“I believe in…”
Americans find themselves at odds with current canidates
As the race for the presidential office continues, many are left confused on who to vote for. According to the New York Times, only 9 percent of Americans chose to vote for either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump in the primaries.
This same epidemic plagues San Antonio. Terri Pitts, who identifies as “a fiscal conservative and a social moderate,” is left undecided as the final election rolls closer.
“This has been the most frustrating election cycle I’ve ever gone through in my life,” Pitts said. “I have to say, in this country of 320 million people, couldn’t we have come up with a better candidate for each party?”
Pitts grew up in a military family and has been reliant on himself since a young age. He believes in the “traditional” way political parties used to run, and like many Americans, is disappointed in the current candidates representing each side.
“[Voting] was relatively easy years ago,” Pitts said. “Both parties said, ‘We believe in these things,’ and if you believed in the same things then you should be in that party. In this election, no candidate has been out there talking about their beliefs or ideas, they’re just attacking one another.”
Currently, Pitts works as a civil employee with the United States Military, working with a military base in Germany. Even though he travels in and out of the country, he still considers himself quite involved with U.S. politics.
According to Pitts, the biggest issue in the United States is our current debt and declining economy.
“I think one of the biggest issues facing us that financially, we’re broke, and neither one of these candidates are projecting a way to fix it,” Pitts said.
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As a father, Pitts worries about what the state of the nation will be for his kids and eventual grandkids. Especially with the current candidates for up for election.
“I really don’t like the path we’re going,” Pitts said. “Not one of these politicians has the fortitude to say, ‘Hey people, this country has a problem. How do we fix it?’ Issues are being ignored, nobody on either side is talking about how we manage them. They’re just so disingenuous.”
Pitts once considered himself a solid Republican, but after years of teaching in some inner-city schools, he became more liberal.
“My personal growth happened when I got a job in inner-city schooling,” Pitts said. “I saw the real faces of real people who needed real help. Now we need politics that requires real effort, real money, and real commitment to fix those problems they face, and I’m not sure most of our politicians have the honesty to be committed.”
Though Pitts plans to vote, he is still undecided of whom he should vote for. He leaves a final word of advice for the future of America.
“I believe if you’re not a soft-hearted liberal when you’re young and a crusty, self-reliant Republican when you’re older, you’ve missed something in life,” Pitts said. “You should assess the society that you live in and see whether we should make changes or stay on the same track. Find people that thing the same way you do and stick with it.”
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