On the Right Side:

Let’s start off with the party of Lincoln! The GOP convention came around first and the speakers at the event touched base on a variety of issues and what we should do to solve them. Below is a breakdown of the Republican Party platform at the RNC and how it will affect our community:

Small Business: The Republican Party is in full support of small business and that’s something every community can benefit from including Menifee. Small businesses create jobs, builds communities, and are the heart of the American dream and the GOP’s plan to support small businesses includes reforming the tax code, ending the Death Tax, and repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax. 

This will spur economic growth and elevate local communities by bringing the citizens prosperity through small business. 

Education: The GOP has a clear vision on education which is to give more control to the parents and local schools and to repeal Common Core as well. The RNC Platform’s exact statement reads, “We reject a one-size-fits-all approach to education and support a broad range of choices for parents and children at the state and local level.” The objective is to renew the way education works by allowing parents to direct their children’s education without federal intervention.

Military Families: The GOP is in full support of compensating the families of the brave American Heroes who have fought for our country. The RNC Platform states, “Military families must be assured of the pay, health care, housing, education, and the overall support they have earned. In recent years, they have been carrying the burden of budgetary restraint more than any other Americans through cuts in their pay, health benefits, and retirement plans.” The GOP is advocating for a boost in military benefits for troops as well as for veterans and their families. 

Now onto the Democratic National Convention, where they crowned Hillary Clinton as the first woman in U.S history to be the Presidential Nominee for a major political party. It was groundbreaking and their direction on the issues affecting our country could be even more groundbreaking if they come into fruition. Let’s breakdown how the DNC’s platform would impact our country for the better.

Economic Growth: One way the Democratic Party wants to help the economy and Americans everywhere is by raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. The DNC’s 2016 Platform released the following statement, “We believe that Americans should earn at least $15 an hour and have the right to form or join a union and will work in every way we can—in Congress and the federal government, in states and with the private sector—to reach this goal.” This measure can upgrade the standard of living for many Americans and their families which could also spur economic growth in our own communities and our country as a whole. 

Creating Jobs for Young People: This could be an amazing development for local communities everywhere because young people are our next generation of leaders, business owners, politicians, etc. Job growth for the youth will not only be a positive influence on them and teach them a strong work ethic but it will also elevate our economy. The DNC Platform states that “Democrats will provide direct federal funding for a range of local programs that will put young people to work and create new career opportunities.” This kind of support will motivate and inspire our youth and the generations to come.

Cutting Energy Waste: The DNC is planning and promises to get 50% of its electricity from clean energy sources within a decade. That seems like a challenge but the Democrats have already created an efficient plan which includes installing half a billion solar panels within the next four years. 

The DNC’s detailed plan is stated in the following excerpt, ”We will cut energy waste in American homes, schools, hospitals, and offices through energy efficient improvements; modernize our electric grid; and make American manufacturing the cleanest and most efficient in the world. These efforts will create millions of new jobs and save families and businesses money on their monthly energy bills. 

We will transform American transportation by reducing oil consumption through cleaner fuels, vehicle electrification increasing the fuel efficiency of cars, boilers, ships, and trucks.” An eco-friendly outlook on our country could make a positive impact on not only our current