The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. 
For many millennials, who have only seen a few elections, this campaign season may not seem as incredible as it does to those of us who have seen 30+ years of elections. The 2016 Presidential campaign is unprecedented. It is not only that the first woman candidate is on the ballot, or that the first non-political person is also running. These facts are interesting, to be sure, but when you add in a woman who has been pilloried by the opposition relentlessly, and a billionaire television reality show star, things begin to take on an air of theatricality. Sometimes I wonder if we have all been hit with a confundus charm (Harry Potter, of course) and this really is not happening.
I have never seen an uglier election. From the beginning, the Republican nominee's language, his bullying, and his jarring rallies have been alarming and surprising. When he actually won the nomination of the conservative Republican Party I could not believe it. Neither the press nor the members of the Republican Party have been able to check him. The Republican nominee knows how to get and keep attention.
Why will this election decide the future of Millennials? Because of the stakes. Other than the posturing and the rhetoric, real issues are on the table, and will be decided by this election.
1.The Supreme Court has a vacancy, and in the next 4-8 years will probably have another one or two openings. The President nominates candidates to fill these positions. With the death of conservative Justice Anton Scalia, the court is now split evenly between liberals and conservatives. The risk for women of a conservative court is monumental. A conservative court could overturn Roe v. Wade, the court decision which gave women the right to make their own decisions about their bodies. Conservatives continue to bring cases to the court that would overturn Roe v. Wade and make women go back to the days of back alley abortions. No one is pro-abortion, at least no sane person. Pro-choice puts decisions about women's bodies in their own hands and consciences. Attacks on Planned Parenthood, women's rights and women's bodies have continued on the state and federal level. Women's health, contraception, and screening would be at risk if a conservative Justice or two is appointed. The future of women's health and rights will be in the hands of the next President, and the decision will last for at least a generation, and likely longer.
2.At this time, the United States is the strongest nation on the planet, and has involvement all over the globe. There are those who hate us, but this country represents freedom to so many! Will our society become more open or more isolated? America is the only country in the world who says, "give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me...I lift my lamp beside the golden door." (Emma Lazurus) That quote is the inscription on the Statue of Liberty, which serves as the symbol of freedom and liberty for the entire planet. We are a nation of immigrants. If we kick out millions of immigrants, even if they came illegally, what will this do to America? Should we really make them leave? Do we want to continue our globalization, our involvement on the world stage, or do we want to be isolationist, barring the "golden door" to those who seek its promise? What would building a wall result in? What would we wall out? And more frightening, what would we be walling in?
3.Our economy is recovering from the financial crisis of 2008. Yes, it has been a slow recovery, but it has been a recovery. Tax breaks for the wealthy have been tried several times over the last 40 years , and wealth and income inequality has become so overwhelming in America we really do not have the right to claim "upward social mobility" at this point in our history. Supply side economics are beloved by the right wing, but seems to fail at every implementation. If you want to take a good look at what this economic model does, take a look at the Kansas experiment. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/zorn/ct-kansas-conservative-brownback-economic-disaster-zorn-perspec-0518-jm-20160517-column.html. Perhaps a better way to stimulate the economy would be raising the minimum wage and fixing our infrastructure. Without a doubt, this election will decide the future of the economy.
4.The Affordable Care Act is not perfect, far from it, however, its benefits are obvious. One cannot be turned down for insurance due to a pre-existing condition, children may stay on their parent's insurance until they are 26 years old, insurance must, by law, cover at least one prescription drug per category. Millennials may have been too young when the law was passed to appreciate it, but these benefits have been life changing for many. To check out the top ten benefits of the ACA, take a look at the AARP's article http://www.aarp.org/health/health-insurance/info-08-2013/affordable-care-act-health-benefits.html. Obamacare needs work, but it has been beneficial to most.
There are so many issues at stake in this election, I could not possibly enumerate them in a single article. Perhaps the most important issue, though, is the scary and hateful language. I speak here of racial, ethnic, religious bigotry and xenophobia. A vein of American fear, prejudice, and anger has been tapped by the Republican nominee, at a level I have never seen before. These views have been given full rein, and are being openly touted, resulting in such shocking rhetoric I can hardly respond. Yesterday I saw a news clip of the Republican nominee assuring a group of evangelical Christians that America would be a Christian nation again. Uh....the United States was founded on the notion that everyone should have religious freedom. The Puritans left England because they were being persecuted by the state church, the Church of England. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, which would impede the free exercise of religion. Establishing a state religion is unconstitutional, and against the wishes of our founders. When leading members of the Republican Party have to disavow the words and opinions of their own nominee on a regular basis, we should pay close attention as to what those words mean.
The future is before us. We can move forward, or we can try to go back. We can honor our allies or we can get into bed with a dictator, a man that Senator John McCain, the 2008 Republican Presidential nominee, calls a thug and a murderer. The Republican Party itself considers Putin, the Russian dictator, an adversary.
I hope, for the sake of our children and grandchildren, that we will continue to move forward toward a more open, free, and inclusive society. I believe that is the society the millennial generation favors, and I hope they will take part in making sure it has a chance to flourish.
I hope this article will stimulate discussion and thought, not accusations and name calling. We are all, right left or center, entitled to our opinions.