Editor’s Note: The following essay tied for first place in the annual Della Hardman Day essay contest, sponsored annually among high school juniors. Students this year were asked to write about what issues the new president should address upon election to office. Natalija Lakis won honorable mention. Essayists will be honored during Della Hardman Day ceremonies on July 30, which begin at 4 p.m. in Ocean Park. All are welcome.

In November there will be an election that determines who will be running America, the land of opportunity — for some people. There are a plethora of issues and some may be more important than others to different people. For me, the biggest issue is the failure to include. One morning, my dad and I were sitting at the table eating eggs, I asked my dad to pass the salt and pepper and this is when I decided on my essay topic. Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican candidate is a massive exclusionist. By ranting venomous remarks, name-calling and blanket proclamations he has managed to exclude women, poor and middle class working people, Hispanics, people of color and specifically Muslims and Mexicans. He is continually playing off one group against another. Man against woman, whites against blacks, Christians against Muslims and haves against have-nots. In my opinion, this is exactly the wrong message.

In a world beset by global terrorism, war, economic turmoil and overwhelming environmental issues such as global warming, it is clear that the only solution is working together both domestically and worldwide. The Democrats, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are definitely closer to the right track. They are talking about sharing both the wealth at home and the responsibilities globally. They are suggesting bringing more people into the education and health care systems by lowering costs. They are proponents of raising the minimum wage to include more working people in the domestic economy by improving their financial condition. They are talking about including millions of illegal aliens living and working in the United States with a path to citizenship. On the other hand Donald Trump proposes to simply deport nine million people. They are encouraging a partnership with Mexico in the world economy via free trade as opposed to Trump’s suggestion to build a wall between the two countries and have Mexico pay for it. They are looking for ways to work with moderate Muslims to fight terrorism as opposed to Trump’s total ban on Muslims entering the United States. They have a global approach to global warming. Their general idea is to lead by example, but also to listen to the concerns of all other countries and to offer incentives and assistance wherever possible. Instead of dwelling on differences, we must look for common ground. This concept of finding common ground is not only applicable worldwide, but is a good strategy here in the United States. I believe if you look hard enough you will find more similarities than differences in Americans. Essentially, there are more things that unite us, than divide us. Using this as the cardinal rule, I believe we can more forward successfully.

Since everything and everybody is connected, Trump’s isolationism is not the answer. We must all pull together to solve both world problems and those at home. In my opinion, the biggest issue in the upcoming election is this concept of inclusion versus exclusion. Back to the eggs, they only taste right with the salt and pepper mixed together in the right ratio.