2016 has brought a whirlwind of politics to the forefront of basically every conversation in America. Whether you are talking about the candidates or the issues, I think it is important to be aware of your options, and to make well educated decisions. That being said, go register to vote! I know, we live in a huge country and you think your vote won't make a difference. It can, and by you not going out to vote, you are essentially voting for the person you don't want to win. Registering to vote doesn't take long, and if you are so lazy that you don't want to go in and wait in the lines, register for absentee voting, and make your decisions from the comfort of your bed. Not sure who to vote for? Good thing I took the time to write down the candidates current platforms for you. Unbiased of course because I want to make sure you get all the info you need.
Donald Trump
Donald Trump, you know him from that TV show, "Celebrity Apprentice." He thinks that Obamacare has hurt our country, and wants to repeal it. He also has a seven step reform program to fix healthcare. He wants to challenge China in our current trade agreement, and also wants the negotiators to serve the average American worker, not Wall Street. On a veteran front, he wants to reform the VA and fix it fast, since hundreds of thousands of veterans died waiting for their healthcare to come help them. Trump wants to make life better here in the US with his tax reform with four simple goals. And to my gun lovers out there, The Donald wants to make sure your second amendment rights aren't take from you. Finally, Trump wants to handle immigration by putting up his much talked about wall (by making Mexico pay for it), creating more laws, and improving jobs for the US citizens. You can do your own research about his platforms here.
Ted Cruz
Ted Cruz is the guy you all keep calling the Zodiac Killer (my Uncle Chuck also calls him Count Chocula, you decide). Mr. Cruz wants to defend the Constitution. He believes that it is currently not being defended, and then gives you a list of the times he has defended it in the past. He too supports the right to bear arms, and once again lists times he's defended this amendment (this is a recurring theme in his website, so I'll stop repeating that fact). Ted also wants to stop immigration with a wall, but he also wants to triple border security and put better surveillance and biometric tracking on the borders. Cruz wants to defend our country by stopping ISIS, and becoming a strong leader in the world once more, all while honoring our veterans with better VA benefits. He wants to continue a strong relationship with Israel, and thinks we should defund the United Nations if they continue to be anti-Israel. He very much wants to have a Christianity based country (nothing wrong with believing in God or Allah or whoever you want to believe in, but I am a firm believer in the separation of Church and State, so I'm basically done talking about this point on Cruz's platform). Cruz strongly believes that life is a precious gift from God and that marriage is between a man and a woman. He also wants to investigate Planned Parenthood on day one of his presidency (I'm sure he'll be busy popping champagne should he get the presidency, so let's be realistic here Mr. Cruz and say day two). Cruz wants a flat tax and a stable dollar and to reign in Washington for a smaller government. Read all about Ted Cruz and his views here.
Marco Rubio
Marco Rubio is the young, cute politician that is running for president. Honestly, his views on the issues in the United States seems like a never ending list. So I'll just touch on what everyone else has on their site, and if you like what you see here, check out his other view points here. Marco also wants to stop China from bullying the US around, but wants to strengthen our relationship with them in a sense. He wants Washington to chill with it's spending and plans on fixing that with a list of ideas. To build up American strength he has three pillars he wants to work on: American Strength, American Prosperity, and American Value. He too plans to get rid of Obamacare and also wants to finish the 700 mile wall on our Southern border. He wants to stand with Israel, and against ISIS and Iran. He supports the Second Amendment, and also wants to fix the VA. He also has an incredibly long list of how he plans to reform taxes, too.
John Kasich
John Kasich is Ohio's hero (I'm so sorry, but I have nothing fun to say about him since he's kinda old and kinda irrelevant, even though I think he's a cool dude). Kasich wants to remove the federal standards on schools, and help kids stay in schools. He also wants to make college affordable (my dude, I thank you for that). John wants to crush ISIS (honestly, we all do at this point, so I feel like everyone saying this is pointless) and he wants to stand up to Russia and China. He wants to strengthen our military and our ties with our allies. John also wants to repeal Obamacare, and also wants to put better healthcare options out into our country ASAP. He shows that his huge improvements to Ohio's budget and jobs can be applied to the country as a whole, and he wants to cut taxes. John defends the Second Amendment, those with mental illness, and human life (he wants to help women, encourage adoption, and is fine with Planned Parenthood, but doesn't want taxpayers to pay for PP. Understandable). Find out more about John Kasich here.
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders is the guy that kinda came out of nowhere and is currently kicking Hillary Clinton's ass in the primaries. Bernie and Marco are similar in the sense that they have a lot of ideas and they put all of them on their website. Again, read all of Bernie's ideas here, if you want. The Bern has taken on a lot of social topics (no that is not a play on words about him being socialist). He wants to reform Wall Street, fight for women's rights and the LGBT community. He wants racial justice and to combat climate change. He also wants to give us all free college (tbh it is unrealistic, but I think it is a nice thought). He wants to make sure our veterans are getting proper care, and that all citizens have access to Medicare. He wants to expand social security and he explains his views on why he supports the Iran deal. He also outlines how he plans to pay for all of this (if you ask your parents though, they'll say "My tax dollars!" in grumpy, but justified voices).
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State and former First Lady is running for president, despite the fact that she might be in trouble for some emails (seriously, if you don't know the email story, I am disgusted by you. Read a news site once a day from now on, please). Hillz has a lot of ideas on a lot of things. She wants to create a pathway for immigration that way immigrants can become citizens. She believes that healthcare is a basic human right and is sticking to Obamacare. She wants an act on gun violence and wants to raise the income for hard working families. She talks about making America a clean energy leader, and she wants to stop campus sexual assault (I approve, I am tired of hearing about my friends being assaulted by horrible people). She also wants to cure Alzheimer's disease by 2025. Read more about Hillary Clinton's ideas here.
I hope this educated you. Honestly, I don't care who you vote for, just go do it. Get educated, be aware, and make a decision. Don't just vote because of who your parents like or because your friends are into someone. Be an individual. Watch a debate. Read a newspaper. Get educated, and go vote.
