This is my country, a nation forged on ideals, values, choices, hard work and sacrifice, built on freedoms, liberties, justice and determination, a land in existence for more than two centuries and scores apiece. This is the United States of America, a democratic republic whose foundation of law lies within its Constitutions, who comprise of a collection of 50 states and territories stretching through numerous time zones, from Guam and Hawaii and Alaska in the Pacific, to the reaches of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico in the Atlantic and the Caribbean.
Great nations are able to come together after making massive, historical decisions that have put its future at a crossroads. Those who make the laws and enforce it are able to defeat those who dare interfere with the processes it has conducted for generations upon generations. The USA, as this country is known, is an example of a nation capable of weathering the backlash that comes from a destiny it chooses. On Tuesday, 8 November 2016, this great democracy is ready to decide the path it wants to choose.
It can choose to become exclusive and risk war with the outside world by electing a multi-billionaire outcast in Donald J. Trump, running on the Republican Party ticket with a proven government leader from Indiana in Michael Pence. It can chose to go on a completely different path and choose Jillian Stein of the Green Party or Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party. Or, it can go the route of the Democratic Party and elect Hillary Rodham Clinton, the husband of former president William Jefferson Clinton, running on the ticket to become the first-ever President of the United States, the first-ever female Leader of the Free World, whose running mate for Vice President is Virginia's Timothy Kaine.
A divisive election built to be glorified through television dramas and movies and fictional works has seen drama from the supporters of Vermont Democrat Bernard Sanders, one-sided debates, the rise of the so-called Alt-Right Movement forged by 4chan and unsavory young adults and not-so-young adults and whose mascot is an unassuming frog named Pepe, the email revelations, the unnecessary intervention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the fall from grace of James Comey, its head honcho. Yet the real voters who participate in this election already have their choices in mind and also take a stand in their local races for offices in the House of Representatives, the Senate, the state legislatures and judicial offices, and the many local measures that will impact their daily lives and their future.
The overall collective belief based on numerous sources, research, exit polls, word of mouth, and other official and unofficial sources is that the Democratic Party will retain the presidency and the first black president in Barack Hussein Obama II will be succeeded by the first female president in Hillary Clinton, meaning that daughter Chelsea will be the next in line to make a stand in the American political arena. Things can change in the span of hours and nothing is for certain in the battleground states that determine the fates of races. In 2000, a situation regarding Florida regarding the state being called too early swung the race from Al Gore to George W. Bush. The volatility of battleground states drives the betting markets outside of America.
Around the world, stock markets are paying attention to the returns and are accordingly selling or buying. With every state that is called, the traders will be making calls across the floor, the collective stress and tension being rampant. Chain reactions are a vital part to a race such as the US Presidential Election being relevant. After all, in spite of complaints of racism in American society (which can never be eradicated from the world without the eradication of the human race, and so the collective attitude of the haves must be moderated against the have-nots), the United States remains a global leader and is the beacon of hope in the West and takes a stand against its adversaries such as Russia and China and North Korea and perhaps Iran.
Nobody can really guess correctly what the opinion of the American people is. Sometimes it can choose to follow through with the opinion of the media, and sometimes it can choose to ignore the media and go the opposite way to deliberately spite the media. We are a land of choices, and as Americans, we are in no obligation to follow the herd, go with the flow, join a bandwagon or majority rules campaign. We choose what we want. Even if the consensus may not agree with us, our choices counts, our votes count, and now is the time to make a stand and vote in this general election.
You know, we should be more like Australia, a nation that requires its people to vote when they reach the required age. Paying a $20 fine may not be too much, but imagine if the fine gets levied up to a higher penalty. Perhaps if Americans choose not to vote, they must pay a fee.
The Islamic State, the one terrorist organization that the USA is committed to wiping off the face of the Earth, institutes something similar in its jurisdictions but under different rules, called a jizya. In this case, if an American citizen does not vote, he or she will need to pay $100 to the federal government. That's a ballpark number, but that in itself would be a reason to actually go out an vote. Voter turnout is a problem in this country and if we choose to fine people for not voting, it would significantly alleviate the problem. There will be people who may argue that this in conflict of freedom of choice, but the Constitution itself has some obvious flaws and loopholes that are being exploited by many in the know.
Other than that, I want each and every one of you from America to know that on Tuesday, if you haven't voted early and wrapped it up (like my father did, and that was his first-ever election because he became a U.S. citizen last year), go to the polls and make your choice. If you've been checking my other profiles of perhaps reading between the lines of this piece, you know who I support and who I will vote for so I don't have to tell you. Make your decision then watch the drama unfold and dive into the social media frenzy afterwards. It's fun, you'll love it.
Just remember that if you are a Republican voter and Donald doen't win the presidency, accept the defeat with class and get on with your live. Don't do anything stupid, don't commit any acts of violence that you will regret because it will be on your record forever and in some case, you deserve to die at the hands of the law. The end of the world is not on Wednesday. The world continues to go on.
Make your choice, America. Your country needs you.