“When I go out on my motorcycle, I wear protection from head to toe. However, if someone doesn’t want to wear a helmet when riding their motorcycle, that should be their choice. There is a donor shortage in this country.”
-Governor Gary Johnson (R-NM), Congressman Ron Paul's Campaign for Liberty 2008, The Right to Kill Yourself, John Stewart Mill and Victimless Crimes
"It's never been a consideration that I would enlist the services of a prostitute, myself personally. But if I were to do that, where would I want to enlist that service? Well, it would probably be in Nevada, where it's legal, because it would be safe."
-GARY AND THE HOOKERS
Ex-N.M. governor Gary Johnson announces for president
Ron Paul on Gary Johnson: "I can't imagine endorsing anybody else"
Governor Gary Johnson helps downed rider, chases hit-and-run driver - "Recently, while traveling in his state-issued Lincoln Continental, New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson encountered a motorcycle accident. After calling 911 on his cellular phone, Gov. Johnson walked across the busy Interstate 25 to check on the motorcyclist, noticing two other vehicles -- one a pickup truck with a flat tire -- nearby. Suddenly the pickup roared off, and the driver of the other vehicle yelled, 'That's the guy who di it!' Johnson dashed back to his car and followed the pickup for about a mile until the driver pulled off the road and feverishly began changing the tire. Not knowing what to expect, Johnson kept a safe distance. When the chase resumed, the governor kept in touch with state and Abuquerque police on separate phones until they collared the hit-and-run, uninsured driver." [note that driving without insurance is not a crime, but that is never admitted by govt or media, which would eliminate 90% of hit-and-run] - American Motorcyclist, October 1996
Willie Nelson Endorses Johnson
17 May 2011
Long-haired country crooner Willie Nelson and his Teapot Party have endorsed Republican presidential candidate Gary Johnson.
Johnson, the first presidential candidate the group has endorsed, got the nod from the Teapoters because of his views on legalizing marijuana.
The former governor of New Mexico, who previously admitted to smoking pot for medicinal purposes, supported legalizing the drug when he was governor. Since he’s been out of office, he has continued to speak out for marijuana reform. Johnson said, “I advocate legalizing marijuana – control it, regulate, tax it” during the Republican debate on May 5 in South Carolina.
Going by Johnson’s outspokenness about the drug – he once joked that he never exhaled – it comes as no surprise that he happily accepted Nelson’s thumbs up.
In a press release issued on the Teapot Party’s site, Johnson said: “I am truly gratified to have the endorsement of such an iconic entertainer, philanthropist, innovator and champion for individual rights as Willie Nelson. …Not only is he a superstar talent, he is a bold advocate for social change. Americans are demanding the freedom and opportunity to pursue their dreams without interference from a heavy-handed government, and Willie Nelson lends a tremendous voice to those demands.”
Nelson’s voice only got more tremendous after he was arrested for pot possession last November. Instead of issuing an apology, the then-77-year-old immediately founded the Teapot Party, dedicated to taxing, regulating and legalizing marijuana.
The Teapot Party also recently endorsed Washington State Rep. Roger Goodman, who is running for Congress in 2012.
Nelson fans probably won’t be too surprised by these endorsements. After all, they’ve stood by the Red Headed Stranger in the past when he performed with another marijuana advocate, Snoop Dogg.
The Dragonater will never endorse any candidate who supports the illegal alien invasion and export of US jobs
Free Johnson - The Next Ron Paul?
The New Republic
There are certain shibboleths in presidential politics that even the most forthright candidates feel obliged to repeat, certain topics they feel compelled to avoid. Yet talk to former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, the unorthodox 2012 GOP hopeful, and those rules go out the window. Ask about church, and he says he doesn’t go. “Do you believe in Jesus?” I ask. “I believe he lived,” he replies with a smile. Ask about shifts in position, and he owns up to one. “I changed my mind on the death penalty,” he tells me. “Naïvely, I really didn’t think the government made mistakes.”
Ask about his voting history, and he volunteers (without regrets) that he cast his first presidential ballot for George McGovern (“because of the war”). Ask about his longstanding support for marijuana legalization, and he recalls the joy of his pot-smoking days. “I never exhaled,” he says. (An avid athlete, Johnson forswore marijuana and alcohol decades ago when he realized they were hurting his ski times and rock-climbing ability.)
Like Ron Paul, whom he endorsed in 2008, Johnson is an unabashed libertarian-and, in some ways, a purer one (he’s pro-choice, pro-free trade, and pro-immigration). So, while he’s no culture warrior or foreign policy hawk—he opposed the war in Iraq and the troop surge in Afghanistan—he outflanks any Republican on fiscal issues, proposing an immediate, across-the-board 43 percent spending cut. “We’re on the precipice,” he says, of the country’s finances. To illustrate what lies in the abyss, at times he flashes his favorite prop: a $100 trillion bill from Zimbabwe that he keeps in his wallet.
What does Johnson make of Palin? On a drive through the foothills of New Hampshire, I ask him. Riding shotgun, he turns the question around on me. "Um, I guess some people think she's folksy," I say from the backseat. "Well, at first she strikes you as folksy," he shoots back. "And then you realize: She might be running for president of the United States! And then, don't we have the obligation to tell her what a terrible idea that is?" Cupping his hands to his mouth, he brays, "Sarah! We love you! Don't run!" He also performs a rendition of the "deer-in-the-headlights" interview she did on "The O'Reilly Factor," about the BP oil spill.
Gary E. Johnson
Gary Earl Johnson (born January 1, 1953) is an American businessman and candidate for the Republican nominaton for President of the United States in the 2012 election.[1][2] He served as the 29th Governor of the U.S. state of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003, and is well-known for his low-tax libertarian views and his regular participation in triathlons.
Founder of one of New Mexico's largest construction companies,[3] Johnson entered politics for the first time by running for Governor of New Mexico in 1994 on a conservative, low-tax, anti-crime platform.[4] He beat incumbent Democratic governor Bruce King by 50% to 40%. He cut the 10% annual growth in the budget by using his gubernatorial veto on half of bills in the first six months.[3]
He sought re-election in 1998, winning by 55% to 45%. In his second term, he concentrated on the issue of school voucher reforms,[5] as well as campaigning for marijuana decriminalization. During his tenure as governor, he adhered strictly to an anti-tax, anti-bureaucracy program, and set state and national records for his use of veto powers:[3] more than the other 49 contemporary governors put together.[6][7] Term-limited, Johnson retired from politics at the end of his second term. He "is highly regarded in the state for his outstanding leadership during two terms as governor. He slashed the size of state government during his term and left the state with a large budget surplus."[8]
Gov Johnson with Richard Abruzzo now missing and presumed dead in balloon race crash, while on an island with Ken Lay and Saddam Hussein
In 2009, he founded the Our America Initiative, a 501(c)(4) "nonprofit political advocacy committee that promotes common-sense business approaches to governing."[9] He announced his candidacy for the presidency on April 21, 2011.[10]
Johnson was born in 1953 in Minot, North Dakota. His father was a public school teacher, while his mother worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs.[11] Johnson graduated from Sandia High School in Albuquerque in 1971, He attended the University of New Mexico from 1971 to 1975 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree.[12] It was there that he met his future wife, Denise "Dee" Simms.
While in college, Johnson earned money as a door-to-door handyman.[9] His success in that arena encouraged him to start his own business, Big J Enterprises, which was founded in 1976. When he started the business, Johnson was its only employee.[13] His major break with the firm was receiving a large contract from Intel's expansion in Rio Rancho, which increased Big J's revenue to $38million.[11] Over-stretched by his success, Johnson enrolled in a time management course at night school, which made him heavily goal-driven.[11] He eventually grew Big J into a multi-million dollar corporation with over 1000 employees.[14] By the time he sold the company, in 1999, it was one of New Mexico's leading construction companies.[15]
Gov Johnson claims Mt Everest for NM
Governor of New Mexico
First term
Johnson entered politics for the first time in 1994, approaching the state Republican Party for the gubernatorial nomination. Rebuffed, and told he should run for the State Legislature,[11] Johnson spent $500,000 of his own money putting out a message of bringing to the office a 'common sense business approach'.[16] His conservative platform emphasized tax cuts, job creation, halting the growth of state government, and a tough line on law and order.[4] Johnson's campaign slogan was "People before Politics".[17]
He received the nomination, defeating state legislator Richard P. Cheney by 34% to 33%, with John Dendahl and former governor David F. Cargo in third and fourth. Despite having little experience in politics, Johnson won the general election, defeating the incumbent Democratic Governor Bruce King by 50% to 40%. Johnson was elected in a nationally Republican year,[18] though party registration in the state of New Mexico at the time was 2-to-1 Democratic. Today, that is still the case.[19][20]
As governor, Johnson followed a strict small government approach. According to former New Mexico Republican National Committee member Mickey D. Barnett, "Any time someone approached him about legislation for some purpose, his first response always was to ask if government should be involved in that to begin with."[21] Having run on a promise of lowering the 10% annual growth of the state budget, in his first six months in office, Johnson vetoed 200 of 424 bills put in front of him, a national record of 48% of all legislation, and used the line-item veto on most remaining bills.[3] Johnson frequently angered Democrats in the Legislature by using a governor's line-item veto powers to cut money from the Legislature's budget bill."[22] In 1995, he called on the Republicans in Congress to eliminate the budget deficit through proportional cuts across the budget.[23]
In his first budget, Johnson proposed a wide-ranging cut in taxes – repealing a tax on prescription drugs, cutting income tax by $47million, and cutting gasoline tax by 6 cents per gallon. However, of these, only the gasoline tax cut was passed.[24]
Governor Ironman
Second term
In 1998, Johnson ran for re-election as governor against Democratic Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez. He campaigned on continuing the programs of his first term: improving schools, but cutting state spending, taxes, and bureaucracy, along with using his veto power frequently.[25] Johnson won by a 55% to 45% margin,[26] making him the first Governor of New Mexico to serve two four-year terms after term limits were expanded to two terms in 1991.[16]
In 1999, Johnson became one of the highest-ranking elected officials in the United States to advocate the legalization of marijuana.[27] Saying the War on Drugs was "an expensive bust," he advocated the decriminalization of marijuana use and the concentration on harm reduction measures for all other illegal drugs. "He compared attempts to enforce the nation's drug laws with the failed attempt at alcohol prohibition. Half of what government spends on police, courts and prisons is to deal with drug offenders."[13] He suggests that drug abuse be treated as a health issue, not as a criminal issue. His approach to the issue garnered supportive notice from conservative icon William F. Buckley,<[28] as well as the Cato Institute and Rolling Stone.[11]
In 2000, New Mexico was devastated by the Cerro Grande Fire. Johnson's handling of the disaster earned him accolades from the Denver Post, which observed that he
was all over the Cerro Grande Fire last week. He helped reporters understand where the fire was headed when low-level Forest Service officials couldn't, ran herd over the bureaucratic process of getting state and federal agencies and the National Guard involved, and even helped put out some of the fire with his feet. On a tour of Los Alamos last Wednesday, when he saw small flames spreading across a lawn, he had his driver stop his car. He jumped out and stomped on the flames, as did his wife and some of his staffers.[29]
Johnson's leadership during the fire was praised by Democratic Congressman Tom Udall, who said: "I think the real test of leadership is when you have circumstances like this. He's called on his reserves of energy and has just been a really excellent leader under very difficult circumstances here."[29]
Johnson's hallmark issue was promoting school voucher system.[30] In 1999, he refused to sign off the budget after it failed to include a voucher program, but was faced down by Democrats holding majorities in both houses of the New Mexico Legislature. In 2000, Johnson once again proposed the most wide-reaching voucher program in the United States, with each parent receiving $3,500 per child for education at any private or parochial school.[30]
He rebuffed efforts by the Libertarian Party to draft him in the 2000 presidential election.[31]
Legacy
News reports have noted that Johnson "is highly regarded in the state for his outstanding leadership during two terms as governor. He slashed the size of state government during his term and left the state with a large budget surplus."[8] According to one New Mexico paper, "Johnson left the state fiscally solid," and was "arguably the most popular governor of the decade . . . leaving the state with a $1 billion budget surplus."[32] The Washington Times has reported that when Johnson left office, "the size of state government had been substantially reduced and New Mexico was enjoying a large budget surplus."[21]
According to a profile of Johnson in the National Review, "During his tenure, he vetoed more bills than the other 49 governors combined — 750 in total, one third of which had been introduced by Republican legislators. Johnson also used his line-item-veto power thousands of times. He credits his heavy veto pen for eliminating New Mexico’s budget deficit and cutting the growth rate of New Mexico’s government in half."[33] Johnson has "said his numerous vetoes, only two of which were overridden, stemmed from his philosophy of looking at all things for their cost-benefit ratio and his axe fell on Republicans as well as Democrats."[13] "[W]hen he was governor of New Mexico: [Johnson] never raised taxes in eight years; cut over 1,200 government jobs without firing anyone; cut taxes 14 times; vetoed over 750 bills; was the biggest advocate in the country for school vouchers; started his own small business and became a multimillionaire."[34]
Post-gubernatorial life
Johnson was term limited and could not run for a third consecutive term as governor in 2002.[35] In the 2008 election campaign, Johnson endorsed Ron Paul for the Republican presidential nomination.
Johnson served on the board of directors of Students for Sensible Drug Policy,a student nonprofit organization that believes that the war on drugs needs to be reevaluated. As of April 2011, he serves on the board of directors of Students For Liberty, a college-age national political organization.[36]
2012 presidential campaign
In February 2011, Johnson was a featured speaker at both the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) and the Republican Liberty Caucus.[47] At CPAC, "the crowd liked him -- even as he pushed some of his more controversial points."[48] Johnson tied with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie for third in the CPAC Straw Poll, trailing only Ron Paul and Mitt Romney (and ahead of such notables as former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and former Alaska Governor and 2008 Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin, who "finished a distant 9th place, garnering only 3 percent of the vote.").[49] David Weigel of Slate called Johnson the second-biggest winner of the conference, writing that his "third-place showing in the straw poll gave Johnson his first real media hook ... He met tons of reporters, commanded a small scrum after the vote, and is a slightly lighter shade of dark horse now."[50]
Personal life
Johnson is an avid triathlete who bikes extensively and abstains from all recreational drug use, caffeine, alcohol, and some sugar products. During his term in office, he competed in several triathlons, marathons and bike races. In 1997, he took part in the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii.[51] He went on to finish the Hawaii Iron Man five times,[21] the last time finishing the marathon run, 3.8-kilometre swim and 180-kilometre bike ride only two hours behind the winner.[29] In 2003, he reached the summit of Mount Everest[52] "despite toes blackened with frostbite."[21] He once ran 100 miles in 30 consecutive hours in the Colorado Rockies.[11]
In 2005, Johnson was involved in a near fatal paragliding accident when his wing got caught in a tree and he fell approximately fifty feet to the ground. Johnson suffered multiple bone fractures, including a burst fracture to his T12 vertebrae. He used marijuana for pain control from 2005 to 2008.[53]
Johnson was married to his wife Dee, née Simms from 1977 to 2005, when he initiated the separation and divorce.[54] On December 22, 2006, Dee Johnson died of hypertensive cardiovascular disease at the age of 54.[55]
He lives in Taos, New Mexico[56] in a home he built himself.[48] He has two grown children; a daughter, Seah, and a son, Erik.[57]
Off With Their Heads: Gary Johnson for President of the United Republic of Britain
"Shit's gettin way too complicated for me. There are white folks, and then there are ignorant mutherfuckers like you! You can put lipstick on a pig. Sorry ass mutherfucker's got nuttin on me. I inhaled frequently - that was the point. Pot helped, and booze. A little blow when you could afford it. Junkie, pothead. That's where I'd been headed. You ain't my bitch nigger, git your own damn fries!"
-Barack Hussein Obama Soetoro, Dreams From My Father MP3
World heroin production increased 900% after the US invasion of Afghanistan
