I’ll admit it, I’m one of those Ron Paul supporters. Although the media has fooled many of you into thinking I’m an anarchist who just wants to legalize weed, please know that I’m quite the opposite. I’m an educated engineer with strong family values and have never once considered inhaling toxic smoke.

Perhaps like you, I’ve discovered that the Republican Party no longer represents my values; which are based on: personal liberty and economic freedom.

Here are three assumptions necessary for my main point:

• Personal liberty and economic freedom are inversely proportional to the size and scope of the federal government (within reason);
• Mitt Romney will not reduce the size and scope of the federal government as much as we require in these critical times;
• Mitt Romney has virtually no statistical chance of winning California’s electoral votes.

During the Republican primaries I can’t remember how many people I talked to who would not vote for Ron Paul because they said he didn’t have a chance at winning. Even though they agreed with much of his pro-liberty message, they focused their selection on only those candidates who they felt had a chance at winning.

Well, here we are in the general election. By the same logic, and due to the winner-take-all electoral college system, I suppose the only suitable candidate to vote for in California would be Obama. I mean, why waste your vote on Romney who’s most certainly going to lose?

That was obviously a rhetorical question. Here’s my proposition to you: Feel free to influence the election in swing states, but don’t waste your vote on Romney here in California.

Instead, use your vote to send a message to the Republican Party that if their future candidates want to win this state, they had better offer a stronger pro-liberty message. Therefore, as a voter from California, the only logical vote is Gary Johnson (Google him).

Gary Johnson, former two-term governor of New Mexico and Republican presidential candidate, is running as the Libertarian Party’s candidate.

On the ballot in almost all 50 states, Gary Johnson is the only candidate who advocates for immediate balanced budgets, sound monetary policy and personal freedom.

If you feel that neither the Republican or Democratic candidates lean far enough toward liberty, make your vote count, and vote for Johnson.

Andrew Luchsinger lives in Lakeport, Calif.