America deserves better

I will not be voting for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton.

I understand that many of you will. Some out of genuine support, and many more out of a desire to stop the opposing candidate. I understand that the possibility of a third-party candidate is incredibly slim, and I respect those who vote for one of the main parties out of the pragmatic reason of stopping the opposing candidate. While there usually is a need to be partially pragmatic in voting for one of the main parties over a slightly more desired principled candidate, I will not be voting for Clinton or Trump because I feel that neither of them represent the principles to become president.

I instead will be voting for Evan McMullin, a former CIA agent, graduate of the Wharton school of Business, and House GOP Chief Policy Director.

I will first make the case against Hillary Clinton, followed by one against Donald Trump. I have included a series of links to articles that I would encourage you to explore to learn more.

Hillary Clinton often boasts of her vast experience, which included serving in the demanding position of Secretary of State. In my opinion, she was not successful. Iraq provides the first example.

President Obama was elected in 2008 with the vow to end the war in Iraq. As Secretary of State, Clinton was responsible to help the transition. This was with the background of the recent “surge” in Iraq, which saw an escalation of troops in the country, and a sharp decrease in violence. Obama even said that it was successful “beyond our wildest dreams.” Violence was still high, but thousands of civilian lives were saved as a result of the decrease in violence. In May 2007, 1700 Iraqi civilians were killed. The average between June 2008 and June 2011, was 200. Still too high, yet a significant improvement.

The issue of Iraq was the cornerstone of the 2004 election, composing a huge amount of President Bush, Condolezza Rice, and others time. In 2008, Iraq was free and the situation was bleak yet improving. Just a few years later, Iraq has deteriorated and now vast amounts of land is controlled by ISIS. Women are raped, people killed, and religious extremism is now the ruling power over millions of people. Since the start of the 21st century, Iraq has been one of the most dominant issues the Secretary of State has to deal with. I believe that Hillary Clintons failure to better transition the situation in Iraq has allowed ISIS to grow in power. A threat to us in America, and even more so to the millions of lives who have been ruined by them. The politics around this are messy, but the facts are Iraq was improving when she became Secretary of State, and ISIS was rising when she left.

Hillary Clinton also cites her long history in fighting for various causes as reason to elect her. Unfortunately, we see a history of corruption. How many scandals come to mind with the Clintons. Without fail, Hillary almost every time denies them and claims that they are part of a “vast right wing conspiracy.” Once enough evidence is found to prove that she is wrong, she usually claims that it was in the past and that we should move on.

A more complete look at the laundry list of Clinton scandals can be found here from The Atlantic, which recently endorsed her, so probably not part of the “vast right wing conspiracy” that she claims is out to get her.

The facts remain. She absolutely lied to the American Public about her email use. This prompted the FBI director to say that she was “extremely reckless” with national security. America will decide if we trust someone the FBI called that as our President.

The Clintons have successfully turned the art of politics into personal gain for themselves. From leaving the White House to 2008, they made 109 million dollars, and have made tens of millions more since then. The Clinton Foundation has been used to help them make this great fortune. As Secretary of State, Hillary gave preferential treatment to donors of the Foundation. The art is rather simple, the Clintons hang out with the most powerful people in the world, often using Clinton Foundation events as the opportunity. They connect powerful people with each other, and are later paid enormous sums to give a speech. Partially as a thanks for connecting us, partially as a “you still have influence.”

In a time when trust in the media is at a historic low, the freedom of the press has become an interesting subject. Hillary Clinton’s refusal to interact with the press has weakened Americans ability to vet her. She did not hold one during the entire Democratic Primary. We of course later learned that the DNC has been supporting her the whole time. Did that conspiracy come from the “vast right wing conspiracy” or was it from supporter of Bernie Sanders and leaked emails? But don’t bring up emails to Clinton…

Hillary Clinton divides America. Speaking at a debate she said that the enemy she is most proud of is “probably the Republicans.” Ignoring briefly her insulting millions of Americans, how does she expect to lead a gridlocked congress by dismissing a majority of its members? That’s not progress, that’s a recipe for disaster.

Finally, Hillary Clinton is a pro-abortion candidate that does not believe a child holds any rights even one day before birth. I believe in the right to human life, a right that has been denied to millions of Americans, and likely will be to millions more if she selects judicial appointees that share her philosophy.

I have chosen not to write extensively about Hillary Clinton attacking the victims of her husbands sexual assault, or Trump’s recent remarks on sexual assault. However, I believe that both disqualify them from the presidency.

Now on to Trump.

Literally a disaster from the beginning. His problems are well documented. For every Clinton scandal, there’s a Trump controversy. Please read Mitt Romney’s speech on this. He says it much better.

Trumps proposed ban on Muslims is wrong. To quote Mean Girls “wrong, wrong, so wrong.” This is a clear violation of the first amendment. If he’s willing to violate that, what won’t he stop at? The LDS church, a group also persecuted for its religion, put out a statement in support of religious freedom for all. Governor Herbert of Utah, while opposing Trumps ban, mentioned how early Americans also tried to ban Mormons from emigrating to America.

Trump has mocked, well just about everyone. The list is simply too long. He supports racists, has attacked the disabled, and has lied about his past and his policies. His charity is even more of a scam than the Clinton’s, he’s lied about his personal wealth. He doesn’t pick and choose his statistics and facts like most politicians, he completely makes them up. Simply put he’s weak. He doesn’t care about anyone but himself.

Trump attacked Sen. McCain, because he was a POW. This article from Slate includes that and many other reasons to oppose him. The very people who sacrifice their lives for us should not be disparaged, but praised.

The framers of the Constitution designed the House of Representatives to be the hot hand, the current feelings of the people, with the Senate as a more deliberate body to counteract the current mood with a dash of longevity. Donald Trump for many is the House, a strong angry reaction that needs to be mediated with a deliberate voice. The electoral college, called antiquated by many, was designed specifically to stop Trump. They foresaw the need for wise leaders to vote for the President. Any and all Constitutionally legal methods to stop Trump must be employed. He is simply too dangerous.

Trump promoted the idea that President Obama was born in Kenya. He was wrong. He leads people to believe that all Syrian refugees are dangerous and bad, that all immigrants from Mexico are criminals, that violence in politics is acceptable. We have to have values behind who we support, and lying and hate are not values that I will support.

If the recently released tapes didn’t make you stop supporting Trump, and if Mitt Romney’s speech didn’t, or my meager words. Read this Op-Ed from the Deseret News.

Donald Trump is not a conservative. He has been on both sides of every issue. He has almost no specific policy ideas for the country. He is willing to destroy the Constitution. He is a maniac, a whacko, a loser, and a threat.

I am proud to be from Utah. There are dozens of articles about Utah’s unique status in this election. I am proud to be from a state where Trump got just 14 percent in the primary, coming in dead last, and where Clinton received less than 20 percent in the caucus.

America deserves better than Clinton and Trump. I hope that you consider what you have read and consider voting for Evan McMullin. For me, it’s the principled choice, because “It’s never too late to do the right thing.”