June 16, 2015

The fateful day we all laughed together as a country. Long before we were torn apart for posting political videos on Facebook. These were simpler times. Donald "You're Fired" Trump announced he was running for President of the United States. POTUS could be an angry orange man with the worst hair this country has ever seen? This must be a joke. Alas, there is now a little less than a month left before the election.

Am I the only one who is still patiently waiting for Ashton Kutcher to pop into my 9 am class to inform me I am being Punk'd?

Don't get me wrong,

Hill is not a walk in the park either. Considering she has a political background, I at least thought "Okay, maybe this isn't going to be so horrible." The tricky part about her campaign is she announced just SEVEN WEEKS after the New York Times broke the story of her email scandal.

For a full timeline of the scandal, click here.

America

It has come to the point in which Gary Johnson, who came to the party a little late on January 6,2016, has actually gained some press lately. Social media is actually picking up on the candidate from the Libertarian Party... what?

For your entertainment, here is the list of United States Libertarian Party presidential tickets.

Some other fun facts for our late-comer, with his VP nominee, William Weld, they form the first ticket of any party to feature two governors since the 1948 presidential election. Last time he ran for POTUS, Johnson got nearly 1.3 million votes, and garnered nearly 1% of the popular vote.

This is in no way an endorsement for him, he is just less of a kook in public as our other options.

How I am escaping from the ruckus this November

I have discovered that if I post anything even remotely political, even if it does not side with any particular party, I get besieged by fanatics, either Republican, Democrat, Libertarian or otherwise.

Disclaimer: I am a public relations major. This entire election physically pains me. The one thing I pay close attention to (not just because it is brought up in every single one of my classes) is how the candidates portray themselves in the media.

The media is just getting roasted these days and why? For reporting what these candidates say without thinking? Reporting the scandals these candidates are actually a part of?

Yes, it is a widely known fact that different news outlets take a stance based on the political party they are loyal to. BUT GUESS WHAT, if you know this, then use what is referred to as media literacy.

So, for example, if you are watching Fox do not get outraged that they portray Trump in a good light. They are still reporting facts, just not heavily emphasizing the bad ones. If you want to hear the bad ones, turn the channel to CNN or something. Yes the media outlets are owned by five major conglomerates. That does not mean they are lying to you. If you are old enough to vote you are old enough to decipher the difference between a reporter reporting facts and someone stating an opinion on television.

It is up to the voter to analyze everything what is being put out there on the candidates, not just turn off their ears to what leans left or leans right. If we have any hope for a better tomorrow, make a well-informed decision this November.

On that note, I shall leave you with this...