Op/Ed

Why Joe is the Way to Go

The Biden/Harris Ticket Will Do More For this Divided Nation Than His Critics Want to Admit

Reporter Kaia Hutton

What can we do to end the division of the United states? Joe Biden, the former vice president, and the democratic candidate in the 2020 election, has big plans to push the message of unity across the nation, given Biden is elected as the 46th president of the United States.

Biden plans on reversing policies that Trump has introduced during his presidency, and promises that, under his ruling, everybody is to be treated equally. Biden will ensure nobody is turned away from any business, nor refused service because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, skin color, creed, etc. Biden pledges to ensure the safety of american families and will end discrimination of physical dissimilarities or diverse backgrounds.

Joe Biden is persistent in inaugurating equality for women. Biden will fight for equal pay for all women and acknowledges that income inequality is a very real and prevalent factor in the occupational positions that women fill. He plans on completely diminishing the wage gap, addressing the unique needs and rights of all women including women of color, women veterans, trans women, women with disabilities, etc.

Regarding the topic of abortion, Joe Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris, have both made their stances known, supporting the protection of a woman's right to choose. Unlike the current US president, he supports federal funding for abortions. The Biden/Harris administration wants to codify Road v. Wade into federal law and also expand protections for people who have experienced sexual assault, molestation, rape, etc.

Biden believes in universal healthcare, stating “healthcare is a human right”, and is in favor of expanding the Affordable Care Act (ACA), while initiating a proposal to lower the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 60.

He proposes his administration will build on the ACA by increasing premium assistance and creating a Medicare-like public option plan, which would dramatically increase availability to anyone who needs it and automatically cover those with low incomes, specifically in states that have not expanded medicaid.

Completing this healthcare plan includes returning the ACA protection for the LGBTQIA+ community and providing full access to any treatment or resources needed. These protections extend to covering care related to gender Transitions and HIV / AIDS medication.

Biden believes in climate change and agrees with the overwhelming scientific concurrence that human activity is responsible and is worsening the problem. Joe Biden is taking action to combat the issue of the constantly changing climate by initiating the Biden Plan (a plan to eventually lead to the future of clean energy.)

In June 2019, Biden released a proposal to spend $1.7 trillion on green energy technologies, which will be brought into service through the next 10 years, with the ultimate goal of putting the US on track to eliminate net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Biden overwhelmingly agrees that human contribution to the greenhouse effect is indisputable and pledges to re-establish a productive working relationship with much of the scientific community. In doing so, he will staff the two thousand open government positions that Trump rendered unnecessary.

Covid-19 has evidently taken over our lives for the worst, prohibiting US citizens from traveling abroad for vacations, taking children out of school, etc. The Trump administration, as we know it, has done little to nothing to halt the airborne virus; opposingly, Biden has a plan to combat the pandemic that has ruined the nation.

Biden plans on initiating a covid-19 plan, unlike the current president, who has yet to introduce any resolution to the pandemic that he has let flourish in the country. Biden pledges to put “scientists and public health leaders front-and-center”, in communication with the US public and to give the federal government primary responsibility for pandemic response.

His Covid-19 plan is to (1) test-and-trace, (2) sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE) for all, (3) science-based treatments and vaccines, (4) steps to reopen safely and effectively, and (5) protecting those at high-risk, including older Americans.

Biden is seemingly the best candidate for this presidency. His policies and his plans for the United States will advance and unify the country, rather than divide. Biden has plans to alter the ideological makeup of the White house, and promises to run “as a proud Democrat but … govern as an American”.