Posted on 05/23/2016 6:29:00 AM PDT by Behind Liberal Lines
The assumption is that someone whose label is “Libertarian” has libertarian values and would promote them in office. In the case of Johnson, that notion is absurd.
When Johnson took the tiller in New Mexico in 1995, the budget stood at $4.397 billion. When he left in 2003, it had grown to $7.721, an increase of 7.29 percent a year. Of the eleven governors who filed to run for president this year (two Democrats, Johnson, and eight Republicans), only one had a worse record on spending growth....
On civil liberties as with fiscal issues, Johnson’s record is less libertarian than that of his successors as governor of New Mexico, and even of most other governors and presidents. Bill Richardson, his immediate successor, introduced concealed carry. Susana Martinez succeeded Richardson and got rid of civil-asset forfeiture. Johnson’s successors enacted sound libertarian reforms, including measures against eminent-domain abuse and Johnson’s government involvement in markets. This cycle, Johnson has declared against freedom of association for bakers and florists. Other than supporting drug legalization, in which he has a substantial personal financial interest, there appears to be very little in his record or agenda that National Review readers would find appealing.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
Some of my Leftist friends are pushing Johnson. That in itself would make me inclined to ignore Johnson.
Ah yes the perpetual fraud
He did not govern like a business man who wanted the people to keep as much of their money as possible
Surplus is another way to say people were over taxed
This person obviously wasn’t in New Mexico during the Johnson administration. Johnson walked into state government that was utterly dominated by democrats. Not just democrats but virulent and truly 3rd world democrats.
He spent most of his administration fighting full on democrat corruption. Very successfully too. He completely changed the way huge construction projects were financed in a way that cut dems right out of the loop.
This piece is GOP.
Increased revenues = increased spending. So? Doesn't mean the size of the government itself expanded and, anyone really familiar with Johnson's administration knows full well that, overall, he managed to reduce the size of government in New Mexico while he was governor. That's just fact.
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Johnson is sounding very much like a lib(rul).
But claiming Clintonite loser Bill Richardson was a better Governor is preposterous.
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