THE KNIGHT TIMES - October 2016

ELECTION 2016
Episcopal High School The Knight Times
Volume 32, Issue 3
9
reached equilibrium.
While the mainstream media has attempted
to warp Mr. Trump’s campaign into that
of a demagogical maniac with no strategy
or direction whose sole intention is to seize
power to satisfy his ego, I call on Americans
to transcend past this elementary level
‘analysis’ of a Presidential candidate. Donald
Trump is by no means the perfect candidate
or a perfect individual. He has never presented
himself as the second coming of George
Washington – that’s not the point. Instead,
his basic proposition has been that he will
bring his no-nonsense, brawler personality
to fight on behalf of the American people
against special interests, tax-exempt multinational
corporations, and all other manifestations
of government corruption. Mr. Trump
is the change candidate challenging a rigged
system and a government full of all talk, no
action politicians who no longer fight for the
interests of their constituents.
On June 16, 2015, Donald Trump turned
over his lucrative business ventures to his
children in order to devote his time to run
for the Presidency of the United States. Instead
of standing up to the entire political
world order and facing an endless stream
of personal attacks every single day of this
campaign, Mr. Trump could instead be living
out the twilight of his life at his penthouse
in Trump Tower, in his estate at Mar-a-Lago,
or on one of his many golf courses. Instead,
Donald Trump stepped into the political arena,
putting the entire history of his public
image on the line, which anyone, regardless
of political affiliation, should acknowledge
as brave. Moreover, he self-funded his campaign
through the primaries and has raised
most of his campaign contributions from
small donors. Many voters complain that
Presidential elections are a choice between
the lesser of two evils. As evidenced from
the overwhelming negative perception of
both candidates in opinion polls, a large percentage
of the voter base today thinks this
election is the prime example of such a decision.
However, I completely disagree. In
the past, Americans have had the choice between
two establishment politicians propped
up by the same corporate special interests.
As legendary songwriter Pete Townshend
noted, “meet the new boss, same as the old
boss.” This year, Americans can vote for a
candidate who courageously faces unrivaled
opposition from the political class, GOP establishment,
Democrats, United Nations,
Hollywood, corporate media, multinational
corporations, and foreign bankers.
Mr. Trump has said he is running because
in his heart he thinks he can make the United
States a better country. If you believe that,
even just a little bit, you have to ask yourself
why so many politicians, pundits, and public
figures are attacking and obstructing his every
move? Do you believe that establishment
politicians actually care about your concerns
as a voter? I certainly do not! Mr. Trump’s
candidacy has answered these questions by
bringing out and exposing the individuals
within our government who care about prosperity
and security only for themselves. As
flawed as he may be, Mr. Trump wants to
build an administration to address real problems
facing our nation.
The majority of people in this country think
we are headed in the wrong direction. If you
want four to eight more years of the status
quo, you have a clear option of whom you
should vote for come November 8. However,
if you want to give someone a chance to
try to enact real change in our government,
Mr. Trump is your choice to Make America
Great Again. §
A Case for Hillary R. Clinton
DRE GUTHRIE
Staff Writer
What has really happened this election
cycle? The answer to that question depends
heavily on your point of view. To extremists,
it’s either a complete fulfillment or a complete
ruin of their political and social fantasies;
to news reporters, it’s an opportunity to
latch on to myriad sources of controversy to
improve ratings while having their objectivity
questioned; and to those who really matter,
the voters, it’s often been an outpouring
of confusing and angry rhetoric, a flood of
spiteful memes, endless discussions about
email scandals, and, most importantly, division
and polarization of the body politic. It’s
thousands of times easier to turn away from
the cacophony of chaos and pretend that,
magically, the country will sort itself out into
a logical, comforting place with a snap of the
fingers, but that’s very unlikely to happen. I
believe, however, that Hillary Clinton will
protect our national interests, and instead of
continuing on with the chaos, she will “go
high when they go low,” as Michelle Obama
so eloquently stated during the Democratic
National Convention this year.
People of color make up one-half of the
Democratic voting base. According to a
2016 Pew Research Center Poll, over 30%
of registered voters in this year’s election
are young Latinos or African-Americans, a
fairly significant one to win over in order to
win the election. Considering the growing
number of violent incidents between police
and this segment of the population, it is vital
to address the racial and cultural issues still
troubling America. Mrs. Clinton has spent
much of her early career as an attorney, as
First Lady, and as a Senator sponsoring legislation
to end racial profiling, protect the
rights of women and children, and reform a
criminal justice system with odd priorities.
America has 5% of the world’s population,
including 25% of the world’s prisoners, and
many of those are non-violent offenders.
How does such a high rate of incarceration
serve our national interests? Clinton argues
that we must bridge racial and cultural divides,
build trust among the racial groups
that comprise the fabric of America, because
we as a nation cannot afford to let violence
and suffering continue. The United States is
a nation founded on ideals of equality and
freedom, and Clinton believes that by treating
all citizens fairly and focusing law enforcement
efforts on violent crimes, we can
begin to heal the ongoing divisions in the
country, as opposed to deepening the divisions
by stoking fear of immigrants and refugees
and throwing up walls, as her opponent
has consistently argued for during the campaign.
America has suffered through a lengthy
economic recession (the worst downturn
since the Great Depression), and while
growth in GDP and jobs has been steady
recently, it has also been slow. Clinton believes
that committing significant resources
to rebuilding the aging infrastructure of our
country is both necessary and wise, as doing
so creates jobs, brings income to businesses
where the projects are taking place,
and moves us forward as a modern nation.
Furthermore, investments in American manufacturing
and clean energy projects bring
similar economic advances while reducing
our dependence on foreign oil even further
and helping battle the growing threat posed
by climate change. To fill those clean energy
jobs, Clinton argues that we need to improve
our educational system both for young people
(by lifting the burden of tuition at public
colleges for those families making less than
$125,000) and by re-educating workers in
industries that are dying out. Clinton has received
immense criticism for her statement
that she would “put a lot of coal miners out
of work,” but what was lost in the rush to
criticize her was the rest of the statement
explaining how important it was to retrain
workers for the realities of a more modern
and efficient economy. Clinton’s policy
statements show thought and depth, but this
election has been anything but thoughtful or
deep, revolving more around tweets than tax
reform, more around style than substance,
and Clinton suffers here, precisely because
it is substance she values. She’s not here
to entertain or titillate – she’s here to make
America better, since we are already pretty
great now.
Health care has been a contentious topic,
especially since the enactment of the Affordable
Care Act (Obamacare), and Clinton
plans to strengthen and tweak the existing
structure that has allowed so many Americans
to acquire insurance. According to The
Atlantic, America is easily the largest democratic
nation that lacks universal health care
for its citizens – even the likes of Saudi Arabia
and Russia have universal care, and Clinton
states clearly that affordable health care is a
basic human right. She will address the issue
of rising drug costs by promoting competition
and allowing drug imports from abroad,
while holding the pharmaceutical companies
accountable for profiteering, especially those
which receive federal money for drug research.
The revelations of skyrocketing costs
for EpiPens and other lifesaving medications
have brought this problem into such sharp
focus that even Congress managed to notice
it and actually hold hearings. Clinton is also
committed to supporting those who have
served our country by reforming the VA system,
thus eliminating roadblocks to access
services and provide better support for veterans
and their families through mental health
services, education and financial assistance.
Too many veterans struggle to integrate back
into society following combat tours, and it is
time to bring our considerable resources to
bear on problems like PTSD. She will also
expand non-military service opportunities by
growing existing programs like AmeriCorps
and CityYear and creating a National Service
Reserve (similar to the military’s National
Guard and Reserves) to encourage part-time
service in local communities across America.
Let’s turn finally to foreign policy initiatives,
an area where Hillary has been bombarded
by unfounded criticism; she has been
blamed for everything from the deaths of
Americans at Benghazi to being an enabler
of Iran, and even as a founder of ISIS itself.
Eight investigations into Benghazi failed to
determine that she had made significant errors,
and, as Secretary of State, she laid the
groundwork for a deal with Iran that hugely
limits its ability to pursue nuclear weapons.
If she had founded ISIS, after all, wouldn’t
she be wearing a veil instead of a pantsuit?
Clinton believes that being strong abroad
begins with strength at home, with support
for our allies and partners from NATO to Israel
to Asia, and by using all tools available
to us, including diplomacy, to address the
real threats posed by ISIS, China, and a revitalized
Russia led by Vladimir Putin. Mrs.
Clinton proposes assistance to local forces in
Iraq and Syria in fighting ISIS as well as continuing
to foster diplomacy between warring
Sunnis and Shia in that region, who continue
to fan the flames of extremism that ignited
ISIS in the first place. America has a long tradition
of seeking diplomatic solutions, and in
our current world where anyone can shoot a
missile or send a text to another country in
the blink of an eye, shutting ourselves off
from possible diplomatic gains in the face of
adversity solves nothing.
That’s the crux of our worries as a nation,
isn’t it, the fear of the unknown? We
don’t know if ISIS will suddenly storm into
our country; we aren’t sure when the next
shooting will shock and dismay us or when
the next sudden fluctuation in the global
economy occurs due to conflict in Syria, or
Britain’s exit from the European Union, or
events we can’t even imagine today. As average
citizens of this republic, we don’t have
much direct control over the outcomes of
our leaders’ decisions, but what we can do
is elect candidates qualified to make sound
decisions and capable of making tough calls.
No matter how many emails we have to skim
through from Wikileaks or how many times
her opponent paints her as a “nasty woman,”
Hillary Rodham Clinton has shown for decades
an ability to make meaningful changes
for many Americans with an unwavering will
that does not flinch under pressure. That’s
why I urge you: join with ‘Her’ and let her
lead us steadily forward into the future. §