Fellow young people, choose freedom and opportunity this November

The constant election coverage can be dizzying and distracting, no doubt. But amid all of this, it is crucial to know the facts. And the fact is, this November, we face a stark choice.

Let us compare their records on critical issues for young people and see this choice face to face. 

Abortion: 

Trump has bragged about appointing Supreme Court Justices that were responsible for overturning Roe v. Wade, which constitutionally protected abortion rights for the last 50 years. He has also consistently dodged questions about his abortion stance. He will give the politically convenient answer of “leaving the issue to the states,” but don’t be fooled. If given a second term, Trump will continue his attack on abortion rights and will not stop there. 

Harris is committed to protecting abortion rights. She is seeking to pass federal legislation that will protect a woman’s right to choose. Moreover, she has condemned overreaching restrictions on abortion rights. During her tenure as Vice President, Harris supported an executive order that protected interstate travel to access abortion care.

Economy: 

Trump’s only achievement during his time as president was a tax cut for corporations and his rich friends. That tax cut added a staggering 2.5 trillion to the national debt. He also is proposing 10% across the board tariffs (or taxes on imports). This will cost working families $1,700 a year. Trump has little substantive policy proposals, and the few he has would devastate everyday Americans. 

Harris wants to create an opportunity economy. This means investing in the next generation. Some of these policies include things expanding down-payment assistance for first-time homebuyers, creating a $40 billion fund to promote affordable housing, tax breaks for middle-class families, expanding the child tax credit, and cracking down on corporate price-gouging. 

During the Biden-Harris administration, pandemic-fueled inflation was lowered to 2.5% year on year, 6.6 million more people got health insurance, and overseen record job creation (more than Trump’s pre-pandemic numbers.)

Best of all, over 400 economists have recently endorsed Harris and are warning about Trump’s policy agenda. 

Climate 

Trump thinks that climate change is a hoax. As president, he pulled us out of the Paris Climate Accord and overturned an estimated 100 environmental regulations. In addition to that, a second Trump administration would trigger the downsizing of the Environmental Protection Agency as well as the repealing of green initiatives.

Harris views climate change as a significant threat. She will take on big oil companies and build on their Biden-Harris climate achievements. One of these achievements includes the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), in which Harris cast the tie-breaking vote for. The IRA was the biggest piece of climate legislation in our country’s history. According to the World Resources Institute, “The IRA includes nearly $370 billion in investments in disadvantaged communities, prioritizing projects that repurpose retired fossil fuel infrastructure and employ displaced workers, setting the U.S. on a course toward a fair, equitable and economic clean energy transition.”

Democracy

Trump fused to concede in the 2020 election, and his dangerous lies caused a violent insurrection. His Project 2025 agenda calls for giving himself unchecked power, including the ability to replace non-partisan government officials with his extreme supporters. Additionally, top generals and officials who worked under Trump are warning of his irrational and odious behavior. Overall, Trump and powerful people around him seek to erode our democratic system without any accountability, and in turn, take away our fundamental rights.

Harris will not that happen. Take it from the source. She said,  “Across our nation, we are witnessing a full-on attack on hard-fought, hard-won fundamental freedoms and rights, and we will not stand for it,” and that, “Attacks on the freedom to vote, attacks on the freedom to be safe from gun violence, the freedom to breathe clean air and drink clean water, the freedom to love who you love openly and with pride, and the freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body and not have her government tell her what to do.” She will be a bulwark against the authoritative aspirations of Donald Trump and will protect our fundamental rights.

We know that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will fight for the freedom, opportunity, and prosperity of every American. We also now know that Donald Trump and JD Vance will fight for themselves, corporations, and their rich friends. 

Given all of this, I invite my fellow young people to vote for freedom and opportunity in this election. Help protect our democracy and your rights. Vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in 2024.

Write to ben.livingston@mnsu.edu