Since I was a pre-teen, I paid attention to presidential elections. Probably because I was a newspaper carrier and would read the paper each day while preparing my route.

I would actually get excited when election years came around, especially after I became old enough to vote. And now another election year is upon us, but this time I feel different.

I am scared.

I fear what will happen if 45 becomes 47.

I am afraid we’d stumble badly on the world stage if the world can’t trust us, regardless of who sits in the Oval Office.

I worry what may become of our country if the wrong people control Congress — election deniers, bi-partisan trolls, idiots — regardless of who wins the White House.

And I am especially fearful thinking about what is probably the most important issue for my generation: Social Security/Medicare. I can’t imagine what the future holds for entitlements for my children and grandchildren.

Don’t get me wrong; there are other issues we should worry about. Democracy itself is at stake if Donald Trump and his ilk get their way. Then abortion, immigration and the economy are chief among the other issues.

All I hope for between now and next November is that voters take the time to really study the issues. I mean, really study them and form their own opinions rather than simply taking the words they hear on Fox News or MSNBC as gospel. With the Internet there is no reason to be a minion.

Okay, I’ll come clean here. I am a Democrat, born and raised. However, I have always voted independently of the party if I believed the other candidate was the better choice. But I am vehemently opposed to Trump. Why? Because of his own words and actions. You think he’d only be a dictator on the first day of a second term? That’s like a cartoon I saw recently, the fox in the henhouse saying he’ll only eat the chickens his first day there.

He has said he will be the retribution president. Do you doubt that? Is that the kind of president you want? A person who will arrest, jail, and perhaps even kill anybody who opposes him? A person who would declare himself above all laws, with no checks and balances?

A person who believes he could actually shoot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue and get away with it?

The press is not respected much anymore; I get that. But do we want a president who would shut down any media that would criticize him, expose wrongdoing and not do his bidding? What good is that? A guy named Nixon wanted that, too. Imagine if that’s what we had in 1974.

Look, I know President Joe Biden isn’t perfect. But I sure have not seen proof that he is a crook or anything resembling proof of that. And regarding his speech patterns, give real examples of cognitive impairment but make sure to look at Trump with the same microscope.

The economy? Look at the numbers; it ain’t bad. And before you blame anything on Biden, research when the inflationary period started. That includes gas prices. Were they going down or heading up in January, 2021?

How about employment? Now I am not about to say the jobs-market problems were all Trump’s fault when they started toward the end of his term. We all know what havoc COVID wreaked. But what about now? Record low unemployment; isn’t that a good thing? It used to be.

Labor issues are always key in political races. But in this case, any union that endorses Trump after the UAW contract talks is out of touch.

Another issue I haven’t mentioned — but one that is very important — is foreign policy. Do you want Ukraine to fall into Vladimir Putin’s hands in Russia? If you do, I am sorry you are so shortsighted. And you will get your wish if Trump gets back in. And the ongoing divide in regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would mean nothing to him because he doesn’t like Benjamin Netanyahu. Therefore, Israel would be totally on its own.

I’ve hardly scratched the surface on these issues in this space because of a lack of space. But I implore voters to research them, all the issues, and decide how they feel about them as a package. I’d guard against allowing your beliefs on just one issue to be the deciding factor because they could be trumped (sorry, pun intended) by what happens on the rest of the issues.

Look at the records of the candidates. Sort out, if possible, the empty promises from those kept, the lies from facts, the bombastic bull from honest discussion. The former may get you fired up, like some coach in the locker room, but the latter will keep your feet on the ground.

Many in the world consider the USA the greatest country in the world. Research the reasons behind that (hint: our Constitution), then consider whether you want to continue living in the greatest country in the world. Then decide who you think will make that happen. I am confident what that decision will be for reasonable people.