This election has been far from any we have seen before. For many of us, we have waited 18+ years for this moment. The moment where we get a voice within our nation's political sphere. We watched and waited patiently, studying the mistakes of the older generations. We sat and watched the aftermath of 9/11 unfold and the Patriot Act slowly eat away at our right to privacy. We witnessed as our parents were laid off and as the housing market crashed. We were there when the first African-American became president. In just the span of 16 years, we were patiently waiting for the day we could make a change. This year was suppose to be that year.
Possible candidates began to campaign, and we listened to every word. Soon, however, the candidate pool began to shrink and we were left with two options: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. We watched as the two parties started to implode. Scandal after scandal, the two presidential nominees became the least favorite candidates in modern American history. With a bitter taste in our mouth, we began to accept the choices in front of us. However, there may be an alternative solution.
Gary Johnson, the two-term governor from New Mexico, has brought a third party to center stage. While a third party has never won the White House, this election cycle is the perfect opportunity for our generation to shake up the political world. The Libertarian Party can be described as a social liberal but a fiscal conservative. The party's slogan is "Maximum Freedom, Minimal Government," and that is a message many of us can relate to.
The party's platform consists of reducing taxes, paying off the national debt, ending the welfare state, supporting gay marriage, decriminalizing cannabis, supporting gun rights and allowing people to opt out of social security.
In a political world where the two current parties cannot work together, a leader willing to work for the people is what we need. Our nation has gotten away from the founding roots we were built upon. If our generation can rally behind someone, we have the power to make a change. If we make a stand, we can have a voice. If we make a stand, we can truly make this nation better than it has ever been.
