This presidential race has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that American politics is on the decline, maybe even reaching an all-time low.  Regardless of one’s political beliefs, it is clear to see that all of the candidates are ridiculously ill-suited to the task and there is no real “right” choice this time around.

In years past, its mostly been the third-party candidates who have run on more extreme platforms but this season, politics has become so polarized that even the major party nominees are running on rather radical platforms.  George Washington, who was opposed to the idea of political parties, is probably rolling in his grave at seeing the options the voters have to choose from today.

It is not just that the candidates are misinformed, inexperienced, or insist on feeding the public blatant lies – all of this has occurred in past presidential races.  The fact that there is no voice of reason, no middle ground, no moderate viewpoint anymore should be far more alarming than the constant drivel being currently propagated.

In the past, American politicians consisted of those that had the most knowledge, the most experience, those who had already proved themselves in the public eye and were trusted by the people.  Those politicians are the ones who are remembered fondly with monuments named after them.  Then there are those who may not have done anything great or memorable but at least kept the country together and relatively the same as how they found it.  Those politicians get statues, parks, and schools in their honor.  Would you want to go to a school named after a president who completely failed and brought ruin to our country?

When politicians like the one’s running for president right now are able to get so far into the race and amass so many followers and donations, it sends a message.  It tells students that in order to be successful, they should emulate what those people do; they are after all the future representatives of our country, the very definition of the ideal American.  This message enforces the idea that in order to get your voice heard you have to behave as extremely as possible and that change can only occur by taking down your opponent as harshly as possible.  It is a message of no compromise or tolerance and, the reality is, it is truly sad.

As Americans, we need to take a stand, stop fueling such dangerous fires, and ask for a leader who will actually represent, to the best of their ability, the interests of the people like the founding fathers intended.  We owe it to the brave men and women who fought for the independence of our country during the Revolution to maintain the high standards they set.