This upcoming presidential election has been the most interesting topic of discussion for months and we still have many more months before a decision is made. The 2016 election has already made history because for the first time a woman was elected as the nomination for a major political party. Even if you hate Hillary Clinton with a burning passion, this is a major development in US history. However, there is so much uncertainty surrounding the goals of both candidates that I wanted to do some research on the subject. The media is always biased towards the more liberal view and it’s easy for any technologically adapt person to cut parts of speeches out and put them into a different context. Politicians claim they are misquoted constantly. So, I am attempting to give an unbiased, fact-driven article detailing exactly what the candidates are claiming they will do if they are elected into office. I am not trying to persuade anyone to support one candidate or another, but at the end of the piece I hope people will have a clearer understanding of the desires of the possible presidents and can make an educated decisions about who to vote for.
Let’s first examine the goals of Donald Trump. There is the infamous wall he wants to build between the US and Mexico because he believes that “Mexico has taken advantage of [the US]” by allowing so many illegal immigrants to leave the country and then letting these aliens send money back into the country. He thinks that Mexican gangs and cartels and traffickers have “freely exploited our open borders and committed vast numbers of crimes inside the United States,” and the only way to stop these crimes from occurring is to build a wall. He also wants to have Mexico pay for the wall, and is planning to encourage this action by demonstrating Mexico needs trades with the US more than the US needs such trades, and they will need to agree to the terms. If Mexico still resists, he also wants to increase fees on temporary visas given to Mexican CEOs and diplomats (or cancel them), increase fees on border crossing cards, and increase fees at ports of entry to the United States from Mexico, to name a few.
Other points in his plans for immigration reform are tripling the number of Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers (because there are not enough to enforce immigration laws), return all criminal aliens to their country of origin, end birthright citizenship, require companies to hire American workers before immigrants, and use the money from refugee programs to help put underprivileged American children in better situations.
With regards to China, he intends to make the Chinese open their trade agreements “to bring fairness to our trade with China.” He plans on doing that by declaring China a “currency manipulator” and making China “uphold intellectual property laws and stop…forcing US companies to share proprietary technology with Chinese competitors.” He also wants to end China’s “illegal export subsidies and lax labor and environmental standards” and lower our corporate tax rate to give more jobs to Americans.
When looking at taxes, Trump wants to reduce the amount of middle-class US citizens who have to pay income taxes. He also wants to make all businesses, no matter the size, pay 15% of their business income in taxes. In terms of second amendment rights, Trump advocates for law-abiding citizens to be able to buy guns. He believes that states are “failing to put criminal and mental health records into the system” and that’s why mentally unstable people are able to get guns, so he wants to change the system so that can’t happen. Furthermore, he has declared himself pro-life and he has promised to appoint judges to the Supreme Court to overturn the conviction of Roe v Wade.
Now, let’s turn to Hillary Clinton and what she has planned for the United States if she becomes the first woman president. First of all, regarding immigration, Clinton wants to introduce new immigration reform that will help bring people into the country faster while still “upholding the rule of law.” She wants to “enforce immigration laws humanely,” meaning she wants immigrants to be treated “fairly” instead of giving a blanket statement, giving the government the flexibility to deport “individuals who pose a violent threat to public safety” while also “ensuring refugees…a fair chance to tell their stories.” She also wants to allow families to buy into the Affordable Care Act exchanges, “regardless of immigration status,” and promote naturalization.
In the foreign affairs department, Clinton desires to stand by the allies of the United States. She wants the US to remain involved with NATO and to continue supporting Israel. She insists she is dedicated to diplomacy, which specifically involves ensuring Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon and strengthening the relationship between Cuba and the United States. She wants to “stand up to Vladimir Putin” by deterring Russian aggression and also “hold China accountable” and make them follow the laws put in place regarding trades, human rights, currency, etc.
Clinton’s statement involving taxes is “basic fairness in our tax codes” and making sure that the wealthiest parties pay a fair share while also giving some relief to working families. She wants to implement an “exit tax” for companies trying to leave the US to save money on taxes so they are not exempt. She wants to cut taxes for small businesses and believes the US can “afford to pay for ambitious, progressive investments” in jobs and college to eventually reduce inequality and raise the overall quality of life.
When looking at gun rights, Clinton says she “supports comprehensive background checks, and to close the gun show loophole, and the online loophole…and to prevent people on the no-fly list from getting guns.” She also is pro-choice, believing that women should be able to decide on abortion themselves and with their doctor.
These are only a few of the many issues that presidents have to deal with, and yet hopefully it has given a few a clearer insight into who should be elected president. Obviously, the characteristics of these people differ drastically and should be taken into account when you head for the voting poll, but knowing the politics behind them is also essential.
*All quotes are taken from the following sources:*
https://www.donaldjtrump.com/positions
https://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/democratic-debate-abortion_us_56de11c8e4b03a405679a43d
