What presidential candidates are not saying

This election season has been the most exciting one in our nation’s history. No matter who wins, we will have our first African American president or our first women vice president, but it’s what Sen. Obama’s and Sen. McCain’s campaigns aren’t talking about that is concerning us.Except for the final debate, there has been nearly no mention of education whatsoever by either of these campaigns.

For many years now, the United States has fallen behind many G-8 countries in test scores in mathematics, science and reading, despite spending more money on education than any other country in the world.

About 50 percent of 15-year-old students in the United States scored a level two or below in a 2003 PISA proficiency test for combined mathematics literacy scale. Japan, Germany, France and Canada all scored better.

The dropout level among high school students, which is one out of every three students in the United States, is among the highest in the world. As a result, a lot of these students end up in impoverished situations, commit crimes and end up in jail.

Tuition for college students has also skyrocketed over the course of the past decade, but there’s been little mention by Obama or McCain in their stump speeches on how to offset the rising costs.

What is it going to take for these two men to start talking about this issue? How can we remain a strong democracy when our future leaders are falling behind the children of other nations?

Immigration was a heated issue during both the parties’ primaries, but there wasn’t a single question raised about it during any of the debates.

This is not only an economic issue, but one of national security as well. More than seven years after Sept. 11, our borders remain unprotected.

How can we continue having open borders when we are fighting against radical Islamics, who won’t hesitate to cross our borders to kill innocent civilians?

Even many social issues, which are frequently talked about in presidential elections, have not been talked about much in this election cycle.

As many as two, if not three members of the Supreme Court could be retiring during the next president’s term and depending on who wins,it could change the landscape of the court.

The economy has been the main topic of discussion for this election and rightfully so. The American people are hurting and are worried about their jobs, keeping their houses, and having their retirement funds for the future.

However, both candidates need to realize that as president they won’t be dealing with just one issue. It is hoped one of them realizes that before they enter the Oval Office on Jan. 20.

  • Mesa Legend Staff

    These are archived stories from Mesa Legend editions before Fall 2018. See article for corresponding author.

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