Emily Wang
The year 2020 has brought a new decade, along with upcoming one of the biggest events – the presidential election. Going up against recently impeached President Trump, the democrats have had an army of worthy opponents.
Each candidate’s background and policy are incredibly important and it is our job as citizens to do our research. Before you vote, make sure you know who is qualified and what he/she stands for.
Big names like Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren are headlining the race, hoping to finally change America to be how they want it. Lesser known, but growing names, Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar are starting to establish a campaign and in turn, prove that they are worthy of the most powerful position in America. But who is Andrew Yang?
Coming out of seemingly nowhere, Yang is a 44 year old, Columbia University law graduate. Although majoring was Political Science in college, he has had no prior political experiences. Running for president, he is convinced that he is still qualified to run due to his work as a businessman.
Similar to our current president, his ideas are backed behind his ability to run a company and therefore a country. Originally the founder of Manhattan Prep, a national education company, Yang sold the business to Kaplan to found Venture of America, a highly successful business that helps entrepreneurs create jobs in poorer communities. Besides his background though, policies are incredibly important to be an informed voter.
Yang has several policies that are very similar to the common democratic ideals, however special (and most popular) to him is what he called “Freedom Dividend”, a Universal Basic Income (UBI) in form of $1,000/month or $12,000 a year for every American adult over the age of 18. From an economic standpoint, this would boost the US economy and cause it to grow over 12%.
Other policies include:
- Immigration: Make citizenship easier for immigrants. Yang believes immigrants are contributing to the overall market already, so the US should make it easier for them to stay.
- Healthcare: Medicare for all. Healthcare is a right for all and the ACA (Affordable Care Act/Obamacare) was a step in the right direction. To start, Yang wants to reinstate the ACA to it’s previous power.
- Gun Control: Tighter regulation of guns. People should maintain the right to possess a gun, but Yang supports the idea that safer use of guns is necessary.
- Social Security: Create opt-in retirement accounts that are directly related to income (increased income=automatic increased retirement dividend). Yang believes everyone should feel safe with their situations in the future, so providing for social security is necessary.
- Environment: Preserve our water and land, regulate the use of fossil fuels to combat climate change, and create a sustainable and renewable energy plan.
- Abortion: Access should be provided for everyone. Decisions should be made with a doctor, but not politicians.
With my research above , you hopefully know a little more about Andrew Yang, the less famous democratic candidate.
Whomever you decide to vote for this election matters: please be informed!
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