When people think of Hillary Clinton, they think of dishonesty and secrecy. When people think of Donald Trump, they think of vulgarity and unpredictability. 

The criticism placed on the candidates is of demeanor and temperament, rather than policies and ideas. In the media, constant negativity has erupted because of the dreadful choices we are given for our next President of the United States.

Though our options are troublesome, we still do have a choice. This choice is not only the name we check on the ballot this November, but also how we work to improve the situation at hand rather than allowing it to separate us as a country.

Due to a recent video released by Clinton’s campaign, discussion about Trump’s “locker room talk” has surfaced. First of all, sexual assault is not locker room talk. His words are hurtful and dehumanizing.

On the other side of the spectrum, Hillary has the scandals of her husband and the lies/secrecy of her emails to deal with. So, clearly, these are the type of people we’re dealing with to lead our country. It’s a mess. Because of the lose-lose situation, many Americans are finding themselves wondering, “What do we do?”

Well, to answer that question, we must focus on what Trump or Hillary will actually do as president, not what they’ve done in the past. Whether we like it or not, Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton will be our next president.

So, voting against Trump because of his vulgar mouth won’t help the situation in Iraq involving ISIS; nor will it improve national security or the economy. Voting against Hillary because of her lies and deceit won’t stop terrorism, ease ethnic relations, or create jobs. Looking years into the past to create more controversy over a candidate’s persona won’t end shootings or get the homeless back on their feet.

Character matters, and here in Ventura County, as well as many other places across the country, children are being influenced by the anger, disfigurement, and controversy of this presidential race.

So here, and everywhere, it is important for the president to have solid morals, to represent our country, and to influence generations of voters to also be contributing members of society. At Foothill, the majority of us can’t yet vote, so experiencing this insane election may put a damper on our perception of what to look for in a presidential candidate.

What we do want to look for, and this is something that the media seems to be avoiding, is precisely what each candidate would actually use their power to do. Think about it, both Hillary and Trump have major faults in their overall complexion, but we have yet to discover the faults in all of their policies.

Our next president must be a problem solver. Many Americans are pessimistic about the direction of the country. Thus, we need to identify if Hillary or Trump are willing to work hard to find solutions to the myriad of problems our country faces.

Of the aforementioned issues, both candidate’s stances are as follows:

The Economy:

Trump – He wants to cut taxes by $4.5 trillion. His goal is to create jobs for our country.

Clinton – She wants to raise taxes by $1.55 trillion. Her goal is to raise incomes of middle-class citizens by raising taxes.

Immigration:

Trump – He wants to build a wall to make people come into our country legally, and he also wants to deport many if not all undocumented immigrants.

Clinton – She wants to allow “dreamers” to have a clear path to citizenship.

ISIS:

Trump – He wants to knock out ISIS without using troops.

Clinton – She wants a more effective air campaign alongside ground troops to conquer ISIS.

National Security:

Trump – He wants to rebuild the military and increase the military strength of our country to ensure peace.

Clinton – She wants to work with allies, dismantle global terror networks, and keep guns out of the hands of suspected terrorists.

Whether or not these plans are right for our country or an honest representation of what the candidates will actually accomplish, it is important to further question them in this final month before Election Day.

The nation is truly divided over how to deal with these issues. Because of this, we need a president that unites our country and gets everyone involved in finding solutions to the problems which exist. Many of these problems have been around centuries before our time, in other countries as well as our own, who, like us, had to try to find a way to fix them.

History tends to repeat itself; we can’t continue to make the same mistakes as previous presidents or rulers of foreign lands. We must instead continue to make strides towards a better America, and in turn a better world. Our common destiny as American citizens is as we choose, because really our fate is bound by our choices.

Our choice this November is to vote, and for whom we decide will produce the better America. The way we control our common destiny is by focusing on what Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump will actually do as president, which, right now, seems to hardly be a factor at all in the race.

What comes next is yet in the power of the people.