Who's the "Weird One"?

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I will admit that this election cycle has been rather unusual for me personally. After all, I've been invited to participate in candidate forums and political questionnaires when most of the time, a Libertarian candidate can't even get a "no thanks" response to a request for an interview. And it's usually not for any particular reason; from our perspective, it's usually because they really don't know what to do with us. We just don't sound or act like the establishment politicians. We walk up to the microphone and immediately make the Old Party candidates look and sound like they're auditioning for a horror movie called "Fear Mongering: The Sequel." And yet, somehow, I'm the weird one.

"There are those who thing that life has nothing left to chance, a host of holy horrors to direct our aimless dance."

If you believe in conspiracy theories, you've probably heard that both the Old Parties and the media are complicit in keeping all other candidates from qualifying to appear in televised debates. But have you ever asked why? Well, I'm going to tell you why, and I invite you to validate my statements using whatever criteria you deem appropriate.

The reason that the Old Parties won't let us onto "their" debate stage is that, while they are droning on about more ways to spend your hard-earned tax dollars, our candidate is more likely to step up to the microphone and deliver a masterclass in common sense.

"A planet of playthings, we dance on the strings of powers we cannot perceive. The stars aren't aligned, or the gods are malign; blame is better to give than receive."

For instance, in televised debates, whenever Old Party candidates are asked about the economy, they generally pontificate about the need for more regulations and more government programs. But what would a Libertarian say? Probably something like, "What if — and hear me out on this — we just let people keep their own money?" The crowd gasps as if he just suggested we should all wear socks with sandals! "I mean," he continues, "why should the government take half your paycheck when they appear to have a money tree in their basement that we don’t know about."

"There are those who think that they've been dealt a losing hand. The cards were stacked against them, they weren't born in Lotus land."

Moving on to health care, our guy suggests, "What if we just let people choose their own health plans instead of forcing them into a one-size-fits-all government plan?" You would literally see the collective shudder, and the moderator asking incredulously, "You mean pick a plan that fits MY personal needs instead? Next, you’ll tell me I can pick my own breakfast instead of being forced to eat kale!"

On the topic of foreign policy, our guy suggests, "What if we just minded our own business for a change?" Amidst the collective gasps and audience members fainting in their chairs, our guy continues, "What if we stopped trying to be the world's police and, you know, maybe let other countries figure out their own solutions to their problems instead of sending them a 'Surprise! It's us!' care package of military aid with all of the associated strings attached?"

"All preordained, a prisoner in chains, a victim of venomous fate. Kicked in the face, you can pray for a place in Heaven's unearthly estate."

Meanwhile, the other candidates are looking at our guy as if he's just suggested that we solve climate change with a dance-off. Undeterred, our guy continues, "Look, folks, I get that it's weird to NOT want to meddle in other countries' affairs, but what if we spent that money on fixing our own roads? Can you imagine driving on an actually completed I-35 while other nations continue to argue over who gets the last slice of pizza?"

And here's a topic that you will never hear in a debate, "personal liberties." Old Party candidates always break that down in to subjects like gun control, reproductive rights, surveillance and privacy, and even civil rights as if each of those was a different topic instead of facets of the same topic. While the Old Party candidates seem to want to plot how to regulate every single cookie crumb like it's a national security threat, our guy says, "You want to run a lemonade stand without a permit? Go for it! Trade cookies for Bitcoin? Sure!"

"You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice. If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice. You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill. I will choose a path that's clear. I will choose free will."

At this point, the crowd is a mix of horrified gasps and awkward laughter as if our guy has just suggested that we all abandon our conventional lives and join a group of free-spirited drum circles in the woods. But here's the kicker: Libertarian policies make so much sense that you can't help but wonder if the real weirdos are the ones trying to hold onto the status quo.

In a world where fear sells, Libertarians are like a refreshing glass of iced tea on a hot summer day — sweetened just right, but without the government telling you how many ice cubes you can have. So yes, maybe Libertarian candidates are "the weird ones," but maybe it’s time we embraced the weirdness and realized that a little common sense - and a lot of freedom - might just be what we need!