Each week, the Lasso Editorial Board will comment on an issue that is relevant to the students at George Mason High School. We strive to present a student-oriented opinion about topics big and small that matter to all of Mustang Nation.
Through a divisive election year, it has been hard to find political clarity. With each candidate’s campaign riddled with problems, such as videos of a candidate boasting about sexual assault, and a massive email scandal, it is more than just an election based on political beliefs and policy issues. To the public, this is an election based on who is least likely to lead the country into a decadent downward spiral.
The Lasso endorses the Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton for the presidency for the 2016 election. Clinton has the experience and qualifications to hold the highest elected office. She has held many different political offices ranging from first lady of the United States, to New York senator, to U.S. Secretary of State. She is a lawyer who has focused on women and children’s rights since she got her first job out of college. She knows how government works and how to compromise to achieve goals.
Clinton’s opposition is led by the Republican nominee Donald Trump, who has the experience to run a company, but does not possess the experience to run a country. Even in business, Trump has declared bankruptcy four times and refused to pay small subcontractors on his construction projects.
As a high school student newspaper, The Lasso feels that Clinton supports students and young members of society through her support of lowered costs of higher education, her outspoken support against sexual assault, and her views of equality between genders and races. Trump’s xenophobic remarks remain inappropriate and unacceptable in contemporary society and should be soundly dismissed. Clinton combats the remarks and plans to create a more inclusive United States.
Between the contentious debate between Trump and Clinton, it is the year 2016, and it is time to take a step forward, not a step backwards. There are lots of issues, including economic disparity, within our country that need to be addressed, but The Lasso endorses the candidate who would seek solutions, rather than the one who seeks to incite anger about those issues.