HELENA - Libertarian Stan Jones isn't likely to be Montana's next governor, but he has certainly offered the most far-reaching proposals in the three-way race.
While Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer and Republican state Sen. Roy Brown have proposed fairly conventional ideas, Jones' platform likely will raise some eyebrows.
As governor, Jones said he would issue pardons to release all drug offenders incarcerated in the Montana prison system.
Jones for sales tax
He wants to scrap all of Montana's taxes on income, property and business and replace them with a sales tax on all goods and services.
This will be Jones' fifth attempt for statewide office since 2000 on the Libertarian ticket and his third run for governor. He has also run twice for the U.S. Senate.
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He usually draws 7,500-10,500 votes in general elections, good for 2 percent to 3 percent of the total, after raising little or no money.
"I've spent about $4,000 of my own money (this year) and raised $850 through yesterday," he said Monday.
Still, Jones said he believes it is important to offer the Libertarian Party alternative to the two major parties.
'A socialist democracy'
"I think people better get used to the fact that we're losing our constitutional republic," Jones said. "The Democrats and the Republicans have abandoned the Constitution and violated our laws. We are becoming a socialist democracy. Democracies have always evolved into anarchy and chaos."
At debates, Jones has said there's "not a dime's worth of difference" between Democrats and Republicans and Schweitzer and Brown. He sometimes refers to the two parties as "Republicrats" and "Democans."
Retired after a career in business and consulting, Jones, 69, lives in Bozeman.
If elected, Jones said he would:
• Pardon drug offenders. Jones said it's time to end the war on drugs and release prisoners incarcerated for drug-related offenses.
"I think America has become a police state," he said. "One of 99 of our people is in prison. That's the highest incarceration rate in the world. One of the reasons is the war on drugs."
Jones called it "ridiculous" that people caught possessing illegal drugs get longer sentences than sex offenders. Nearly 23 percent of Montana prison inmates are there for drug-related offenses, Jones said.
"I would review all of the nonviolent, victimless crimes, and I would pardon those that I possibly could pardon," he said. "That would reduce the spending in the Montana budget considerably."
The state Corrections Department estimates it costs $29,200 to house a female inmate annually and $27,740 for a male convict at their respective state prisons.
Jones made it clear he doesn't endorse using illegal drugs, which he called "a horrible thing" to do. He said he doesn't use either illegal drugs or alcoholic beverages.
• Replace all Montana taxes with a sales tax. Jones believes Montana's tax system is far too complicated, with too many state taxes that punish business.
He would ask the Legislature to throw out Montana's entire income, property and business tax system and replace it with a state, county and city combined sales tax on all goods and services. He estimates it would be in the 12 percent to 15 percent range.
• End enforcement of all gun laws in Montana.
These laws violate the U.S. Constitution, which states in the Second Amendment that the right to carry a gun shall not be infringed upon, he said.
As governor, Jones said he would issue an executive order saying none of Montana's gun laws are enforceable. He also would notify the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms that its agents would not be welcome here.
• Reject any subsidies to alternative energy projects. He believes agricultural land should stay in food production and not be used for wind or solar power farms or to produce biofuels.
"One acre of land produces a net of 50 gallons a year of biofuels," Jones said. "That's ridiculous. That's not sustainable. We would have to clear a bunch of forests or give up a bunch of food-producing land."
Montana can already provide clean coal-produced energy because the technology exists to remove the sulfur dioxide and other harmful gases.
He also favors building nuclear power plants in Montana and elsewhere, calling them "the most efficient, cleanest and least costly energy."
Jones called the idea that global warming is human-caused "one of the biggest misconceptions ever perpetrated on the American people and the people of the world."
There is global warming, but it's naturally occurring, Jones said.