America was the land of opportunity. The country where streets were paved with gold. Where you could make your dreams come true - real freedom. But now America’s roads are crumbling, and low taxes for the top 1% are prohibiting infrastructure funds from growing enough to fix them. A large middle class and millions of citizens living in poverty contribute to the immense income inequality which grips the nation. America is on the brink of an uprising, and not in the sense of war or violence, but of something much worse: Radicalism.

Two of the three serious presidential candidates for the 2016 election are diverging from the typical politician. Instead of advocating for policies and subtle changes to the economic system, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump are turning towards a complete overhaul of the status quo and the adoption of unanticipated plans. Whether they are extremely conservative, and want to completely stop illegal immigration through the act of building a tremendous wall, or liberal in offering free college education regardless of GPA, either policy would represent a true changing point in American history. Even in the likely chance that neither Sanders nor Trump will be the next President, the damage has already been done.

Whilst it is beneficial to make changes to both domestic and foreign goals, America under the hands of a leader who holds an infinitely large number of these radical ideas would be a nightmare. In history, most major movements like this have ended not in peace, but in blood. The Maoist revolutions killed almost 50 million people. Terrorist groups such as ISIS and Al Qaeda got that way by indulging in radical behavior to back their visions.

Although America would not become a terrorist group or turn communist per say, the fact of the matter is that if the next President chooses to fight hard and fast against the societal norms, they will be faced with heavy fire. That will cause chaos, and none of the problems we are faced with can be solved with rash decisions. Infrastructure problems can be solved with a simple increase in gas tax, or a higher burden on the wealthy. However, something like a 70% income tax is insane, even for people who make millions each year.
If there are changes to be made in America, they need to be done in a logical and simple manner. Right now, there are no candidates who pose those solutions. Hillary Clinton is a pure extension of Obama’s term. Sanders and Trump are pulling against each other so hard in either direction that they are likely to get nowhere. And worst of all is that we cannot choose to go back. It is too late for someone new to enter the race for the White House.

A seed has already been planted. The idea of social rebellion is in the population, and this spark is going to ignite, regardless of what happens in November. Now, all that is left is to wait and hope that the flames are not too big. Solving a problem is easy until you try to do it by adding more gasoline and anger into the original issue. The government now needs to work as hard as they can solve these issues at the root, avoid backlash, and try not to get burned.