Gary Johnson has started to back away from the idea of a carbon tax, days after suggesting it would be a great free market approach and “very libertarian proposal” to tackle climate change (SEE: Gary Johnson now wants a supposed free-market carbon tax).
The former New Mexico Governor and Libertarian Party nominee told a rally in New Hampshire that he is fully against carbon taxes. He also confirmed that he opposed mandatory vaccines, though he previously argued that he would consider making it mandatory.
Here is what Johnson said on carbon taxes before his visit to New Hampshire:
“I’m open also to the notion of a carbon tax,” Johnson said. “That it does have an impact, that it ends up being revenue-neutral. I’m not looking at this as a revenue generator, as much as there are costs associated with, there are health and safety issues with carbon.”
Here is what he said during his visit to New Hampshire:
“If any of you heard me say I support a carbon tax…Look, I haven’t raised a penny of taxes in my political career and neither has Bill [Weld]. We were looking at—I was looking at—what I heard was a carbon fee which from a free-market standpoint would actually address the issue and cost less. I have determined that, you know what, it’s a great theory but I don’t think it can work, and I’ve worked my way through that.”
Here is what Johnson said on mandatory vaccines before his visit to New Hampshire:
“You know, since I’ve said that … I’ve come to find out that without mandatory vaccines, the vaccines that would in fact be issued would not be effective. So … it’s dependent that you have mandatory vaccines so that every child is immune. Otherwise, not all children will be immune even though they receive a vaccine.”
Here is what he said on mandatory vaccines during his visit to New Hampshire:
“And I support a person’s right to choose, so when it comes to vaccinations we should be able to make the decision whether we want to vaccinate our kids or not. I choose to vaccinate my kid and you never say never. Look, in the case of a zombie apocalypse taking over the United States, and there is a vaccine for that, as president of the United States, you might find me mandating that vaccine.”
What else will Johnson flip-flop on? Is this a matter of Johnson modifying his message based on who he is talking to? Does Johnson have very little consistency in his beliefs?
It’s terrifying because if he does make it to the debate stage this fall then he will just water down the libertarian message. And this is very far away from libertarian purity. This is just a matter of what his political stances are!
This is why libertarians can’t support Johnson (SEE: Libertarians for Gary Johnson? 5 reasons libertarians can’t support Johnson).
Photo by Gage Skidmore.
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