The candidates for the presidency this year have been interesting to say the least. There hasn’t been one who has stood out to me, making me want to vote for him or her. There are certain things that I want to look for in a candidate, especially if I want them to be the next president. They all have pros but their cons seem to outweigh any of their benefits.
The media portrays each of the candidates as a political extremist for all of their viewpoints. If you vote for Bernie you’re a “socialist”; if you vote for Trump you’re a “racist”; Hillary is a liar and Rubio has no idea what he’s doing. I want the candidates, instead of bickering during the debates, to describe clearly how they will carry out their plans so we as Americans do not have to vote with a blind eye, hoping that we make the right choice in our candidate. Honestly, I don’t want any of these candidates to be our next president because I believe none of them have the right decision making skills and requirements. However, that doesn’t mean that I don’t think some of them are better than others.
I also feel that partisanship plays a huge role in who the people will vote for. I’ve seen on TV, people being interviewed and pledging their vote to someone they’ve never heard of, but because they are in a certain party they will vote for them instead of someone from the other party. Conservatives will use the idea that our current president was a horrible president and will use that to sway independent voters from voting for another Democrat. Democrats will argue that Obama did what he could and if we elect another Democrat, he or she will carry out Obama’s approach to completely fulfill his promises.
The issues I’m most concerned about are these: How will we get out of debt? I know I don’t want my children to pay for mistakes that my generation may make. We need to find a way to get out and stay out of debt without war. My next issue is the issue of economy. It’s simple; I believe the working middle class needs to be paid more for what they do instead of say, wealthy athletes who make in excess of millions of dollars.
Finally, we need to create a strong immigration system. I’m not saying we should deport all of the illegals and keep them out if their only “crime” is pursuing the American dream. But we do need to limit how many come in so we don’t have an overpopulation and good American people lose their jobs. We need a strong system that kicks out felons but keeps the working families.
I would love to see a president I can trust and give my utmost support. I don’t feel like I can put my faith behind any of these candidates, nor do I support most of their decisions. I don’t follow politics very much and I don’t affiliate myself with a specific party. I’m open to anyone for presidency, man or woman; as long as they have the credentials and can clearly help make America a better place for everyone.
Jeremy Se, 17, is a student at Conant High School. He lives in Jaffrey.