I don't like Trump.

But I don't really like Hillary either.

And who the heck is Jill Stein?

Politics have never really interested me. During my early childhood, all I knew was that Bush was not the best President. It was a long time before I actually watched debates and claimed a political party. However, once Obama became the President in 2008, I actually took some interest in politics. My interest has grown since then, but it is still quite mild, especially considering the current presidential election. I have little faith in any of the candidates running the country successfully, productively, and with justice. Therefore, I usually have an urge to scroll or flip past political news.

I realize that this is not the best way to respond to the situation America is currently in: two major candidates who do not seem fit for the job and other candidates that most of society is not aware of. Therefore, I have been making an effort to follow the election more closely. One reason is that hearing, seeing, and reading about the injustice that occurs within our system enrages me. I desperately want drastic changes made to the criminal justice system. Another reason is I realize that I cannot complain about our laws, agencies, who runs our country, etc. if I do not do anything to change or choose them.

I recently had an exercise in one of my classes at Penn State where we had to break into groups and argue for or against a particular candidate. Some of my classmates were forced to argue for the candidate they despised. Luckily for me, I was put on a team that argued against Trump. When I thought about it though, why didn't I want Trump for President? All I could come up with is, "He makes ignorant and racist comments and never proposes a realistic plan for anything." While this is true and a solid reason (in my opinion), I did not actually know his position on controversial issues. The activity helped me realize just how ignorant I was about the entire election. It was actually very informative to go and read Trump's financial, healthcare, etc. "plans." It solidified my opposition to him being President, but it also motivated me to read up on the other candidates as well.

I still do no like any of the candidates, but at least my research can help me vote for the best one. Regardless of my love or hate for politics, they are extremely important. If I am going to live in this country and abide by the laws, I want to have a say in them or at least choose who gets to make the laws.