It's no secret that younger voters, and many other people, dislike this election's two presidential candidates. People dislike their disrespect for each other, certain demographics, and for the way they put a bad name to politics and government in general. However, it's not just the candidates that frustrate younger voters; it is the fact that no one who represents a middle ground between the two major political parties is looked at as a serious candidate. Personally, I support a more conservative approach to fiscal issues and national security, but I often side with the liberal point of view on social issues. From what I've seen, many young voters feel the same way. Because I have views on both sides of the spectrum, adults usually tell me that I'm "playing the middle" and "I need to pick a side." In the words of John Mayer, “Me and all my friends, we're all misunderstood. They say we stand for nothing and there's no way we ever could.” By not choosing between the Republicans and the Democrats, many people think that I don’t have strong opinions. If this were true, I would not be writing this article. Also, if George Washington didn’t choose to side with a political party, I certainly don’t have to. I have just decided that neither political party sufficiently demonstrates the views that I have, both sides are more obsessed with winning than solving problems. Political parties have become so obsessed with being right, they've forgotten that sometimes compromise is needed. For example, many candidates, for both local and national elections, campaign saying they "refuse to compromise" on issues. This is fine for issues that have two sharply defined sides, but what about issues that have many possible solutions? Is there really no way that high ranking elected officials can take ideas from both sides and create, even just a temporary, solution until the issue becomes more clear or one side begins to agree with the other? If the current officials can’t figure that out, they won’t be in office when my generation is eligible for power.

So how is this article about my trust in government? I don’t necessarily believe in the people currently holding office; I hold my trust in the people who I’ve read about and spoken to that I believe are the future of government. When this election’s younger voters become old enough to hold political office, compromise will become more commonplace within the government. Once in political power, our open minded generation will be more willing to actually listen and understand both sides before coming to a final decision on which solution to support. While political parties probably won’t go away, as they’ve been around for so long it seems nearly impossible to rid of them, they will most likely stop being so polarized by their own views. I have faith that political officials will be making decisions that are based around the well-being of the nation, not the recognition of their party’s success. For now, all we can do is support the candidate who most closely represents some of our views, or at least the issues most salient to us. To quote John Mayer’s song one more time, “"It's not that we don't care, we just know that the fight ain't fair.” We can only wait until the politicians, who can only see through their party’s tunnel vision, run out of time and power before we can make a real difference from within the government. I have faith in my generation and those who passionately want to better the country, and the world. I refuse to give up hope for government officials that are able to put aside their pride and create the best possible solutions for the nation.

Side Note: I’m not saying that political parties or all government officials are completely bad. This is a broad viewpoint on something that has bothered me, and many others, for a long time.