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Former New Mexico governor and 2012 presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party Gary Johnson believes that the U.S. should cut a whopping 30 percent of its federal spending.

Johnson, a UNM alumnus, said in a speech in Woodward Hall on Monday that the government should cut or eliminate funding for dysfunctional sectors for a more efficient system. He said the country should be more mindful of its budget.

Money for me has always represented one thing, which is freedom, Johnson said. The government doesnt have the answers. The government ends up being more of a problem than of a solution.

The event, which was part of Johnsons Our America Initiative, was sponsored by The Federalist Society of UNM and the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.

Johnson said that instead of imposing income and corporate taxes, the government should implement a fixed 28 percent consumption tax on the entire nation. He said this will give people more control of their money, and it will be harder for people to avoid paying their taxes. He said he also would abolish the IRS, which he said gets unnecessary federal funding.

Johnson proposed that the federal government should have an annual audit of expenses to make sure that every dollar it spends goes to the right place.

Johnson said he wants to dissolve the departments of homeland security and of education because they are inefficient. He also said he wants to slash military funding.

We need to stop with our military interventions, he said. That seems to be our answer for everything. We dont have a department of defense; we have a department of offense. Were killing innocent civilians in other countries and were wondering why the world doesnt like us.

Jim Gray, who ran for vice president alongside Johnson last year, also spoke at the event. Gray said the U.S. has about 1,000 military bases around the world, and that the federal government could eliminate 80 percent of them to operate more efficiently.

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Libertarian Party presidential candidate Gary Johnson speaks at UNM about federal spending, debt