Just the Facts: Presidential Election 2016

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Safyre Yearling, Junior Website Editor

With just one short day left until election night, it seems that each and every American citizen has their minds made up. Or do they? According to the New York Times, there is a strong possibility that there may be more undecided voters than in previous ones. The events of 2016 election have been unexpected and unusual, especially when compared to elections from the previous years.

It has been made a point that new voters, or those who have recently turned the legal voting age of 18, will be pivotal to how this election turns out. However, between propaganda from both campaigns, how the media portrays the candidates, and how the debates are centered on the candidates’ hatred for each other, it may be hard to tell what these candidates really have to offer and what they stand for. Here, I will provide an easy-to-read, unbiased list of the stances of Democratic Candidate, Hillary Clinton, and Republican Candidate, Donald Trump.

Democratic Candidate: Hillary Clinton

Abortion

  • Says politicians have no right to interfere with the health decisions of women
  • Plans to stand for Planned Parenthood & women’s access to safe, legal abortions
  • Will oppose repressive efforts toward reproductive health care

Immigration

  • Feels that we need to reform the path to full and equal citizenship
  • Plans to end family detention, private immigrant detention centers
  • Plans to help more eligible people become naturalized

Gun Control

  • Believes it’s time to act on the issue of gun violence
  • Will fight for reforms to keep guns from terrorists, domestic abusers, and other violent criminals
    • Includes background checks and the closing of loopholes

Foreign Policy

  • Maintain military
  • Strengthen and acquire alliances
  • Stay firm with our rivals
  • Enforce the Iran Nuclear Deal

Education

  • Will work to ensure that every child, all across the nation, will have access to the best possible education
  • Feels we need to find a balance on standardized testing

Energy

  • Main goal: Have the United States to be powered by half a billion solar panels by 2020
  • Wants to generate enough renewable electricity to be able to power every home for 10 years
  • Plans to create good-paying jobs in the energy industry and make America the clean energy superpower of the world

Health Care

  • Defend the Affordable Care Act and build on its successes, even reduce the costs.
  • Crack down on drug companies charging high prices

Economy

  • Build an economy that works for everyone
  • Cut taxes for the middle class/ensure the wealthy pay their share of taxes
  • Raise minimum wage

Republican Candidate: Donald Trump

Abortion

  • As far as Planned Parenthood is concerned, Trump is strictly pro-life, except for in the case of rape, incest or if the abortion is needed to save the life of the mother.
  • Will not allow the use of government money to fund abortions.

Immigration

  • Wants to prioritize the interests of Americans, above all
  • Build a border wall
  • End sanctuary cities
  • Send criminal aliens home

Gun Control

  • Shows unwavering support of the Second Amendment right to bear arms
  • Expand mental health programs to keep the violent mentally ill away from guns

Foreign Policy

  • Primary focus is on “Making America Safe Again” by destroying radical Islamic terrorist groups
  • End the nuclear deal with Iran and end ransom payments to the world’s number one state sponsor of terrorism
  • “American will stand with its allies and end the Obama-Clinton practice of apologizing to our enemies.”

Education

  • Wants to enhance education options for students through school choice and charters
  • Respect homeschoolers in the quest for alternative educations
  • Make it easier for families of college students to afford tuition, so students are not buried in debt

Energy

  • Will use coal, shale gas and other American energy sources in a clean and appropriate way
  • Wants to benefit families of workers and claims it is not for economic benefit of those connected to politics
  • Support coal jobs, safe fracking, energy from both offshore and public lands and use the Keystone Pipeline, responsibly
    • Keystone Pipeline – Oil pipeline that runs from the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin in Alberta to refineries in Illinois and Texas

Health Care

  • Plans to repeal Obamacare
  • Make hospitals patient-centered health care systems, which will allow families and their doctors to be the primary decision makers
  • Provide for the sale of health insurance across state lines

Economy

  • Reform the tax code and trade policies
  • “Stop China from stealing our jobs”, renegotiate NAFTA, cut unneeded regulations and make America the best place in the world to do business
  • States that, “Putting America First- and not globalism- will keep jobs and wealth in America.”

As of Thursday, November 4th, the polls showed Hillary Clinton with a narrow lead on Donald Trump, a slight improvement from being tied on Wednesday, November 2nd. It’s our civic duty to vote and determine the leader of our country for the next four years. It’s hard to make a decision, with various news stories clouding what really matters – what our candidates stand for and who is going to return America to it’s former unity.