I’m Hispanic and I Cannot Vote for Hillary Clinton

I am a Hispanic immigrant and an MIT graduate. But my friends do not understand why I cannot vote for Hillary Clinton.

There are several reasons, but I will begin with President Obama’s assertion that Hillary is the most qualified person ever to run for the presidency of the United States. Really? Thirty years in politics does not mean you have the ability to lead.

During her time as first lady, Hillary did not know how to work with Congress to bring about health care reform. She was primarily responsible for the "Travelgate" scandal, and stories about her terrible temper, outbursts and condescension toward her colleagues and security personnel are legendary.

As senator for New York, her time in office was poor, very poor: she was able to pass only one law that she initiated, even when the Democrats controlled both houses of Congress. And the terms of that law? A federal building in New York City received a name change.

The following occurred while she was secretary of state: Libya was taken over by terrorists; Iraq was taken over by the Islamic State; the badly named "Arab Spring" occurred, which for Egypt meant the coming to power of the Muslim Brotherhood; Iran continued its support for terrorists in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Gaza; the civil war broke out in Syria along with its humanitarian disaster. And, not to forget, relations with Russia were a complete fiasco as developments included Russian support for Bashar Assad, the invasion of Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea.

Obama and Clinton have attempted to demonstrate that their policies toward the Islamic world have yielded results; but what took place in Libya, Egypt, and later Syria, has contradicted their claims. Thus, incredibly, they blamed the attacks on the Benghazi embassy on a popular uprising triggered by a video created by a Coptic Christian in the United States that insulted the image of the Prophet Mohammed. Clinton kept repeating the video narrative, even though it was not true, and despite knowing from the beginning that it was a terrorist attack, as evidenced through emails with her daughter, Chelsea.

Clinton inspires little confidence among voters who see her as a person who lies and has no principles. This poor image was strengthened when, as a result of congressional inquiries, and through Freedom of Information Act requests, Clinton’s use of a private email server and the environment within which she worked as secretary of state came to light. Worse still, Clinton and her team denied there was anything wrong with using private email or having their own servers. She kept denying any impropriety until she could do so no more, at which point she said it was a mistake. As a result of her actions, Hillary put the nation’s greatest secrets within the enemy’s reach.

As for classified information, Clinton has failed to manage it despite having been trained in the subject, just like every other person who has access to such information. Despite having been in the White House and on the Senate Armed Services Committee, either she did not learn basic procedures or she decided not to comply with them.

I received the honor of being granted permission to handle classified information when I worked as a government contractor. I learned the rules well. Like others, I received specialist training which was repeated every year. I learned that not all classified information is marked for sensitive or confidential handling, and like everyone else, I took this responsibility seriously. Many people have ended up in jail, and lost their privileges or their jobs for doing far less than Clinton did.

And on top of all this, there is the problem of Clinton’s vision for the United States. Although there are people who will not be influenced by arguments about Hillary’s dishonesty when they go to vote, her promise to turn America into a more progressive country should give us the shivers. After eight years of Obama, the United States’ role as a model of freedom, individual self-reliance, social mobility, equal treatment before the law and representation in government has declined considerably.

When we speak of America as an exceptional country, it does not mean that it is better than others. We are simply referring to the unique concept of its creation, where individuals are properly represented, and where government institutions and laws exist to enable citizens to progress, as opposed to benefiting a central authority. This concept is different from what the world has been accustomed to: royal monarchies, empires and dictatorships which have been the norm. But all of this is in jeopardy with a globalist like Clinton who wants open borders, an interventionist government, and thus, a change in the nature of our nation.

For these reasons, and many more, I cannot vote for Hillary Clinton.