I’ve been talking a lot about progress during my campaign. I’ve said repeatedly, “Progress Starts Here”. However, I haven’t yet been clear about what exactly progress means to me. Progress is defined by the dictionary as a “forward or onward movement toward a destination”. But what is that destination? I believe that our destination is an equal America, where everyone has the same opportunities, hard work leads to success, and we do not pull each other down but rather bring each other up, but how do we get there? I believe that my administration will take the needed steps to get our country there.

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The first needed step is reforming our education system. Education is the gateway to prosperity, yet the increasing cost for college is slowly closing that gate. The National Center for Education Statistics finds that the cost for a private, four-year college education rose from $20,578 to a whopping $41,468 from 1985 to 2017. This provides an economic disadvantage for families that cannot afford to pay huge sums of money to send their child to college. I will change this by requiring Colleges to limit their admission costs. You may be asking yourself “how we can accomplish this?” Well, I have the solution. The Association of American Universities finds that “the vast majority of public and private universities and colleges are tax-exempt”. If they fail to comply with our new limit, I will simply direct the IRS to eliminate that College’s tax-exempt status. Colleges will then be forced to lower their tuition in order to keep their tax-exempt status, which saves them a tremendous amount of money. By doing this, millions more Americans will have the opportunity to attend College and increase their chances of success in life.

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Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, I will save our environment. You don’t have to be Greta Thunberg to realize that our planet is being destroyed. The U.S. Geological Service writes that temperatures are rising because of greenhouse gasses, sea ice, permafrost and glaciers are melting, and tropical storms are becoming more severe. We still have time to fight climate change. I am willing to go further than any other candidate in regulating companies and creating alternative sources of energy. I also am the only candidate to propose a Carbon Tax. I will make companies pay for the carbon they emit, and I will use this money to fund alternative energy projects and respond to climate change.

 

Senator Ben naively thinks that companies will create green tech to fight climate change, but we cannot trust these profit hungry corporations. These corporations are not doing this right now and we need expedient action. I will make corporations pay for what they have done to our environment; Senator Ben will continue to give into them. We cannot wait any longer. The government needs to take action now in order to create a country where everyone will be safe from climate change.

Thirdly, I will raise taxes on the rich. David Leonhardt of the New York Times writes that the rich pay lower taxes compared to the poor. I will raise the corporate tax rate, the income tax for the wealthy, and the estate tax. This revenue will be used on social spending. I want to make sure that the government will give people the resources to succeed. We must create an equal playing field where everyone can succeed. 

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Regarding health care, everyone in our country deserves the right to adequate healthcare. The Affordable Care Act achieved this feat, but unfortunately Republican’s decided to attack, refute, and damage it. We need to reinstate the individual mandate and have more government revenue directed towards the ACA so that everyone has the right to survive.

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Finally, my administration will expand the role of American foreign policy. We will go and peacefully promote human rights by no longer giving Saudi Arabia the ability to kill innocent Yemenis, peacefully taking Nicholas Maduro out of power in Venezuela and rightfully inserting Juan Guida into power. Finally, I will find a peaceful way to destroy the sand mafia in India. We need to have a more interventionist approach to foreign policy so that human rights are protected.

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In response to allegations that I purchased endangered leopards from Russia using campaign funds: these reports are true. But, I want to be clear that my purchase was because I am creating a zoo to protect these animals and others like them. As I outlined in my environmental policy, it is imperative to protect our Earth. If I had not stepped in, Russian authorities had threatened to kill the leopards. I could not stand by and allow any species to be threatened. My use of campaign funds was due to an error committed by internal personnel. My campaign team identified the individual responsible immediately and corrected the error, fully reimbursing the fund. The individual responsible is no longer affiliated with our campaign.  

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Now you see, that under my administration, we will have a happier, more equal America. We will reach our destination and get prosperity for everyone. So join me, and let’s achieve progress together. Thank you. #progressstartshere. #swag. Also, Let’s Go Vikings. Kirk Cousins is GOAT.

 

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Works Cited 

 

 De Brey, Crisotbal, and Thomas D. Snyder. "Tuition Costs of Colleges and

     Universities." National Center for Education Statistics, U.S Department of

     Education, 2017, nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=76. Accessed 15 Dec.

     2019.

Leonhardt, David. "The Rich Really Do Pay Lower Taxes Than You." The New York

     Times, 9 Oct. 2019, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/10/06/opinion/

     income-tax-rate-wealthy.html. Accessed 15 Dec. 2019. 

"Tax-Exempt Status of Universities and Colleges." Association of American

     Universities, 13 Feb. 2019, www.aau.edu/key-issues/

     tax-exempt-status-universities-and-colleges . Accessed 15 Dec. 2019. 

"What Are Some of the Signs of Climate Change." U.S Geological Survey, 2019, www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-are-some-signs-climate-change-1?qt-news_science_products=0#qt-news_science_pproducts. Accessed 16 Dec. 2019