The forgotten candidates: libertarian and green parties

Gary Johnson (left), representing the libertarian party, and Jill Stein (right), representing the green party.

Gary Johnson (left), representing the libertarian party, and Jill Stein (right), representing the green party.

Russell Stern and Max Eichenbaum

Donald Trump is going to be the next president of the United States. Millions of Americans made the most crucial decision in political history. Although the majority of the government is most likely going to be conservative for the next four years, it is critical that Gary Johnson, who ran in the past election for the Libertarian party, and Jill Stein who ran in the past election for the Green Party, not be overlooked. Gary Johnson and his running mate William Weld represented the Libertarian Party, mainly a party that believes in personal liberty and little government control, and the physicist and politician Jill Stein and her running mate Ajamu Barakas represented the Green Party, a party whose principal belief is striving to protect the environment. However, this is obviously not the Green Party’s only belief, they are for imperative issues like human rights and social justice.

One of the most contentious political issues facing this country is foreign policy, which refers to our nation’s relations with other countries. The majority of Americans mainly follow Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton’s views on this significant issue, but few of them are interested in Gary Johnson’s position in comparison to how many are interested in Trump and Clinton’s positions. One of Gary Johnson’s views on foreign policy is that he believes that us constantly getting involved with other countries has made America less safe of a country.

According to Johnson on the website, “Johnson, Weld for 2016”, “If anything, our meddling in the affairs of other countries has made us less safe.” Additionally, Gary Johnson on the same website stated, “We need to build a strong military, but we should not use our military strength to solve the world’s problems.” He has strongly expressed his belief that we should rarely intervene with issues between foreign nations.

Another controversial issue facing Americans in this recent election is immigration. Johnson’s philosophy on immigration is that we should value and respect the cultural variation of immigrants that come to the United States, however, we should also understand that other immigrants are not well-intentioned and do not belong in this country. He believes that building a wall will do nothing but further divide Americans, but granting illegal immigrants forgiveness is not a practical solution, either. We should concentrate on forming a more productive system of providing work visas, conducting background checks and obtaining proof of employment. Johnson said, “Solving immigration problems is not as easy as building a wall or simply offering amnesty.”

An additional political controversy in this past election was the current condition of the United States economy. Gary Johnson’s view on this issue is that entrepreneurs, businesses and economic wealth help the economy flourish. He believes that powerful corporations benefit from over – regulation of taxes, and that we have to get rid of the unmeaningful laws and taxes that take away resources businesses used to create the jobs we need.  In the CNBC article, “The Government Needs to Stop Stifling Economic Growth” Johnson states, “Technology is making it easier for all of us to be entrepreneurs, and that’s a good thing.

Although the Libertarian party is one overlooked by most Americans, it is not the only one. The Green Party is also an underdog, and possibly even more so than the Libertertains. Jill Stein is the current politician running in this election for the Green Party. Although she may not win, her ideas are still worth discussing.

The Green Party has four main political views, though one of the more important ones is their belief concerning foreign policy.

In the Middle East, the Green Party believes we must go back to the drawing board, and we are in that region for the wrong reasons. As Jill Stein stated, “Our foreign policy has had catastrophic consequences; it’s based on economic and military domination rather than human rights and diplomacy.” They want to rethink the situation and interfere for expansion of democracy, rather than economic and military reasons.

Also on foreign policy, the party believes that we should let in 65,000 refugees immediately, not over 18 months. Jill Stein has claimed that the refugee crisis in the Middle East has been escalated from American intervention.

Stein and her party’s views don’t extend only to foreign policy, but to education as well. There is a great deal of money being spent throughout the country, and the average college student is $35,000 in debt. On if paying off college debt is possible, Stein reports, “It’s not only possible, it’s essential.” The party strongly believes that college tuition should be free, and the current college students or graduates should be brought back from being in debt. imgres

Even though the next president of the United States of America is Donald Trump of the Republican party, it is important that the Green and Libertarian parties not be forgotten among Americans across the country. Gary Johnson and Jill Stein’s hopes of controlling the most powerful, charismatic and courageous country in the world failed this year, but perhaps in four years, it will be the Green and Libertarian parties’ turn to shine and America’s turn to vote for them. It is important to remember what made the United States of America so unique, and what rights it gives to millions of Americans across it.