Pro: Outcome should bring about unity
Caleb Thornton
Advertising and Distribution Manager
Both republican and democratic Americans faced the decision of casting their rightful vote on Tuesday, Nov. 8 for Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump or a third-party candidate. By the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 9, Donald Trump was announced as the 2016 president-elect.
According to Tampa Bay Times reporter Katie Sanders, our state has voted red consistently since 1931, when we leaned democrat. Following our long-standing trend, the state went republican and gave Trump the vote for this election.
Many of the state’s citizens are infuriated and/or terrified for the future of our nation, contrasting the overall voting stance of Kansas. While these voters and nonvoters are completely entitled to their opinions, feelings and self-expression, it does not change the fact Trump won the vote for both our state and our nation.
While it would be difficult to find someone who supports every candidate wholeheartedly to the last bullet point, it would be less difficult to find acceptable, sound points from any candidate, regardless of their overall campaigning platform.
If supporters or naysayers are interested in the platform for our newly elected president, they could find Trump and Mike Pence’s online presence for the public. The website entitled “Positions” provides a user-friendly basis for what our president campaign stands for.
Although it is proven time and time again presidential candidates, once in office, do not do or do fully what they promised our nation, it is important to know what Trump claims he will accomplish for our country.
In a Washington Times article, reporter Seth McLaughlin discusses Trump’s ideology for our military service. The article states, “Donald Trump called for 50,000 more Army troops, more than 70 new Navy warships, 13 new Marine battalions and nearly 100 Air Force planes, proposing a massive surge in defense spending he said is needed to stop the rise of the Islamic State and to be better prepared for other global threats.”
During an interview with On the Issues, Trump stated his hopes for healthcare, specifically regarding suicide and veterans. The president-elect claimed veterans will have an easier time accessing and receiving medical attention, the process will be faster and “we” will pay the bill.
Despite anyone’s political standings or expectations for the Trump presidency, it would be ignorant to assume the whole presidency will turn out terribly. Furthermore, everyone needs to understand Trump cannot simply do whatever he wants, regardless of whether he promised to or not, while running for the office. The president has to answer to figures of authority, just as anyone else with a job.
Also, we as a united nation should hope his term turns out well; if he fails, America as a whole is in jeopardy.
Con: Trump poses threat to many groups
Tyler Krenzin
Lantern Staff
In a day and age where Donald Trump is the president-elect, people can only try to imagine what terrible things he could do to mess up our great country. Fears of his hate for Muslims and immigrants in general have sparked outrage in those communities. Many people are left asking the question, “How bad could it be?” Well, it may be a lot worse than it looks.
First off, let’s get some of the president’s responsibilities out of the way to better understand what kind of power the man has. The president can veto bills or sign them into law. He or she can appoint members to the presidential cabinet and other independent agencies, according to whitehouse.gov. The president is also in charge of federal agencies like the FBI and the CIA. The president is also the commander-in-chief, meaning that the he or she has complete and governing control over our nation’s military.
When looking at these main responsibilities, it’s kind of terrifying that one man has all this control. With his power over the appointment of offices, including choosing new Supreme Court justices. Usually that’s not an important part of most elections, but with this one there is a seat up for placement. With Congress and the House of Representatives having a republican stronghold, it is almost a guarantee that there will be a right-wing judge nominated and promoted into the Supreme Court. This will keep the Supreme Court conservative once again.
War will also be an important issue. If we were ever in the situation that we would have to enter into war, how trustworthy is a businessman that has never fought for our country? In a situation where our nation must make the decision of war or no war, an unexperienced politician would have zero idea of what to do. Donald Trump’s sheer arrogance doesn’t scream confidence on making an educated decision. For the most part, if war can be avoided, it should be, and his temperament may bring doom to this country.
We have already discussed his hatred of the Muslim community, and with control over agencies such as the FBI, CIA and NSA, Trump may decide to discriminate and attack them. As most sane people should know, not all Muslims are bad, just as not all white people are racists. A small group of individuals can change the view of the group as a whole and taking civil rights away from immigrants, Muslims and people of color is not the way to “Make America great again.” It will actually drive an even bigger stake dividing our country even more.
In short, President-elect Donald Trump may have a lot of support behind him, but will this blind support and the hate ultimately be our downfall? We will wait and see.