MEET TRAVIS
Travis Irvine was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio.
After graduating from Ohio University with a degree in communications in 2006, he worked in the Bahamas for a year with the Columbus-based non-profit International Field Studies. Later, Travis graduated from the revered Columbia Journalism School. Travis has traveled the country and the world in his professional endeavors, but has always called Ohio his home.
Travis took an interest in politics at an early age, and has a history of political activism. In 2007, Travis ran for mayor of his home town Bexley. While he didn't win, many of his campaign ideas were implemented by the city. He then went on to intern on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., before producing a web series about local government services around the country for legendary infomercial guru Matthew Lesko.
In 2010, he ran for U.S. Congress in the 12th District. His campaign videos were a national hit, being featured on PBS, CNN and The Jay Leno Show. In 2014, Travis founded the anti-John Kasich PAC Central Ohioans Countering Kasich. His political writings and videos have been featured on the Guardian, Vice, HuffPost and Jesse Ventura's web series "Off the Grid." In 2018, Travis recognized the need for a non-standard, non-establishment candidate, who cares more about Ohio than "climbing the political ladder."
CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM
Every time something bad happens, it seems that the calls for “There ought to be a law...” are heard loud and clear. Rather than looking at and assessing current laws and regulations, our government continues to create new laws and increase penalties. There are now so many laws, that books have been written about how the average American inadvertently commits three felonies every day.
Compounding this problem, profiling and sentencing is disproportionately applied based on socio-economic class.
Our laws should be simple and fair. Did you hurt someone else, or take their stuff? If no, then no crime has been committed. If yes, then the focus should be on rectifying the harmed party. Only in cases where people can’t be made whole, such as cases of murder and rape, should there be incarceration.
For victimless infractions, we must act now to bring sanity to the criminal justice system. Those incarcerated solely for nonviolent marijuana infractions should be released, and their marijuana related records cleared. Other nonviolent infractions should be reviewed case by case as much as possible for sentence reductions and rehabilitation opportunities. Mandatory minimums must be abolished and judges should have the flexibility to act with the discretion their position requires.
Only the most heinous crimes deserve the harshest punishments, but no institution or individual should ever have the power to end a life. Outside of the very serious moral objections to capital punishment, because of the way the appeals process works, it’s far more expensive to carry out capital punishment then it is to incarcerated for life. Multiple government studies and records review reveal that up to 9% of the time, those put to death were wrongfully convicted and executed. This is not insignificant. Government shouldn’t be in the business of killing people. Travis Irvine would call for the immediate abolishment of capital punishment.
Further, by increasing the economic well-being of Ohio we will reduce the desperation of Ohio’s most-vulnerable citizens and reduce crime.
COMPREHENSIVE TAX REFORM
Travis calls for reducing unnecessary and over-burdensome regulation, cutting taxes, consolidating redundant departments, and either reducing or eliminating non-essential functions of government.
Ohio lawmakers seemingly forget that every cent of their salaries and every cent the government has, has been taken directly from Ohio residents like all of us. If the government had to run its budget like any of our families do, they would quickly see that current spending is reckless and unsustainable.
Ohio is currently the 15th ranked state for business but it’s ranked 37th in business friendliness. Representative Greenspan’s Bill 571, assessing additional taxes on online travel booking sites is an example of making it harder and less friendly for businesses to do business in Ohio and of how unfair and convoluted business and tax regulations are.
Our economy suffers because potential small business owners are strangled by miles of red tape. Many would-be entrepreneurs are discouraged from starting their businesses or scaling up their businesses to employ others. By reducing red tape for everyone, we would encourage start-up home-grown Ohio businesses.
Our citizens suffer an ever-increasing tax burden. Tax cuts can be, and must be, for everyone. When people are allowed to spend their money on their own, without interference, people are happier in the long term.
Our government spends too much money. We must balance the budget. Today, Ohio’s state debt is now over eighty-seven billion dollars ($87B). The share of this debt for very man, woman, and child in Ohio is $7,500. This is in addition to the national debt. It is unconscionable that we spend money today, and leave the burden of that spending to our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
LEGALIZE MARIJUANA
A Quinnipiac Poll from 2015 shows that 52% of Ohioans support the legalization of recreational marijuana and an overwhelming 90% support legalization for medical purposes.
The problem with only legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes is that Ohio legislators have proven that they are untrustworthy in creating good-faith regulations by charging ridiculous fees and creating massive regulatory agencies.
It is beyond time that our local politicians act to stop the criminalization of cannabis. Furthermore if marijuana were legal, Ohio could stand to make hundreds of millions in revenue. Colorado received nearly $250 million in combined revenue in 2017.
Full legalization, without any special taxes applied, would net Ohio 130 million dollars ($130M) in sales tax revenue. This would result in a complete end to the annual budget deficit! And that’s before attempting to calculate the reduction on our courts and jails. Legalization will set Ohio on the path to long-term success.
The trend is swiftly moving to federal decriminalization, if not full legalization. Ohio can jump on board now for full Legalization, or be left behind to play catch up later.
Third Party Wave:
Voters all across America are feeling disenfranchised and disrespected by the political party they previously identified closely with. The Republican and Democratic parties have become more polarized and more polarizing in their rhetoric and the growing majority simply see the two old parties as two sides of the same coin.
It’s time for change. Voters want legitimate change and the establishment is fighting in tooth and nail. Shenanigans and shady dealings resulted in getting the Libertarian Party kicked off the ballot in Ohio in 2014 and over the last 4 years, the Ohio GOP has spent over half a million dollars fighting to keep the Libertarian Party off the ballot, winning on the thinnest of technicalities and never-before-enforced regulations.
As goes Ohio, so goes the nation. The Libertarian Party of Ohio, volunteers, petitioners, activists, and liberty lovers of all stripes, pulled together and over 16 months, collected over 102,000 raw signatures from Ohio voters who agree it’s time for more choice on our ballots and it’s time for change.