Feels like the extreme sides of the left and right are up for election, with no other options available. smh.

Tbh I don't see them being much more radical than Jimmy Carter vs Ronald Reagan.
I may have been disappointed with that election too, I wasn't born yet but I'd guess it was also a different time and the
left/center/right lines of the country may have been different in terms of what they tolerated. Trump has occasionally been closer/more tolerant to white supremacy groups than any president in 2024 should ever be, plus has said some pretty crazy shit about people in general which doesn't line up to American values. Then the other side seems to want to destroy the economy through spending and taxing the rich, who then just seem to pass their additional costs onto the middle class and we all get so broke we start needing free food programs, free housing, and then we're heading into communism. They also don't seem to have any clue on how to handle conflicts in the middle east, so the only thing I feel like I can agree with them on these days is "Trump isn't a good choice", which he's not, nor is Kamala, and that's why this election sucks.

After watching the VP debate, I'd rather see both of these guys running for president, but I'd probably vote Vance there because he just makes more sense to me. I think Trump (cleverly) picked a VP who is more centered, but the reality is Trump will still make the decisions and Vance will have to go along with it. It's sad because I kinda feel like both of the VP's are more passionate about the country than either presidential candidate.
Immigrants can't vote until they're citizens. Contrary to popular belief in some qanon circles, there is no fast-track citizenship for asylum seekers (which is I think what most anti-immigration rhetoric is focused against). They have to apply for permanent resident status, which comes with all background checks and everything else that any permanent resident has to go through. There is even a medical exam involved for some reason. After that, getting a criminal conviction can result in deportation. Even something as benign (for a citizen) as DUI or being homeless can mean deportation (for a permanent resident). At the end of all this, after 5 years, one can apply for citizenship.~
I feel like this somehow has to be done
before they come into the country. I'm all for immigration and agree the country was built on it, and many immigrants have helped the country, but it feels like these days many are inside of the country (without being vetted at all) and posing a burden on local resources without contributing to taxes or otherwise, while all of this is happening for (at least) 5 years? This is assuming they apply and don't just find ways to make it on their own
on the streets, which also isn't what we want. When people get background checks just to work somewhere, they're usually not living in the building until they are cleared... there must be other safe places (maybe ally countries?) we can have them go until they are cleared?