Of late, elections have been competitions between two figures of questionable ethics and are backed by people with a lot of money. This upcoming election is shaping up, according to The Economist, the most expensive in American history. Voters choose the lesser of two evils rather than the best person for the job.

America needs a president with common sense; someone smart enough to weigh the multiple opinions of those around him, particularly of those of the public to come to a conclusion that is more than good for a few corporations or a small group.

America’s best should be in the

nation’s top position. The leader of the United States, one of the largest nations in the world with one of thelargest economies, needs to represent the best of this country. The president should not be a C-student in high school or college. If there can be minimum age for the position, why not a minimum GPA requirement for the position?

Charisma is also a desired trait in a leader. America has suffered through six and a half years of spoken miscues from a president who is about is about as exciting to listen to as a pine tree. While the presidents like John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan were masters of this, we aren’t asking for a president to reinvent the job. With charisma comes credibility, and all America needs is someone who we can believe when they speak.

Above all, our nation’s leader needs to set a great example to everyone in

the nation. He or she should be honest to the people of the country, but human enough to tell them when he or she has messed up. Poor behavior, like philandering, is not acceptable.

Our nation would be best served by campaign finance reform. The easiest way to remove the special interests from politics is to take away, or severely limit the amount each one can give to politicians. Changing the primary system to make more culturally and ethnically diverse states like California and Florida vote first in the primary season will also serve to bring about candidates that will better represent everyone.

By encouraging our lawmakers to make these changes, we can hope to see candidates that will both better represent the values of our nation, without being beholden to companies and interests who right now control the purse strings to political viability.