The fairness of our electoral system has been in jeopardy since the Supreme Court removed some of the protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Act attempted to prohibit discrimination in voting because of race or color. Because it had found that this discrimination was more prevalent in certain areas of the country, it required those jurisdictions to get federal approval before they could make changes to their election laws. The act has been extended periodically since 1965.
The Act was successful and increased not only the number of registered minority voters but also the number of minority members of Congress. Challenges to the laws were successfully defended by the Justice Department until the Supreme Court ruling in 2013. That ruling invalidated that portion of the legislation which required pre-approval of state voting legislation.
During this election cycle, the Republican party continues its efforts to suppress the rights of Americans to vote. State legislators have restricted voting by instituting voter I.D. laws as well as limits to early voting and voter registration. We have seen significant purging of the voter rolls in some states, often removing citizens who have the lawful right to have their votes counted.
The current president has used his Twitter account to spread false narratives about the security of mail-in ballots. This is a story that originated with Russian intelligence agencies who wish to delegitimize our electoral process. Unless we make a change in leadership, we run the real risk of eliminating our country's great experiment with democracy and the promise of one person, one vote.
Social Security
Recently the President has suggested permanently ending the payroll tax to help those financially hurt by the Pandemic and to stimulate the economy. The payroll tax (FICA) consists of taxes for the funding of Social Security and Medicare. Removal of the taxes would hurt the programs that rely on that tax and are already facing shortages. Furthermore, it would not help those who are not working and do not have wages to tax.
In 2018, 90 percent of Social Security payments came from payroll taxes withheld in that year. This means that the shortfall would have to come from the general fund. The effect would be a ballooning of our annual budget deficit. The future of Social Security would be in jeopardy.
Reducing Unemployment
As of August, the unemployment rate was 8.4 percent. There is no federal plan to increase employment. As long as our COVID-19 infection rates are high, it is unlikely that we will see a change. It appears that many of the jobs lost because of the president's mishandling of the pandemic will not be returning.
Our country needs a plan, perhaps along the lines of FDR's Civilian Conservation Corps. That New Deal program made the government the employer of last resort. Our young men and women between the ages of 17 and 28 were employed to work on infrastructure and conservation projects, many of which we use to this day. They were paid a weekly wage along with an allowance for food, clothing, and shelter. The opportunity provided the workers with training and raised morale.
It is a much better solution than simply providing unemployment insurance. It also has the benefit of rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, which would make our economy more competitive with the rest of the world.
The current president was handed a growing economy and record length of monthly job growth. His mismanagement of COVID-19 plunged the country into a recession and ended the streak of job creation. Fortunately, his opponent has experience in helping with economic turnarounds, having had a hand in turning Bush's Great Recession into the recovery that Trump inherited.
Minimum Wage
The guaranteed federal minimum wage in America is $7.25 an hour and has stagnated since July 2009. This has resulted in an effective pay-cut for our lowest-paid workers. The minimum wage would have to be increased to $10.15 just to have kept up with inflation that has occurred since 2009, .
For someone working 40 hours a week, the minimum wage amounts to $15,080 annually. This is not a living wage. Many still struggle to support a family. In 2019, the House of Representatives passed an amended version of the Raise the Wage Act of 2019, which would have gradually increased the federal minimum wage to $15 by 2025. The bill died in the Republican-led Senate.
When workers are paid so little that they qualify for government benefits, we are effectively subsidizing their employers. This corporate welfare is part of a system where business profits are privatized and losses are socialized. In the meantime, workers are left without protection.
The current ruling party has proven that they have no concern with our lowest-paid workers. We need leaders who would ensure that no one would work 40 hours a week just to live in poverty.
PUBLIC EDUCATION
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