Lately, there is one thing that has been on everyone's mind: the election. The battle (yes, I daresay it's a battle) between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton may be the most notorious political event of our lifetime. As a politics and government major, I'm certainly glad that people, particularly millennials, are talking about politics. However, there are some troubling trends that I've noticed.
I'll just say it: I'm a republican and a Trump supporter. I know that on a liberal arts campus that statement could start a witch hunt for me, but before you start sharpening your pitchforks, let me explain some of my thoughts on the election. A lot of people ask me how I could support Trump, citing his personality as a reason not to support him. Do I think his personality is really great? No. Am I looking for a spouse, a friend, or a roommate? Again, no. So I don't think that personality is an important factor here. As a matter of fact, I don't even take Clinton's personality into account when I say that I don't support her.
However, I can explain why I do support Trump. Contrary to popular belief, it is not because I am racist, sexist, violent, or bigoted (these are all things I have been called, by the way). It's because I see problems in this country that Clinton's policies cannot fix, but Trump's policies can.
One of these problems is immigration. I know that immigration has been one of the hot-button issues of this election, and there is good reason for that. Right now, there are millions of illegal immigrants living in the United States, and our economy and society can't sustain that. Illegal immigrants take jobs that could go to American citizens, use public resources which they do not help pay for, and the majority of them are uninsured. I want to emphasize that I do not hate people from foreign countries; I'm very proud to be from nation with such diverse legal immigrants. I simply believe that the legal avenue for citizenship needs to be followed, or else immigrants cannot live here. They are called illegal immigrants for a reason, after all. Trump clearly believes the same, while Clinton's policies on immigration are very lax.
Another problem is the economy. It is obvious that our economy is not what it once was, back in the decades where the United States was the global hub for manufacturing, technological innovation, and even some agricultural crops. Of course, things change and the economy is no different. However, Trump's plans to provide more domestic jobs that will help bolster our economy and may even turn the tide of global trade in America's favor. Clinton, on the other hand, has mainly introduced plans that will allow for more government spending, and therefore more American taxation.
In my opinion, the most important issue of this election should be defending the United States from outside attack, whether that be terrorism, illicit drug trading, or an attack on Americans' bank accounts. However, I know a lot of millennials focus very heavily on social issues like gay marriage and abortion. However, Trump has repeatedly said that these issues should be determined by state governments, and constitutionally speaking, he's not wrong. I personally believe that people's personal lives should remain just that, personal, with no government intervention. However, I do understand that many social issues require some kind of government regulation to remain safe, and in most cases individual states definitely have the ability to decide the best course of action.
The issues are important. It's important that people understand the issues. But the single most important thing about this election is that we need to vote. At the end of the day, few people believe that the best possible candidates have been chosen. But the reality is that one of them is going to be elected president. It is not going to be a third-party candidate, and Marco Rubio and Bernie Sanders aren't coming back. So at this point the best thing that we can do is look at the candidates' policies, evaluate how they will affect our lives, and then vote for the candidate whose policies best match up with our beliefs. For me, that is Donald Trump. But I would encourage everyone to look at this election a little differently; stop the name-calling and hatred and start respecting the political freedoms of other Americans. Do not Trump-shame or Clinton-shame. Simply find your specific political voice and use it to vote this November.
