COLUMN: 4 things to know about Libertarian candidate

“His views on some issues confronting our state may differ from yours.”

That clarification popped up on Donald Rainwater’s Facebook page last week.

The fantastically named Indianapolis native and U.S. Navy veteran will battle Republican incumbent Eric Holcomb and Democrat Woody Myers as the Libertarian candidate for governor in the November election.

All political ideologies are tough to pin down these days. Republicans will ditch their flirtation with small government if they want to spy on you, and Democrats will abandon high-minded talk about civil liberties if they want to … well, spy on you.

But Libertarianism, for better or worse, is pretty consistent. More than anything, it wants to banish government from your everyday life. And Rainwater’s stances usually adhere to that.

Here are a few things you should know about him as the election nears.

COVID-19

On his campaign website, Rainwater decries the coronavirus-related shutdowns Holcomb has issued since the pandemic officially roared across our borders in March.

He lambastes the cratering economy and ballooning jobless numbers, and points out that many Hoosiers who applied for unemployment struggled to receive their payments in a timely fashion — if at all.

“As governor, I would propose that the Indiana General Assembly pass legislation to ensure that a governor never has the unilateral power to shut down our economy again. I will not mandate the shutdown of businesses, churches or schools,” he wrote. “I will not mandate the wearing of masks. I will not mandate vaccinations. I will end any such executive orders upon taking office. “Hoosiers must be well-informed and be allowed to make their own choices as citizens, not subjects.”

“Hoosiers must be well-informed and be allowed to make their own choices as citizens, not subjects.Similar sentiments pop up in campaign ads posted to his Facebook page.

Like every other social media post about COVID-19, you’ll find plenty of “coronavirus is a hoax” blather lurking in the comments. But according to a statement he issued in April, Rainwater takes the virus seriously.

He just thinks prevention measures should be left up to the people — a stance that would make sense in a world without conspiracy theories and selfishness.

“While we should all voluntarily do our part to slow the spread of COVID-19, I believe that state and local government should encourage individuals and businesses to voluntarily operate within the recommended guidelines put forth by our health care professionals without issuing inconsistent and unilateral executive orders which arbitrarily allow some businesses to continue operations while others are shut down,” he said.

Marijuana

Rainwater’s pretty straightforward on this one.

“As your governor, I will work with members of the Indiana General Assembly to decriminalize both medical and recreational cannabis,” he writes on his website.

“… If beer, wine and liquor are legal for adult recreational consumption,” cannabis should be, too, he added.

He also calls for weed to be made available to veterans suffering from PTSD. And he says anyone convicted of a marijuana-related crime should have their records expunged and their prison sentences commuted.

He’s been pushing for weed legalization at least since 2018, when he wrote a letter to the Indianapolis Star in the midst of the opioid crisis. In it, he accused state and federal governments of “protecting” pharmaceutical giants and demonizing marijuana users.

“How many of the 1,808 Indiana overdose deaths in 2017 were caused by marijuana overdose?” he said.

Taxes

He’s a Libertarian, so he wants to hurl most of those into the sea.

On his website, he says he’ll abolish personal income tax, as well as residential property taxes on primary residences.

If that happened, how would Rainwater replenish the millions of dollars in revenue Indiana would lose?

“I wouldn’t replace it,” he wrote on his campaign’s Facebook page last week. “Period.”

He claims he would find additional cash by nixing “fraud, waste and abuse” from the budget process.

Grab bag

Education: In a Facebook post, Rainwater called for Indiana to end standardized testing, revamp how it evaluates teachers and expand vocational school opportunities.

Guns: “The right to bear arms shall not be infringed.”

Abortion: Pro-life. But he would allow for abortions if the pregnancy threatens the mother’s life or if the woman was impregnated after being sexually assaulted. “Abortion is a sensitive issue … that people can hold good-faith views on all sides,” he writes on his website.

End of life: He supported legislation from Bloomington Democrat Matt Pierce that would allow sick Indiana residents who meet certain requirements to obtain medication from their doctor that would help them end their life. The bill, drafted during the chaotic 2020 session, went nowhere.

Rainwater hopes his candidacy fares better. But as usual, it won’t be easy.

In 2016, Libertarian candidate Rex Bell only mustered 3 percent of the vote. Things were just as rough in 2012, when former Survivor star Rupert Boneham nabbed 4 percent.

~ By Jon Webb | Columnist | Published September 22, 2020 in The Reporter Times