If I Had a Vote: It would be for Biden

It has been a wild time for America.

This year, and this upcoming week, Americans will see who the next President of the United States may be. In one case, Trump may be re-elected for another four years. In another, Joe Biden may be elected for his first term. It’s all in the hands of us, United States citizens. Though it’s a crazy time, sit back, and read why Joe Biden should be elected.

On his first day of presidency, Biden promises to reverse Trump’s policies that separate parents from their children at the US-Mexican border. He will end the bans on travel from several Muslim countries and form a relationship with Iran as well. He also promises to protect the people brought illegally to the US as children who were permitted to stay under an Obama-era policy, ensuring that they are eligible for federal aid.

Biden has promised to expand the Affordable Care Act, which is a legislative achievement of the Obama administration, where it expands health insurance to millions of Americans. Biden will also look to repair relationships, which includes the World Health Organization. He would rejoin the Paris Climate, which is an agreement with the United Nations to framework Climate Change, strengthening countries’ ability to deal with strong and significant impacts of climate change. Mr. Biden wants to go forth in his ambitious climate change plan where the country’s energy industry will be overhauled to achieve one hundred percent emissions-free power by the year 2035. This plan includes a pledge to invest in about $2 trillion clean energy infrastructure.

For workers under tough labor, Biden has promised to strengthen their rights. He supports legislation such as the PRO Act, which allows for secondary boycotting. He will enact the Obama-Biden era with NLRB rules that strengthen hard workers’ rights as well. Supporting a $15 minimum wage, Biden plans to fight for good jobs and worker protections amidst the pandemic. He will commit to keeping good manufacturing and call center jobs in the United States by ending Trump’s tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas. For the health of workers and their families, there will be an investment of $750 billion for universal preschools and childcare expansion through tax credits for families to encourage more onsite childcare centers, so no children are neglected and all are under supervision. Under his presidency, Biden will fight for equal pay for equal work no matter what gender. He advocates for the Affordable Care Act, Medicare and Medicaid funding, which will lower prescribed drug costs.

Taxes will be raised on America’s wealthiest citizens, this includes those with an income tax of more than $400,000 per year. Under his presidency, Biden wants to impose a marginal tax rate increase, where if a worker earns over than they usually earn, they have more taxes to pay.

With all the gun violence in America and lives taken over constant shootings under the hand of immature citizens, mainly teenagers, Biden will pass an assault weapons ban, promising that within his and Kamala Harris’ campaign, they will “put an end to our gun-violence epidemic.” In 1993, Biden already had a start on restricting guns by taking part in The Brady Handgun Violence Act.

During the stress of a pandemic changing the ways of the world, Biden wants to tackle the coronavirus and have an immediate change. This includes providing free testing for all people and hiring over 8,000 people to set up a national contact tracing program in order to stay safe and determine how many people catch it. He wants to establish at least 10 testing centers in every state, mending a mask policy as well.

Within the protests and America’s view on race, Biden says he “believes that racism exists in the US” and that it “must be dealt with through broad economic and social programmers to support minorities.” Biden wants some funding for the police to be redirected to social services like mental health, and he calls for a $300 million investment into a community police program. Biden seeks to address America’s racial wealth, he wants to create small businesses, and “expand in economically disadvantaged areas, particularity for Black, Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islander and Native American-owned businesses.”

Joe Biden has pledged in an interview that he will expand rights for the LGTBQ+ community. He wants to make equality a centerpiece if he wins the election and assumes office in January. “I will make enactment of the Equality Act a top legislative priority during my first 100 days,” quoted Biden.

When it comes to student loans, Biden supports debt-free colleges for community and public colleges. “You get all these degrees and you get all this debt, and you get in a position where you can’t get a job because no one is hiring, or they’re hiring at very low wages… I’m going to eliminate your student debt if you come from a family [making less] than $125,000 and went to a public university,” stated Biden.

In a bigger sense, it is now a matter of people’s rights to their own body, freedom taken away from people due to not fitting government standards. Now it’s time for those who can vote, for you to decide. If I were able to vote, I would vote for a President where I can be free in what I choose, where my family and friends aren’t discriminated against, and where people don’t struggle because they aren’t rich. Where people are free to love who they love, and free to be expressive in a country where diversity should be treasured.