Presidential candidates square off
Clinton and Trump offer future policies that will affect American lives
With all the buzz about tomorrow’s election, it can be almost overwhelming to take everything into account.
Students that are or will be 18 by Nov 8 can legally vote, so it is important to inform everyone of what the candidates stand for.
The two candidates with the greatest support so far are Donald Trump for the Republican Party and Hillary Clinton for the Democratic Party.
Some of the election’s main issues include abortion, immigration, and foreign policies regarding ISIS.
Abortion
Clinton is pro-choice. She is in favor of keeping abortion legal and having the decision made by the pregnant person. According to CBS News, she backed her stance by bringing up the 1973 Roe v. Wade court case which ruled abortion legal in the U.S.A.
“Under Roe v. Wade, women have this right to make this highly personal decision with their family,” she said. “We’ve got to continue to stand up for a woman’s right to make these decisions and to defend Planned Parenthood.”
Planned Parenthood is a non-profit organization that offers affordable reproductive healthcare to those who need it.
On the other hand, Trump has changed his stance on abortion throughout the years. According to the Washington Post, he was pro-choice back in 1999. In 2011, Trump changed to being pro-life, or opposes abortion.
“Let me be clear – I am pro-life. I support that position with exceptions allowed for rape, incest, or the life of the mother being at risk,” Trump said in an Washington Examiner article.
For this election, he is still pro-life, as can be seen in a letter he wrote to a leader of the pro-life movement. In this letter, he explains that he wants to stop late term abortions, appoint pro-life justices in the Supreme Court, prevent taxpayers from funding abortions, and defund Planned Parenthood if it continues to perform abortions.
Students like senior Nika Worth do not support Trump’s stances on abortion.
“I’m supporting Hillary Clinton because I don’t really like [Trump’s stance] on minimum wage and other issues like abortion.”
Immigration
When it comes to immigration, Clinton supports immigrants who cause no harm and have already immigrated to the country.
When someone immigrates to a country without legal permission, they are classified as an undocumented immigrant. Clinton wants to make it easier for undocumented immigrants to become US citizens.
According to Politifact.com, she plans to make it more affordable to become a citizen by giving out more fee waivers (that eliminate fees) to those that are financially unstable.
Clinton also plans to make language programs more accessible so those who don’t know English can learn it.
Additionally, she would let immigrants buy healthcare through the Affordable Care Act, which isn’t currently allowed, and stop detaining immigrants that don’t threaten public safety.
Librarian Nicole Ogden supports Clinton.
“I feel like she is more strongly aligned with the civil rights beliefs that I have.”
Trump does not support undocumented immigration. He proposes building a wall across the US Mexico border, and increasing immigration law enforcement, which includes making it mandatory for law enforcement in all towns to contact immigration services when they see someone who they think could be illegal.
Trump also proposes that children born from undocumented immigrants should not be allowed to be US citizens.
Junior Colby Watson supports Trump for his immigration policy.
“He wants to be harder on illegal immigrants and people coming into the country that shouldn’t be here.”
Foreign Policy
According to Business Insider, Clinton’s plan to defeat extremist terrorist group ISIS includes more airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, and having technology companies do more to stop ISIS attack planning and recruiting.
“There is no question in my mind that if we summon our resources, both our leadership resources and all of the tools at our disposal… that we can bring people together.” Clinton said at a democratic debate in November 2015. “But, it cannot be an American fight.”
Trump told Fox News in May 2015 that he doesn’t want the enemy to know what he’s doing.
He admitted in the same interview that he knows an easy and effective method of defeating ISIS that he will probably have to tell at one point or another.
According to Business Insider, he says he wants to bomb ISIS oil spots. He also proposes to change the law that forbids the military from torturing others, to permit killing the families of ISIS members.
Trump’s strategy for fighting ISIS is part of the reason why junior Henry Hodell supports him.
“I don’t think the things that [Trump] says like the really impulsive things like Mexicans in our country or immigrants or all those things, I don’t think those are gonna get passed,” Hodell said. “I’m more interested in his tax plan rather than the other candidates, and more of his aggressiveness towards terrorism.”