But should immigration be our number one issue, or is there something more important that trumps Latino politics? I believe the economy matters most. It affects you, your family, the world and, yes, immigration. Here, I break down seven reasons why:

1. The deficit impacts you. Our national debt just passed $15 trillion. Every man, woman and child would have to pay $48,000 just to get us out of this crisis. You can make your check out to the Department of the Treasury, P.O. Box . . . Don’t have the cash?  Neither does our government, and that’s why we continue to borrow and pay nearly $30 billion per month in interest alone. The higher our debt, the more we have to waste in interest and the less we have to invest in better schools, supporting our military and helping a family in need.

2. Want a job? Support small businesses. Small businesses have created nearly 65% of jobs over the last decade and comprise nearly 99% of all businesses that employ Americans. Latinos open small businesses at a rate nearly three times that of the rest of the population. Pay attention to policies that affect small businesses; they are the drivers of the economy.

3. Tax rates on any of us affect all of us. Remember how excited you were before you got your first paycheck? Then bam! Uncle Sam gave you a sucker punch to the gut with taxes. Before you get too caught up in the idea that we can just increase taxes on the wealthy in order to keep our taxes low, consider this: If we start impacting their pocketbooks, it may inadvertently start impacting our jobs. Higher tax rates can have a significant impact on all of us.

4. Want your family to be safe and secure? If a foreign government decides it wants to hurt our economy, it can devalue our money or recall what we owe them. I won’t bore you with the details, but if our economy is hurting, we are much more susceptible to getting financially screwed. Without a strong economy, we have little security.

5. Our economy affects the world. Our economy has been the strongest and most influential in history. Because of our success, the U.S. is the most attractive location on the planet for immigrants chasing the American Dream. Now imagine our economy becoming so burdened that it can no longer offer the dream our forefathers chased or the much-needed food and medical supplies the poorest in the world need. When our economy is down, the world’s economy is down too.

6. Not just a vote, but an educated vote. It’s easy to get frustrated with the confusion of an election cycle, but don’t become so disoriented that you give up.  There are distinct differences between politicians’ philosophies and those differences are going to greatly affect our economy, your life, your family’s welfare, and the well-being of the entire world. It’s too important to let others decide for us.  You may have the right to vote, but making an educated vote is your civic duty.         —Justin Vélez-Hagan