Chuck Shepherd: A Closing Argument for Gary Johnson

Greetings and thank you for the opportunity to express myself in an open manner.  I don’t think what I have to say is what you’re looking for, as I am truly undecided in my decision for who should be the next president of our great country.  I am not undecided for lack of knowledge of both of the main candidates, nor the third party candidates, as I also watched the third party debates moderated by Larry King and will be watching the final debate on Nov. 5 as well between Gov. Gary Johnson and Dr. Jill Stein.  I am undecided because of a lack of information from all candidates because I have not heard any of them speak in support of a minority of people such as myself; the self employed independent contractor.  Though I know this isn’t a closing statement, this is more of wanting to find out what all candidates have to say about the hard working self employed, one person businessman, so I will write my viewpoint to you.

First, let me begin by stating that I live in Virginia, and am an independent contractor, teaching the joy of music to the young through elderly in a small, local music store.  I am responsible for paying my own taxes, and receive a 1099 at the end of the year.  I have heard plenty about the middle and upper class, but I really don’t make enough money to be in either of those brackets.  My income is in the poverty bracket, especially factoring in that I have a daughter in high school, and my wife is a cancer patient.  We rely on my income to pay the bills, and had to apply for food stamps to try to make ends meet.  This is the first time in my life that I’ve had to resort to this, and I’m not proud of the fact.  In this area, I see a weakness in the President, as more and more families have had to go this route, and now I find myself in the same position.  Neither the President or Governor Romney has mentioned the independent contractor, and I feel it is because we are such a small minority that our votes don’t matter to them, since we can’t help them win, which in turn, makes me feel that we aren’t in the numbers for economic growth.  So neither of the forerunners have anything to make me feel secure in voting for them.  The ACA presents a double jeopardy for me, as I can’t afford healthcare and will face a financial penalty for not having it.  That takes away another point for the President, who has forced me into this predicament.

The only candidate that seems helpful for my situation is Governor Johnson, who wants to abolish the IRS, which would help me tremendously, and sadly he has no chance in winning. I like to say that our colors are Red, White, and Blue, but our only options are Red and Blue, due to PACS and SuperPacs pouring money to help them win.  Third Party candidates should be equally represented as the White in a true democracy, where ethics rule over money. The debates should be open to all candidates on the ballot, so that the voters can make a truly informed decision come election day.  Money shouldn’t be the deciding factor, but character, vision, wisdom and knowledge should be what we are voting for, representing the best of ALL candidates on the ballot.  In this scenario, I see Governor Johnson as the best choice for me.  I also agree with him and Jill that Marijuana should be legalized, regulated, and taxed in the same manner as alcohol, reducing the cost of jailing offenders that are not criminals, except for the current laws regarding Marijuana.  This would generate a lot of revenue that would be a part of an economic recovery.

It’s a sad time for me, and I don’t see the election changing anything for my circumstances.  I do plan on voting, and from what I’ve written to you, it appears that through writing, my choice would have to be for Governor Johnson, though it would be a vote for my integrity, and not helping to elect the next president, so my decision would have to be for what I believe in, or voting for one of the forerunners that I feel would be the less of two evils, knowing that neither would help my situation.

I could go on, but I know have gone well over my 1,000 words, and I know they aren’t a closing statement for any particular candidate, but this issue is nonexistent in the race for the White House.