On Monday, September 26, 2016, we witnessed arguably one of the most laughable television events to date: the presidential debate at Hofstra University. As a college student who lives within minutes away from Hofstra (and also almost went to college there), I was beaming with hometown pride to see this monumental event take place in my small Long Island town for yet another year. And while I'm admittedly not the most interested in politics except for when it comes down to the core issues, the debate had the potential to shed light on the key problems facing middle class communities such as the one that I live in. My family has long struggled to meet the financial demands of living on the island. As a Hillary Clinton supporter (even though Bernie Sanders was honestly my first choice), her promises to help the middle class with tax breaks and student aid were admirable. It's a shame that the whole point of the debate was overshadowed by middle school-level jokes, interruptions, self promotions and incessant reminders to "fact-check." Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump would probably never read an article by someone such as myself for the sheer fact that I am just another everyday citizen of these great United States, but for the life of me, I have no idea what each of these political candidates really stand for amidst all of the mudslinging.

When I wasn't busy turning Donald Trump into a bee or a dog on Snapchat (which is only fair after all of the crap he has said about everyone that is not him), I was disgusted by all of the word vomit that spilled out of his mouth. One of the most baffling remarks that he made was that he is "smart" for not paying taxes. First off, that doesn't make you smart, just someone committing a crime with the penalty of jail time. But of course, wave a couple of hundreds of thousands of dollars in the faces of some key officials, and I wouldn't be surprised if he managed to slink away with not even a slap on the wrist. Leave the tax-paying responsibility to the middle class and lower class Americans. So what if we can't pay our mortgages or feed our families? You'll have the money to build your five-star hotels, stiff your employees out of their paychecks and we'll be right back where we started. The circle of life, am I right?

And while I'm not going to use this article to publicly shame Donald Trump, I will add that his mentality is exactly what our country does not need at this moment. America is practically in turmoil, and disagree with me you might, but we're not that far better than some other world countries. Yes, we certainly have greater financial means, but the freedom to live the "American Dream" is being threatened each and every day. Why would immigrants want to come to our country if they are in almost as much danger as they would be if they stay in their own home countries? You can't walk down the street in daylight without the fear of being shot. You are at risk of being killed if you walk home at night. Step out of your car and hold your hands in an "aggressive" manner and you could be viewed as a credible threat to society. Even as a Caucasian female (i.e.: white), I'm beginning to become afraid of the police. I always warn my father to drive carefully on the road when I see a police car or hear the roaring of sirens. I don't want to end up another statistic. Every morning before my dad dropped me off at work this past weekend, he cautiously reminded me to "say something if I see something." This was just after the news of the Washington mall shooting broke the day before. Being that I work in a shopping mall and have a physical limitation, my parents are concerned that I might be an easy target.

I would be lying if I said that I didn't fear for my life most days. And as sad as it is, this is the harsh reality that we are all faced with on a daily basis. Any day could be your last. I believe that I mentioned that I am studying to be a teacher in a previous article. We just had another elementary school shooting in Townsville, South Carolina. My biggest fear is that one random, ordinary day could have a tragic ending. I actually have nightmares about being the victim of a horrific crime, which explains why I triple-check to make sure that my front door is locked every night before I go to bed. Why are the political candidates not focused on the threats in our own backyards instead of who can think up the best one-liner?

Look at young Zianna Oliphant. This nine-year-old little girl appears to be more distraught than half of the political candidates we hear from. Why is this? Why should she have to bear the weight of dozens of deaths on her shoulders? Watch her testimony below and then see if you can answer this question, because as far as I can tell, she seems to be more aware of what we should really be worrying about headed into the November election.

VIDEO LINK: http://www.democracynow.org/2016/9/28/watch_9_year...