The time is right for Libertarians to play a key role in the country's political future, Jim Gray, the party's vice presidential nominee, told a gathering in Thousand Oaks this week.

Gray, a retired Superior Court judge from Orange County, was chosen last month as the running mate for the party's presidential nominee, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson.

Speaking to about 40 people at Mimi's Cafe in Thousand Oaks on Wednesday at an event hosted by the Libertarian Party of Ventura County, Gray described the political climate as "a perfect storm."

"One of the real strengths that we have is we are not Republicans and we are not Democrats, and the people of our country are going to understand because today they are so polarized," Gray said.

"I'm not naive. I understand the odds," he said. "But we are going to run to win."

Praising Johnson as "a man of wisdom, a man of action and a man of courage," Gray outlined their platform: bringing prosperity, equal opportunity and liberty back to the United States. If elected, they will seek change in the economy, jobs and education.

Gray pledged that a Libertarian administration would reduce federal government spending by 43 percent and pass a balanced budget.

To stimulate job growth, officials would repeal the income tax and abolish the IRS. That would make U.S. goods more competitive and help bring manufacturing jobs back to America, he said.

"Imagine if we would be able to make business decisions for business reasons instead of tax reasons," he said. "Imagine making personal decisions for personal reasons instead of tax reasons."

A consumption or "fair" tax would replace the income tax, Gray said.

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Libertarian Party's VP nominee calls for change