In Support Of Gary Johnson

I try to keep this blog free of politics. However, the post entitled “Daddy, why didn’t you blog about Trump?” by my friend Scott Aaronson brought up a very valid point:

Against those considerations, I recently realized there’s an argument for speaking out, which goes as follows. Suppose Trump actually wins (as of this writing, Predictwise still gives him a frighteningly-high 27% probability). Suppose my family somehow survives whatever comes next, and one day my daughter Lily comes to me across the rubble of the post-thermonuclear hellscape and says, “daddy, in the Good Days, the days before the War of the Small-Hands Insult, the days when there was plentiful food and water and Internet, didn’t you have what used to be called a ‘blog’? Then why didn’t you speak out on this blog, why didn’t you do whatever tiny amount you could to prevent this?” So, alright, this post is my answer to her.

This blog is about technology and software engineering, not political science. It is worth, however, to have a conversation about the current election cycle and what it means to our trade.

I can’t possibly write any more eloquently on the reasons why Donald Trump is the most unqualified presidential candidate in the history of the United States. While I personally am willing to overlook the controversies surrounding the Hillary Clinton’s candidacy I can see how they can be a drag on her candidacy.

The profession of building software relies on the freedom of speech and expression, privacy rights, free and open trade, and access to quality education. The leading companies in our industry are under asssault from the government agencies – in the United States and outside. Fear, uncertainty, and doubt surrounds some of the most innovative technologies due to the government interference. The technology labor markets are distorted by the H1B-visa system that no longer makes sense.

The two major parties are presenting us with a choice between a technologically illiterate candidate ( i.e. Donald Trump) and a candidate that is evasive and non-committal ( i.e. Hillary Clinton) about her responses to the NSA-wiretapping scandal. Trump flip flops on H1B while Clinton wants to continue expanding an already distorted system.

Donald Trump has called for the boycott of Apple over the privacy and encryption offered by the company, not to mention his threats to the media. Hillary Clinton had abused the Freedom of Information Act for her personal gain. There is little sense in me going over what’s already been said repeatedly in the media.

This year the Libertarian Party offers a viable alternative to the two party duopoly. Their support for civil liberties, opposition to the government intrusion into our private lives and a Libertarian history of support for the Electronic Frontier Foundation makes the Libertarian Party uniquely suited for the 21st century high-tech world. For the first time in recent memory, the Libertarian Party offers a pragmatic candidate for president who is also an experienced politician. This is why, for the 2016 election cycle, “The Dulin Report” cautiously endorses Gary Johnson candidacy for the President of the United States.

Featured image credit Tony Webster via Flickr