Legalize, Not Criminalize
We’ve championed the full legalization of marijuana for decades. Not just for medical use, but because adults have the right to make their own decisions.
The drug war has ruined lives, not saved them. If Americans have the freedom to buy a gallon of tequila and a carton of cigarettes, why should our government falsely claim to be protecting your best interests over a plant? It doesn’t make sense, and that’s because the real reason is the same we see over and over again: power, control, and the corrupting presence of big money in politics.
Ohio voted overwhelmingly in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana use, and we did it through a citizen-led ballot initiative. Now, the leaders we elected to represent us are trying to claw back the rights that we’ve granted ourselves, and we find ourselves fighting for another ballot initiative to secure those same rights.
Our government is actively working against the will of Ohio voters and this is a perfect example. These people don’t care about us, and they haven’t in a long, long time.
Meanwhile, the Nanny State is trying to restrict and criminalize kratom and Kava. We need to relax the rules around the behavior of consenting adults, not strengthen them.·
Small Business, Big Regulations
We want to slash the red tape and crushing taxes that strangle small businesses and workers. As a small business owner, I know: you should keep more of your paycheck and spend less time filling out forms for the folks who didn’t risk a dime to build your dream.
Start that side hustle without jumping through hoops and getting a dozen licenses, from the government that should be helping, rather than hindering small businesses.
In my personal experience, government over-regulation was time and again the biggest obstacle to success – and I hear the same familiar story from small business owners across the state.
Real Education, For Every Student
Parents are in the driver’s seat when it comes to the education of their sons and daughters.
This view is shaped by my own experiences as a child whose mother was a public school teacher right here in Toledo.
My parents (deceased) were both posthumously awarded Lifetime Achievement Awards by the PTSA. They were co-PTSA presidents at every school I ever attended. I was raised that a parent should have a direct say in shaping their child’s education, and my parents did so, setting an example of direct parental involvement in education.
We believe in an education system that serves students, families, and educators—not a rigid bureaucracy that forces them to serve it. That means empowering families, especially those with children who have different abilities or learning styles, with the choices and resources to find the right path.
The system should bend to fit the child, not the other way around.
The Rigged Game: We’re All Tired of It
For decades, we’ve watched a two-party system that works for its own preservation first, its billionaire and corporate donors second, and the People only if it can be bothered.
The grand debate has devolved into a tired farce—two sides reciting their lines at each other, often flying in the face of the facts, logic, or reason.
It’s a rigged game designed to keep us divided and fighting amongst ourselves over culture-war scraps, while the entrenched powers in both aisles quietly split the real winnings: our liberty, our paychecks, and our future.
Immigration – Let’s Talk About It, But Let’s Be Real
Yes, we need to focus on immigration reform in this country, and yes illegal immigration comes at a cost.
HOWEVER – do I think that Illegal Immigration is among the top issues facing the Ohio 9th effecting you and your family on a daily basis? Probably not.
Let’s be real.
An inordinate amount of time and focus is spent on this issue which (while important) isn’t one of the most pressing for us right here in Northwest Ohio. It’s a wedge issue that is thrust into the national spotlight in a manner meant to keep us divided and fighting amongst ourselves.
Our immigration system is outdated and inefficient. It’s time to break the partisan gridlock and simplify the process so immigrants can come, work, and thrive as part of our communities. Immigrants built America, and they’re key to its future.
And importantly – ICE does not have the authority to trample on the Bill of Rights on American streets. Immigration reform shouldn’t come with a body count. We’ve lost our way.
Healthcare That Doesn’t Hurt
The American Healthcare Insurance System is not working for us.
When a billion dollar healthcare insurance corporation’s AI chooses to increase profits at the expense of American lives, we’ve lost our way.
Originally, employers offered Healthcare Insurance as an extra incentive to entice the best workers.
Our system has morphed and devolved to the point that we mandate that companies above a certain size offer Healthcare Insurance – and then we incentivise health benefits over paychecks by offering tax breaks to salaries paid as insurance premiums rather than wages directly to employees.
It’s time for some top-down change when it comes to Healthcare insurance in this country.
The Only Anti-War Party in America
For too long, our nation has been entangled in endless wars, leaving scars on our veterans and their families. It’s time to pivot to a foreign policy focused on peace. We need to end drone strikes and military interventions, and instead champion fair trade and international goodwill.
Let’s reclaim our role as the ‘leader of the free world’ by pursuing peace and serving as a beacon of hope.
Want to see our two parties suddenly unite? Watch, the next time the military-industrial complex decides it’s time to gear up for War.
Both parties pretend to argue for peace – but the bombs never stop and the streets run red.
Real Liberty – Everywhere, Always.
No government should regulate personal activities or impose harsh penalties.
We must end the death penalty, corporate bailouts, drug criminalization, abortion restrictions before viability, and excessive employment regulations.
The government shouldn’t draft citizens, tax individuals excessively, mandate medical treatments, or censor private communication.
Privacy- Remember When That Was a Thing?
The worst abuses to our constitution often come under the guise of safety.
With warrantless wiretaps, FISA court abuses, and the overreaching Patriot Act, our freedoms are under threat.
We will fight to dismantle these invasive programs, restore your privacy rights, and pardon whistleblowers who reveal government misconduct. Your liberty is worth defending.
Our State has over-reached in terms of citizen surveillance – time to reign in the beast.
Criminal Justice Reform
Our criminal justice system is broken and needs a radical overhaul. From courts to prisons, we must focus on empowering individuals, not expanding government control.
America imprisons a quarter of the world’s inmates—an injustice in a nation that prides itself on freedom.
We must dismantle the prison-industrial complex, end the failed War on Drugs, and eliminate qualified immunity for police.
Abolishing the death penalty and ensuring police accountability are crucial steps towards a just and fair system. Let’s shift from punishment to rehabilitation and make our justice system a true beacon of freedom.
Green Energy – Not a Dirty Word, But Not Free Money
Listen – it wasn’t too long ago that we couldn’t touch or drink the water here in Toledo.
Our energy policy should be green – not our lakes and rivers.
We do need to regulate the giant corporate industrial farming that resulted in our Water Crisis – but do so in a surgical and appropriate manner that doesn’t burden small family farms or disincentivize farming in Ohio.
There’s a middle ground that protects the family farms that feed Ohio as well as the water supply that we all drink from.
After all – you can’t water the crops if you can’t touch the water.
We will transform environmental policy by slashing red tape where it needs to be slashed and embracing market-driven, science-backed solutions that actually work – not greenwashing giant corporations with propagandic policies and tax incentives.
The 2nd Amendment – Not A Suggestion
You deserve the right to protect yourself from violence, and history shows that gun control has often been used to limit the ability of vulnerable groups to defend themselves.
If you’re concerned with the amount of government overreach now, can you imagined what they would pull on an unarmed populace?
We’re committed to protecting the second as a foundational American right.
On a personal note, this Drag Queen is a proud gun owner.
LGBT Rights
Libertarians have been historically the most friendly to LGBT Americans out of every Political Party in the history of our nation.
We were the first party in the U.S. to call for marriage equality in our platform—in 1972.
We believe consenting adults should love who they love, marry who they want, and live openly, without government permission slips. Your body, your identity, your choice.·
Term Limits – Absolue Power Corrupts Absolutely
We support term limits for all federal officials—elected or appointed—to keep government fresh and accountable.
Term limits ensure new perspectives and reduce wasteful spending, while agency leaders must face regular reviews for reappointment.Entrenched governmental power isn’t good for anybody but the entrenched.
