This November, Americans have a decision to make. Though there are many bubbles to be filled on the ballot, the selection of our country’s next president is the most far-reaching of all decisions to be made next week.

 
Here at The University News, our goal is to provide fair, accurate and complete coverage of every election issue. Even so, when dealing with such polarizing topics it is impossible to remove all bias. Though we cannot completely eliminate our biases, we can make our readership aware of them, and with that in mind our editorial board sat down to discuss whether we should endorse a particular candidate as other major media outlets have done.

 
But this newspaper is far from a monolithic entity, and our editors are, in fact, very divided on the issue of the upcoming election. So rather than endorsing any one candidate, we will try to address each of the major candidates in terms of the issues most important to our readership: the economy, education and health care.

 
President Barack Obama’s policies are mostly clear since we have seen many of them debated and enacted over the past four years. Inheriting an economic crisis, Obama passed into law an $825 billion stimulus package. Today, unemployment is at its lowest in four years, though it must be noted that labor force participation remains low.

 
Obama would cut taxes for the middle class while raising taxes on the highest-earning Americans. Obama also supports the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which tightens regulations on banks and other financial entities.

 
As for education, Obama has reformed the Pell Grant distribution system so that funds come directly from the federal government, rather that through subsidized loans from banks. This was done in order to maintain the availability of funds for the program even in times of economic crisis. In health care, Obama passed the Affordable Care Act. Under this law, young adults may stay under their parents’ health insurance until they are 26. Beginning in 2014, people cannot be denied insurance coverage based on pre-existing conditions. The act also gives millions of women access to free preventative services such as birth control, pap smears and mammograms.

 
Gov. Mitt Romney’s stated priority for the economy is putting people back to work. He wants to preserve the Bush-era tax cuts and lower taxes for everyone. Also, he plans to lower the capital gains tax rate to bring big businesses into the country. Romney has vowed to repeal Dodd-Frank but replace it with legislation that would retain some of its elements.

 
In education, Romney wants to foster more private-sector funding for college students. He also wants to develop partnerships between businesses and community colleges and trade schools. As for healthcare, Romney plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He would give state governments the responsibility of regulating insurance and caring for the poor and chronically ill. Romney would reform Medicare so that future seniors would receive a fixed amount to spend on private insurance plans.

 
These two candidates have sharply diverging visions for our country, and it is up to each voter to determine the pros and cons of each. To that end, this issue of The University News contains a detailed election guide.

 
Many Americans may be dissatisfied with both of the major candidates. Regardless, your vote is your voice, and it is vital to use that voice. Voting for a third-party candidate can give voice to that dissatisfaction, whereas not voting at all implies apathy or disinterest.

 
So, no matter what bubble you plan to fill, get to that ballot box next week. Otherwise, as they say, you have no right to complain the next four years.