CEDAR RAPIDS – It’s his second trip to Iowa this year, but Gary Johnson isn’t running for president in 2012, at least not yet, and he won’t talk about when or if he’ll join the herd of possible contenders for the Republican nomination.

Gary Johnson

In the meantime, the former governor of New Mexico is “trying to put a voice to what I think is the national outrage.”

“I find myself outraged that the country is bankrupt, the fact that we’re borrowing  43 cents of every dollar is not sustainable,” Johnson told The Gazette Editorial Board Sept. 1, adding that Republicans deserve as much blame as Democrats. “This really has to change. Spending has to be slashed and taxes need to be reduced.”

So Johnson, who vetoed 750 bills in two terms as governor — only two vetoes were overridden, has been to 26 states, been on the radio and television every day since December. He rode RAGBRAI earlier this summer and is back in Iowa this week for several speaking engagements.

Johnson has been called the “next Ron Paul” – which he takes as a compliment. Like Paul, Johnson has opposed the war in Iraq and, despite initial support for military involvement in Afghanistan, he now opposes nation-building there.

In a nutshell, Johnson: opposes federal health-care reform; favors legalizing marijuana; is pro-choice up to the point of fetal viability, opposes public funding of abortions and supports parental notification; believes marriage is between one man and one woman, but support same-sex unions; supports school vouchers as a means of improving education; thinks Arizona’s immigration policy will fail, but supports the state’s right to adopt its own policy and opposes the Obama administration’s legal challenge of the law.

Johnson shares many views on pocketbook issues with the Tea Party and find support for his ideas among Republicans even if they aren’t aligned with the party platform. Those Republicans who are seen as 2012 candidates all sound alike to him. They want to maintain the course in the war on terror, secure the borders, round up and send back 11 million illegal immigrants back, continue the war on drugs and reduce spending without cutting Medicare, he said.

Because his group, Johnson for America, is a 501(c)(4), he can’t talk about running for office.

“So I’m a political activist. That’s my gig,” Johnson said. “I’m being a voice for what I think are ideas that are held by a lot of people in this country. And I wouldn’t be here if I thought what I’m saying was being said by anyone else.”

For more, visit www.johnsonforamerica.com.