To Open The Sky

We're now down to a mere handful of days before the 2024 election winds up. I think most everyone has decided how they are going to vote (or have already cast their ballots.) A large part of the decision, I expect, turns on what Trump has said and is saying. But here I want to give you three practical reasons to vote for Kamala Harris.

Reason 1: The Economy

It's clear that the worldwide inflation brought on by the pandemic has raised the prices of many goods and is still keeping them high. This obviously strains the budgets of working-class people. But overall the US economy has done well under President Biden. So the thing to look at is how it is likely to do under Kamala Harris versus under Trump.

Trump wants to impose high tariffs across the board. His plan includes a 60% tariff on goods from China and a 10% tariff (possibly rising to 20%) on all other imported goods. Despite his insistance that other countries would pay these added costs, they would in fact fall on US importers and would likely be passed along to consumers. This is what happened with his prior tariffs. It's estimated that the net impact would be to add $4,000 per year to the typical family's costs.

Trump has also said he will remove taxes on tips and overtime pay. The former will have little impact, since most people getting tips pay little to no tax. The latter could help certain people.

References

1. Trump's Proposed Tariffs: What Are They, and How Would They Affect US Economy? (Snopes, 19 September 2024)
2. Trump favors huge new tariffs. What are they, and how do they work? (Paul Wideman, AP News, 27 September 2024)
3. Trump's Vast Tariffs Would Rock Global Businesses and Shake Alliances (Ana Swanson, New York Times, 28 October 2024)

Kamala Harris plans to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit for lower-paid workers, cutting their taxes by up to $1,250. She would also end taxes on tips for hospitality and service workers, would cap prescription drug costs at $2,000 per year, and would give families a child tax credit of $3,600 ($6,000 during the child's first year.) She has said she would follow President Biden's plan of not raising taxes on households earning less than $400,000 annually. She would pay for these programs by raising taxers on high earners and corporations. For small businesses, she would begin a $50,000 tax deduction, and she would provide $25,000 in down-payment assistance for homebuyers.

In a YouTube video from Morning Joe, posted one month ago, Steve Rattner gives an excellent comparison showing how superior Kamala Harris's economic plan is to Trump's.

References

1. Kamala Harris Rolled Out An Ambitious Economic Plan. Here's What's In It (Nik Popli, Time, 16 August 2024)
2. What Kamala Harris's Economic Plan Could Mean for Your Future (Mallika Mitra, Investopedia, 30 September 2024)
3. 'Trump's tariffs are a $1,600 tax hike': Steve Rattner warns of regressive impact (Steve Rattner, Morning Joe, MSNBC, 5 September 2024)
4. What To Know About Kamala Harris' Economic Agenda As She Announces New Proposals For Black Men (Allison Durkee & Derek Saul, Forbes, 14 October 2024)

Reason 2: Health Care

The Biden-Harris administration gave Medicare the authority to negotiate prescription drug prices. Federal officials say the first ten negotiated prices, to take effect in 2026, would lower Medicare expenditures by $7.5 billion. Trump has not said whether he would continue this Medicare authority. Some high-ranking Republicans in Congress want to repeal it, claiming it slows the development of new drugs. Harrias has said she would speed up these negotiations, using the savings to expand Medicare coverage of home health care.

The Affordable Care Act covers part of the premiums many people pay when they buy their own health insurance. This assistance is set to expire at the end of 2025. Harris wants to make it permanant. Trump has not stated a position. Many Republicans argue that it should expire.

The FDA approvied Mifepristone in 2000. It, and the companion drug Misoprostol, are often required when a fetus becomes unable to survive and surgical abortion is not available. Since the repeal of Roe v. Wade, these drugs have been used in 72% of abortions. A challenge to the FDA's approval reached the Supreme Court in April 2023. The Court preserved access while the case proceeds. An August 2023 federal appeals court ruling would revoke the ability to send the drug through the mail and would shorten the period it can be used in pregnancy from 10 to 7 weeks.

References

1. Supreme Court maintains FDA approval of abortion pill, preserving access for now (Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 22 April 2023)
2. Supreme Court is asked to reject limits on a drug used in the most common method of abortion (Mark Sherman, AP News, 8 September 2023)
3. What's at stake in the Supreme Court mifepristone case (Selena Simmons-Duffin, NPR, 25 March 2024)

Reason 3: Abortion Rights

During his term, Trump was able to nominate 3 justices to the Supreme Court. Once these justices were approved by the Senate and had secured a solid conservative majority on the Court, the long-standing right to abortion before fetal viability was overturned in the Dobbs decision of July 2022. This allowed Trump to brag that he had fulfilled a campaign promise — and brag he did.1 Dobbs returned abortion to the states, and currently abortion is illegal in 13 states and severely restricted in 12 more. Nine states allow no exception for rape or incest. Exceptions for the health of the mother are generally allowed, but they are often vaguely written — with the result that doctors delay treatment of emergency cases out of fear of criminal prosecution. Several women have died needlessly due to such delays.

Responding to the severe backlash against abortion restrictions, Trump no longer boasts about repealing Roe v. Wade. He now says his administration would be "great for women and their reproductive rights." He does not promise to veto a national ban on abortion (though JD Vance does), and has said the federal government should pay for IVF treatments.

Kamala Harris has been steadfast in her support for abortion rights. During this campaign, she has said she will sign a bill similar to Roe that codifies abortion rights into law.

I include two YouTube videos in the references to show the risks women face under current state laws and the passion they bring to the battle.

References

1. Their States Banned Abortion. Doctors Now Say They Can't Give Women Potentially Lifesaving Care. (Kavitha Surana, ProPublica, 26 February 2024)
2. A timeline of Trump's many, many positions on abortion (Natasha Korecki, NBC News, 8 April 2024)
3. Harris vs. Trump on abortion: Where they stand on the issue (McKenzie Beard, Abbie Cheeseman & Justine McDaniel, Washington Post, 10 September 2024)
4. They're Killing Us (PoliticsGirl, YouTube, 19 September 2024)
5. See where abortions are banned and legal—and where it's still in limbo (Annette Choi & Devan Cole, CNN, 7 October 2024)
6. Abortion's Future (Judith Levine, Boston Review, 9 October 2024)
7. What a Kamala Harris Win Would Mean for Abortion (Chantelle Lee, Time, 23 October 2024)
8. Trump's Changing Messages on Abortion, in 660 Quotes (Margot Sanger-Katz, Claire Cain Miller & Eve Washington, New York Times, 28 October 2024)
9. Interactive Map: US Abortion Policies and Access After Roe (Guttmacher Institute, 30 October 2024)
10. Mom DIES After Being Denied An Abortion (Ana Kasparian, The Young Turks, YouTube, 30 September 2024)

Look, I understand that many people like Trump. He's bold and brash; he can stick it to the man; he shakes things up. Liking Trump is every citizen's protected right. But every citizen also has a duty to understand the national interest and their own self-interest, and to spurn candidates who refuse to help in either area. Trump, by his track record and by the things he says now that can hurt families with undocumented members, victims of hurricanes in the southeast, and consumers all over the country, is not going to help anyone but himself. A government that does not help the people is by definition not promoting the national interest. Trump does not deserve your support, and I expect that anyone who cares about getting a better life for his family will see that.