It’s the last few weeks before Election Day, Nov. 8, and many people are still on the fence regarding who to vote for. Both candidates have great things to offer this country but are not necessarily qualified for the position. Most of their problems date back to some of the things they have done in the past.

For the former Secretary of State and Senator of New York Hillary Clinton, the only strike against her is her private email scandal. Since the emails were released she has been branded as a liar, and should be locked up in jail. But nothing compares to the many insane as well as inhumane comments made by Donald Trump.

Trump has made many statements that would constitutionally bar him from ever being president. Between the proposed Muslim ban and building a wall between America and Mexico, he does not seem to have the right ideals to do this job. He lacks the experience as well as the proper vision.

Now this is something that many people have figured out over the course of the election, but others are still committed to not voting. Some just couldn’t be bothered. This time around, though, it seems a third party could be in the White House.

On the Libertarian ticket is former New Mexico senator and businessman, Gary Johnson, and his running mate is a former governor of Massachusetts, William Weld. On the Green Party ticket is Dr. Jill Stein and her running mate is political activist Ajamu Barka.

As the election nears, knowing the issues is an essential part of casting your vote; some people vote in a strange way because often time the littlest things matter. Whether it’s the idea that a candidate writes all their speeches, or that they are a person of ethics and character.

On the issue of college tuition, Clinton is not trying to make it free, but she is considering measures that will make college affordable so people won’t be in debt for years afterwards. And her tax plan includes great things for the middle class.

As a part of her plan to restore the economy she wants to “give working families a raise, and tax relief that helps them manage rising costs, to create good-paying jobs and get pay rising by investing in infrastructure, clean energy, and scientific and medical research to strengthen our economy and growth, and to close corporate tax loopholes and make the most fortunate pay their fair share.”

Ideals such as Clinton’s are beneficial to the country but at the same time, Trump has plans that are able to satisfy the country for just a short amount of time.

Trump has stated over and over that he wants Mexico to build the wall and use a payment plan based on Section 326 of the Patriot Act. He has a seven-point plan to change the state of healthcare starting off with Obamacare being completely repealed. And he is looking to be crack down on the second amendment laws, but isn’t trying to completely take away people’s guns. He uses an example of a program implemented in West Virginia called Project Exile.

“Several years ago there was a tremendous program in Richmond, Virginia called Project Exile. It said that if a violent felon uses a gun to commit a crime, you will be prosecuted in federal court and go to prison for five years – no parole or early release. Obama’s former Attorney General, Eric Holder, called that a “cookie cutter” program. That’s ridiculous. I call that program a success,” said on DonaldJTrump.com. “Murders committed with guns in Richmond decreased by over 60 percent when Project Exile was in place – in the first two years of the program alone, 350 armed felons were taken off the street.”

Green Party nominee, Stein brought up an idea that was unheard of by the presidential candidates. In her speech accepting the Green Party nomination she said, “We must end the assault on our privacy, on freedom of the press, on the free internet, and end the war on whistleblowers, and free the political prisoners - that includes Leonard Peltier, Mumia Abu Jamal, Chelsea Manning, Julian Assange, Edward Snowden, Jeffrey Sterling, and Edward Pinkney, whose only crime was to stand up against the theft of public resources from Benton Harbor, one of the poorest communities in the nation, by the Whirlpool Corporation.”

We must end the assault on our privacy, on freedom of the press, on the free internet, and end the war on whistleblowers, and free the political prisoners - that includes Leonard Peltier, Mumia Abu Jamal, Chelsea Manning, Julian Assange, Edward Snowden, Jeffrey Sterling, and Edward Pinkney, whose only crime was to stand up against the theft of public resources from Benton Harbor, one of the poorest communities in the nation, by the Whirlpool Corporation. She went on to discuss her pans for foreign policy.

“And finally we can create a foreign policy based on international law, diplomacy and human rights, not on global military and economic domination, which has been catastrophic. This policy will have cost us 6 trillion dollars including the costs of caring for our wounded veterans, which translates to $75,000 per American household on average. Over a million people have died in Iraq alone, which is not winning us hearts and minds in the Middle East.

“And tens of thousands of US soldiers have been killed or maimed. And what do we have to show for it? Failed states, worse terrorist threats, and mass refugee migrations that are tearing the EU and the Middle East apart.”

Johnson wants to make taxes equal for all, as do most of the candidates, but he manages to find a way that works with the crippling debt of America.

“Governor Johnson advocates for the elimination of special interest tax loopholes, to get rid of the double-taxation on small businesses, and ultimately, the replacement of all income and payroll taxes with a single consumption tax that determines your tax burden by how much you spend, not how much you earn. Such a tax would be structured to ensure that no one’s tax burden for the purchase of basic family necessities would be increased. To the contrary, costs of necessities would likely decrease with the elimination of taxes already included in the price of virtually everything we buy.”

These issues are sure to bring voters to the polls, and if they don’t; Election day will be quite interesting. For all the people that say they don’t want to vote because of the choices they are given; focus on local elections if the Presidential election is not for you. All things considered, the race is getting tighter every minute, and may the odd be ever in favor of America’s future.

email: [email protected]