SHS election opinions

With it being election day, both excitement and dread in SHS are rising. With the scandals and rivalry between  Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump this election is one to remember. The SHS staff members must make their final decision for president.

While teachers typically keep their political affiliations quiet, as political tensions rise, so do their voices. While most social studies teachers have openly sided with Clinton, some, such as Robin Joseph, aren’t completely sold on either candidate.

“I am still undecided, “ Joseph, an independent voter, said. “I may
even vote for a third party because I don’t like either of the two major candidates.”

Although she is aware that a third-party candidate has a low chance of winning, no one can blame her for her indecisiveness. Between the emails and audio leaks, making a choice of who to vote for in this election is not easy. In a way, it’s like choosing the lesser of two evils.

”I support Hillary Clinton’s politics and that’s why I’m going to vote for her,” Bryan Ashkettle, a democrat, said. “Although, I don’t like her as much as [Barack Obama].”

Even Sean Fisher, a social Democrat but economic Republican, is in favor of Clinton. Despite their contradicting policies, Fisher believes she is the better candidate.

“I am hopeful that Hillary Clinton will win because I do not think that Donald Trump is competent enough to be president through his lack of knowledge of issues,” Fisher said.

No matter the candidate, all teachers agree that things need to change within our government. Robert Rivera, a Clinton supporter, hopes that with a Republican House of Representatives bills can get passed that both Democrats and Republicans approve of.

“ I am hopeful that [Clinton and the Congress] would agree on some things like fixing the trade deal and infrastructure,” Rivera said. “I feel like there are some things that they can agree on. They aren’t going to agree on lots of stuff, but that’s politics, and that’s not bad for the country.”

Even those with set political views can agree that there needs to be change within Obama’s policies.

“There’s a lot of things that need to be fixed,” Ashkettle said. “The Affordable Care Act premiums have gone up. We do need entitlement reform, tax reform, and I think to a certain degree we need to continue to make sure the country is safe against ISIS.”

With Election Day finally here,  Americans have a lot to think about when it comes to their final vote. I think it’s safe to say we’ll all be relieved when this election finally ends, especially the teachers, most of whom talk about politics every day.

“I think that this election has been so brutal,” Rivera said. “I am hopeful that afterwards everyone catches their breath and calms down.”