The United States is in a unique position. We now know who the two party nominees are well in advance of the presidential election this November. Now is the time to take stock of who and what we are voting for, rather than who and what we are voting against. Simply put, I am tired of hearing about the former president. He has plagued our national narrative for far too long; I was in elementary school when he started to become a regular, often bizarre, source of ethical and political concern in all our lives.
It’s time to take a factual account of the current president’s accomplishments. It’s time to talk about our country’s potential under a second term of President Joe Biden. Now is the time for Tech students to rally behind President Biden. He has fought for every American since becoming president, and his record is one to be commended. Here are five reasons you should vote to re-elect President Biden.
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
The president has made rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure a top priority for the Biden-Harris Administration. After leading the nation out of the COVID-19 pandemic, the president signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in November of 2021. It is an investment in rebuilding our bridges, railways and public transit, protecting our ecosystems and wildlife while assisting communities affected by climate change and expanding access to reliable high-speed internet to over 30 million Americans.
CHIPS and Science Act
This act strongly bolsters domestic semiconductor production and research. The importance of science and scientific readiness is a mainstay in President Biden’s White House, and his work to ensure America has a secure supply of the semiconductors required for the products upon which we all depend must not be understated. National security — indeed, the sustainable economy and life itself — requires a stable supply of memory chips for American electronics. The president therefore understands the stability of America rests on healthy competition with China.
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)
The IRA is, as many historians will one day write, the most consequential piece of legislation President Biden has delivered in his first term. Countries around the world are rightly taking inspiration from this legislation. From capping the cost of insulin for seniors at $35 a month to allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices, this president is lowering medical costs to families. This president is bringing manufacturing jobs back to America as dynamic wind, solar, battery and electric vehicle factories are built and opened across all of America. Crucially, in keeping with financial responsibility and economic justice, this president has cut the deficit and ensured the wealthy pay their fair share in taxes by setting a minimum 15% tax for large corporations. All these accomplishments have been won for the American people without anyone making less than $400,000 a year paying more in tax.
Artificial Intelligence (AI): Promise and peril
In his State of the Union Address in March, President Biden called on Congress to “harness the promise of AI and protect us from its peril.” The president has led the way in the protection of individuals and their data throughout his first term. There is more to come. His call for a ban on AI voice generations may have been one line in his State of the Union, but it is far from his only plan. President Biden and his team produced a blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights in October 2022, and they argue the use, development and deployment of AI must adhere to five key principles: safe and effective systems, algorithmic discrimination protections, data privacy, notice and explanation and human alternatives, consideration and fallback. Such provisions are crucial for our freedom and security.
American Climate Corps
President Biden has a clear, practical commitment to the future of the planet and all its children. Taking inspiration from the past and bringing new life to the future, President Biden recently launched the American Climate Corps. His goal with this new public works program is to mobilize more than 20,000 young Americans to fight climate change. Strong in will, skills and number, these young Americans will restore habitats, assist communities during the green transition and deploy the renewable energies that will power the future of a rejuvenated and united America.
The best part is this: Tthe work has only just begun. Think what can be accomplished during a second term. The President has put universal childcare on the table and has made codifying Roe v. Wade into law a priority of his next term. Despite the disruptions of COVID-19 and Putin’s criminal war against Ukraine, President Biden has delivered for the American people on bread and butter issues and set the stage for a brighter, greener and more productive and prosperous future. I say all this, not to paint a picture of a land of flowing milk and honey, but to point to the realities that things can and will get better. President Biden is working for every American to make certain that people live without want and fear and with high living standards and liberty. Because of that, he has done more than any other to put security for the individual back at the heart of American government. Jobs, jobs and more jobs coupled with development, construction and scientific advance will propel an America of great prospects into our 21st century.
The responsibility to choose who leads our country falls upon us now. I can say vote for Democrats up and down the ballot. I can say vote against the other guy who inflicts division and dishonesty on our nation. I can say vote with your heart. But talk is cheap. Deeds are everything. Vote Biden for better. Vote for a trustworthy today and a greener, more inventive future. Most of all, I can say vote with your heart AND with your head. Vote for real tomorrows, not imagined yesterdays.