By: Juan Carvajal, Contributing Writer
As the 2020 elections approach, it’s harder than ever before to decide which candidate to vote for. This has given millions of citizens an additional weight on their shoulders, including the coronavirus pandemic and economic recession following.
Since his election as President of the United States of America, Donald Trump has made significant improvements to the employment rate and taxation.
According to Forbes, “During Trump’s three years in office, the unemployment rate has steadily fallen from 3.7% to 1.2%.”
Considering that since 2009, the unemployment rate has been steadily decreasing, it is appropriate to say that President Donald Trump fulfilled his promise.
Along with the lowering unemployment rate, wages have slightly increased. According to the Washington Post, “wages have increased 3.4% in nearly a year…the fastest pace in a decade and well above inflation.”
An increase in wages have led to greater demands on the job market, consequently leading to more workers seeking employment.
Presidential Candidate Joe Biden’s plan to stabilize the economy has two main components: taxes and making healthcare insurance affordable.
According to taxfoundation.org, “Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden plans to raise taxes on individuals with income above $400,000; this also applies to individual income, capital gains, payroll, and corporations.”
Though Biden aims to regulate taxation, his plan may negatively affect all taxpayers.
According to PolitiFact, “Biden proposes to raise the top federal marginal income tax rate for individuals, to 39.5%.”
This suggests that despite Biden’s attempt to help the middle-class, he might actually make them pay higher taxes.
Regarding healthcare insurance affordability, Biden insists on expanding Obamacare. Based on a report from Investopedia, “Biden aims at expanding Obamacare so that 97% of Americans are insured and cost $750 billion over ten years.”
This suggests that Biden wants to make Americans dependent on the government for health insurance.
Both candidates have made multiple promises in their campaigns. President Donald Trump promises to deal with the coronavirus pandemic effectively and to provide more job opportunities.
According to the news website, Axios, “Trump’s promises for his second term include, developing a vaccine by the end of 2020, [creating]10 million new jobs in 10 months, cut[ting]taxes, and prevent[ing]undocumented immigrants from being eligible for health care.”
While Trump’s promises are radical, Biden’s proposals are more realistic.
Based on a report from CNN, “Boosting the middle class is one of the main pillars of Biden’s campaign.”
To address the pandemic, “Biden plans to offer free testing to all Americans, by hiring 100,000 people to form a national contact-tracing, as well as increasing drive-thru testing sites.”
Frank Orlando, a political science professor at Saint Leo University, shares his perspective on the changes if either of the candidates win: “If Trump wins the elections, there is little to no possibility that taxes may increase.” Regarding taxation, Trump seems like a better option than Biden, taking into account that Biden’s goal is a 39.5% rise in individual income tax.
“On the other hand, if Joe Biden wins, and the Democrats get to win the Senate and the House, the main changes that may take place are an increase in taxes and more strict regulations in terms of environmental policy.”
Orlando also suggests that none of the third-party candidates have a chance to win, regardless of how much effort they invest.
“When we look at all the third-party candidates, Jo Jorgensen, Howie Hawkins, and Roque de la Fuente, there is no probability that any of them will win because none of them have really made progress in gaining people’s support,” said Orlando.
The question that remains is which candidate will address the current issues better?
“It depends on people’s perspective…those who agree with Joe Biden think the government should take action to solve the crisis caused by the coronavirus. However, those who agree with Trump consider that they can take care of themselves by following the necessary protection measures.”
Adam Keselicka, a sophomore majoring in criminal justice at Saint Leo University, is primarily concerned with a candidate’s ability to defend the right to life.
“There is one crucial factor: whether the president is pro-life or not. If a presidential candidate cannot protect babies in a mother’s womb, then he or she cannot be ethical in any other topic.”
“Trump is the most pro-life president in U.S. history. When I was at the March for Life earlier this year, President Trump was there. No president has ever been to the March for Life before. President Trump also made it required for babies to receive medical treatment once they are born.”
