This year, the government will spend a trillion more dollars than it has, and will borrow or print money to cover the difference. The national debt is well over sixteen times that. Under those circumstances, someone has to man up and tell America the truth: We don’t have the money. In these tough times, why shouldn’t everything, including military spending, be on the table? Isn’t that the fiscally responsible thing to do? Isn’t that what you would do to get your house in order?

And before you conservatives out there write off Gov. Johnson completely, note that his campaign literature clearly and equivocally states the Second Amendment is an individual right, not a collective one. There isn’t any candidate stronger on gun rights than the governor.

If I had to guess, I’d say that even if you liked one or more of Gov. Johnson’s positions above, there was one that really rubbed you the wrong way, and you just couldn’t bring yourself to support him. But even so, don’t these ideas deserve a hearing? Gary Johnson, if given the opportunity, will explain on national TV exactly what he will cut and why to balance the budget during his administration. Wouldn’t it be great to hear Romney and Obama say something similar? You can bet they won’t unless somebody forces them to.

Competition makes things better. It’s true in nature, it’s true in economies, it’s true in ideas, and it’s true in politics. Even if you disagree with Gov. Johnson’s combination of social liberalism and limited-government conservatism, ask yourself this: Would the country be better off if the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates were forced to engage with the views he represents? Would we as a society emerge with better ideas? Would we have a better campaign? Would we at least have a more interesting one?

Best of all, according to his website, Gov. Johnson has summited Everest, biked across the Alps, and still does invitation-only Ironman triathlons.  No president could be cooler than that.

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Barry Fagin’s column runs every other Thursday. Readers can write him at barry@faginfamily.net.

Read more: http://www.gazette.com/articles/few-144304-heard-look.html#ixzz26IqtHOTe

Private Property Is a Key to Environmental Protection.

FYI - Some good food for thought from International Liberty/Dan Mitchell.

-ADY "A Regular Guy On The Issues"

Private Property Is a Key to Environmental Protection by Dan Mitchell A couple of weeks ago, before leaving for Europe, I stopped by the High Lonesome Ranch in De Beque, Colorado. City slicker in the CO mountains Controlling about 300 square miles, the High Lonesome is a remarkable spread. And if you like wildlife, you're in Heaven. It's sort of akin to a private national park. And it shows how free markets are an excellent steward of natural resources. The folks at the ranch brag about having the heaviest concentration of elk, deer, bear, and mountain lion in the country. That's probably not easy to verify, but deer and elk are ubiquitous and I saw two bear on the trip (I also saw a badger on a previous visit). The mountain lions are largely invisible, though the ranch has a project - as part of its education and conservation work - with some academics to monitor the range, feeding habits, and behavior of these impressive animals. Another noteworthy feature of the ranch is the way hydrologists are protecting and restoring streams and ponds. They have an incentive to do this because people from around the country come to the High Lonesome for fly fishing. Obviously not a very bright trout I very much doubt that all this valuable work would take place if a bunch of bureaucrats were in charge of the property. Or, if it did take place, it would take three times as long and cost five times as much thanks to the nightmarish incompetency and misaligned incentives of the government procurement process. Hunting is another source of revenue that enables the ranch to preserve natural resources. It goes without saying (but I'll say it anyhow in case some leftists read this) that this means the owners have a big incentive to protect wildlife and ensure a sustainable harvest. Heck, there are now so many bear that they are almost at the point of being a nuisance animal. I did a bit of fishing, as you can see from the photo with the remedial trout. Maybe I should try some hunting at some point. The 2nd Amendment in action But probably not bird hunting. The ranch is filled with pheasants, quail, chuckers, and other game birds, but I haven't been overly impressive when I've tried the sporting clays. The clay that shoots straight in the air was particularly vexing. Fortunately, I doubt burglars would have that ability, so I'll still be okay with home defense. The Chi-coms better avoid Fairfax While I wasn't overly proficient with the shotgun, I think I did okay with the rifle. I was a bit high and to the left on the target range, but one of the guides said anything within the bigger orange square is a kill shot. Then again, part of their job may be to stroke the egos of visitors from the cities and suburbs. In any event, a bear hunt might be a good idea. I have a fireplace at home, and it might look nice with a bearskin rug in front of it. All I'd be missing, then, is a lovely lass to pose on it. But I'm digressing. The point of this post is to simply note that this piece of property is something every environmentalist should applaud. And it's all made possible by the free market and private property rights.

2-Term Governor Gary Johnson’s Votes in North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, Nevada, and Colorado Could Determine the Winner of the 2012 Presidential Election.

FYI - From LP.org

-ADY "A Regular Guy On The Issues"

"2-Term Governor Gary Johnson’s Votes in North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, Nevada, and Colorado Could Determine the Winner of the 2012 Presidential Election" Libertarian Presidential candidate Gov. Gary Johnson is polling at 5.3% nationwide. (JZ Analytics/Washington Times). But look at the numbers when he’s included in statewide polls against Obama and Romney. 13% in New Mexico. 9% in Arizona. 7% in Colorado. 7% in New Hampshire. 8% in Montana. (PPP and others) Governor Johnson’s poll numbers – and his votes this November - may be the critical factor in “Tipping Point” or battleground states like North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, Nevada, and Colorado – where Obama and Romney are 1% to 6% apart.  Mitt Romney needs these 5 states, these 74 Electoral votes to win the White House. North Carolina and Virginia voted Republican 7 out the last 8 Presidential races.  Florida and Colorado voted Republican in 6 out of the last 8. Nevada voted Republican in 5 out of the last 8. All 5 of these battleground states voted for Barack Obama in 2008. Zogby, Rasmussen, Gallup, CNN/Opinion Research, New York Times, Washington Post, LATimes, ABC, and CBS Polling Organizations all KNOW that 3% or 6% or 9% of the vote for Libertarian Presidential candidate Gov. Gary Johnson in these states could easily cost Romney 74 Electoral Votes – and the 2012 Presidential election. Starting now, these organizations need to include 2-Term Governor Gary Johnson in all state Presidential polls – especially in these 5 “Romney Must Win” battleground states. Gary Johnson was a 2-Term Republican Governor of New Mexico (1995-2003). During his 8 years in office, he vetoed over 750 bills – more than all other governors combined. He was repeatedly recognized and honored as the “most fiscally conservative Governor in America.”   Zogby, Rasmussen, Gallup, CNN/Opinion Research, New York Times, Washington Post, LATimes, ABC, and CBS Polling: Include Libertarian Presidential candidate Gov. Gary Johnson in all national and state Presidential polls. Show us the full picture.  ###