As the election moves closer, the 2016 presidential race has become more of a mess than America has ever seen before. We've watched as two people tear each other down to build their own campaign up. There's been allegations thrown around that have since been proven false, and some that have been proven true yet insignificant to their campaign. America has seen what either the candidates want us to see or what the media wants us to see. Of course, this happens with all of the presidential races, but something about this year is different than before...we're not sure which person is the worse choice. So who do we vote for?
On one hand, we have Hillary Clinton. She has been said to leak classified information from a private email and has had people found dead due to her. While the deaths have not been linked back to her, the emails have been. Luckily, nothing of major importance was leaked and the officials in charge said it was not to damage America, but she shouldn't be as careless when dealing with this material in the future. Fully agreed there, we need to keep our homeland safe and secure. On the plus side, Clinton is a supporter of women and Native Americans. The Native American community is a vital part of our history and continuation of America. their ancestors welcomed us to this land we now call home and taught us how to survive by what was given by God. The support of women is also crucial because we are what keeps the family lines growing. Without women, we have no future generations. Supporting them to make their own decision and fight for equality is what we need to thrive. There is also the added benefit of her husband once being president. yes, some say he wasn't a great leader because of his indiscretion, but he still has the experience in office and with making important decisions for the entire population. he could easily tell her "that didn't work when I was here because of ___" and she could save years of heartache and grief for the citizens.
Then we have Donald Trump. He wants to remove immigrants from the states and cut the funding of education to lower our country's deficit. In his eyes, illegal immigrants are ruining American society and causing problems. Yes, they have "taken" jobs from Americans, but they rightfully got those jobs by trying. Who is to say an average American couldn't have gone out and gotten that same job if he tried? Immigrants are coming to America to escape the limitations and suppression of their country so they can live the "American dream" of freedom and happiness. They are trying to make it by putting in an effort to have a good life. If he really wants to do something, enforce the law that they're required to pay taxes. Most do anyway, so making the other percentage pay could benefit America. The most recent issue with Trump is how he believes women can be treated. Treating us like we're made to worship men and can be treated however a man pleases is not OK. We were said to be made from man to complement him, not to be controlled by him. However, Trump does fully support our first responders. His continued funding of police, EMT, firefighters, and the military is what keeps us safe. He is thinking of the citizens and their safety, so that is a plus for him. He also has plans to reduce our deficit, which is amazing, but it does mean cutting educational funding. Some school systems already suffer from poor funding, resulting in a lower academic score, so cutting funding would cripple them even more. I'm all for reducing our debt (because, honestly, it's ridiculous), but I'm not for cutting education funding because it is crucial to our future.
We also have the option of voting third party. There is Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party and Jill Stein of the Green Party. Both candidates have open-minded ideas and policies, but due to the power and influence of Clinton and Trump, have been put on the back burner in this election. There is also the factor of many younger voters keeping true to their family traditions and voting Republican or Democrat because they were raised that way and can't think of "shaming" their family. So voting for them is basically voting for whichever "main" candidate is in the lead, although their stances are more level and beneficial for Americans.
Of course, all four candidates have much more to them, good and bad, but these are the main issues I have seen talked about during this election. So the problem arises: who do we vote for to better our country? I'm honestly not sure yet, but I do know one thing: I am voting for myself. Not in the literal sense of writing my name on the ballot, but of voting for who I want to lead this country and that I believe their good can outweigh their bad. This is the first election I am able to vote in, but I wish I had been able to vote in one beforehand to know what it is like to make this big of a decision and not basically cutting the wrong wire on a time bomb. Choosing one person to run America is a hard choice, even harder than choosing a college major (which I took a couple times to get right...how can I make a decision like this without being able to give them test runs?). So I'm voting for me, for what I think is best and what I want to see happen in America. Whether that means voting third party and praying millions of other people do or voting for the "lesser of two evils", so let it be. I want to see America thrive in this valley we've been in and I now have the power to help make that happen. So vote for yourself. Help us bring America back to life.
