As the leader of a nonprofit, I am reluctant to write about the upcoming election, but given the stakes, I feel moved to write, not from my professional position, but from my personal perspective.
I just turned 67, and I cannot remember a more consequential election than this one (and I can remember back to the 1964 election clearly). The choices are very, very clear, but the “facts” being put out are not.
The economy
Inflation has made the cost of some things, including groceries, go up by 20% since 2020. Much of this inflation came about because of supply chains starting back up after COVID. It was a worldwide phenomenon and the U.S. has actually seen significantly less inflation than other developed countries. Under the Biden administration, inflation has gradually come down to just over 2%, which is about where it was during the Trump administration.
The overall economy is STRONG thanks to Biden and Harris. Trump inherited a strong economy from Obama and it continued strong until the COVID crisis, which was badly mismanaged by Trump. The only contribution under Trump was a tax cut that mainly benefited the wealthy and blew up the budget deficit. When Biden took office, we were on the verge of a severe recession or depression. Because of his quick actions getting the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS act passed, hundreds of thousands of businesses were able to keep going, employees were retained and paid, and people had enough money in their pockets to start spending again. Biden quickly reopened schools, businesses and churches (in a safe manner). Schools were given the resources they needed to make the transition back to in-person teaching. COVID shots got into the arms of millions of Americans and life returned to normal.
Over the past four years, we have seen job creation at a roaring pace, the stock market go up and up (benefiting seniors depending on investments) and mortgage rates gradually come back down. Whoever is chosen for President tomorrow (or later in the week) will inherit one of the strongest economies in history due to the rapid action of this administration. You don’t see this in commercials, but it is the truth. And the investments passed will continue to have benefits for years to come as bridges and roads are built, factories come on line and much more.
The border
This is a subject that has been rife with misinformation. First of all, immigrants have been coming across our southern border, northern border and through airports for decades. The problem is not so much the borders but our immigration system which should have been fixed 40 years ago. We depend on immigrants for our food and construction industries in particular, but do not have a work visa program that would allow people to provide the labor we need and have legal status. Other countries do this, but we do not. We also understaff our immigration system so that applicants for legal status wait years if not decades. I personally have worked with several families who were on the verge of getting their “green cards,” only to have paperwork get lost in the system, putting them back to the end of the line.
Trump asserts that we had a secure border when he left office, but that was only because everyone had shut down their borders during COVID. No one could go anywhere. As these restrictions were removed (and Biden was forced by the courts to do so), there was a surge in backed-up demand, especially because the economies of other countries had collapsed during COVID. The Biden administration has far surpassed the Trump or Obama administrations in the number of deportations, most of them occurring right at the border.
But without immigration reform and more funding for our system (including border patrol), the problems will continue. Any thought of mass deportations is crazy. The cost alone would be prohibitive. It would rip apart families, many of whom have mixed status. And it would remove a huge chunk of the workforce that we depend on.
And migrant crime? Mostly a myth. Data shows the rate of crime committed by undocumented immigrants to be much lower than the general population. Crime in general is significantly down under Biden.
How many undocumented immigrants are there now? Trump and Vance have said that 6 million, 10 million and 25 million have come in under Biden. The truth, according to the Pew Research Center is that we had about 10.2 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. at the end of Trump’s presidency, about the same as when he came in. As of the end of 2022, that figure had risen to 11 million, still far below the peak of 12.2 million in 2007 under George W. Bush. One fact that gets missed is that undocumented immigrants actually go back to their countries as well, reducing the number, and some gain legal status. While there was a surge in 2023, it is nothing near the figures thrown around by Trump.
I believe Kamala Harris and a Democratic Congress can get immigration reform back on the table that is humane, reasonable and beneficial to our country, which, after all, is a nation of immigrants (including Donald Trump’s family).
Democracy
In the current election, we are at an inflection point where we are going to decide whether our country is governed by a mutual agreement called The Constitution or is governed by a person. The writers of the Constitution, though imperfect, were very wary of putting too much power in one person’s hands. That is why they designed a government with separation of powers that kept each branch from being too powerful. It would have been easier to make our president another king. That is what people were used to. But instead, the founders went a more difficult and wiser route.
Donald Trump has shown over and over (including on January 6, 2021) that he would rather be an autocrat like his friends Putin and Orban, than a president who swears an oath to the constitution. A few weeks ago, I was able to take my 18 year old son Ryan to hear Mr. Khizr Khan speak about the Constitution. Mr. Khan and his wife, Gold Star parents of Humayan Khan, a U.S. Marine Captain who gave his life protecting his troops from a suicide bomber in Iraq, spoke at the 2016 Democratic Convenation.
At the time, Donald Trump was promising to ban Muslims from America. Mr. Khan, a Harvard-trained lawyer and member of the bar of the U. S. Supreme Court, said, “Donald Trump, you’re asking Americans to trust you with their future. Let me ask you, have you even read the United States Constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy. In this document, look for the words “liberty” and “equal protection of law.” [Have you ever been to Arlington Cemetery? Go look at the graves of brave patriots who died defending the United States of America. You will see all faiths, genders, and ethnicities. You have sacrificed nothing—and no one.”
Mr. Khan spoke just as passionately about this year’s election when we went to see him. Afterwards, I took Ryan up to meet him and told him that Ryan had just voted for the first time. He took a dog-eared, underlined copy of The Constitution from his pocket, signed it and gave it to Ryan to read and treasure as an American Citizen.
If for no other reason, we need to vote for Kamala Harris and other Democrats to preserve our Constitutional system. We can work on everything afterwards. It’s why many Republicans, including Liz Cheney and her father Dick Cheney, are voting for Kamala and Tim.
Other issues
There are many other issues, including the health of women, education, and support for our allies that make me want to vote for Kamala. I am an evangelical Christian, but have come to see that abortion (which many people want to simplify as an issue) is a medical decision that should rightfully be in the hands of a woman, her family and her doctor. Recently, I saw data indicating OB/GYNs are leaving Texas because of the confusion and hostile environment caused by the abortion ban.
Project 2025 has promised to get rid of the U.S. Dept. of Education and speed up the privatization of our public schools. I believe the writers of Project 2025 hate just about anything public, including public schools, public health, public libraries and everything else that is not privatized. The U.S.D.O.E is KEY in ensuring that children with disabilities, English Language Learners and other groups have equal access to a good education. Trump would take us back to the 50’s, when students were excluded and just stayed home.
Trump plans to abandon Ukraine, double down on destroying Gaza, and allow Russia to continue expanding into eastern Europe. He will abandon our commitment to Taiwan and allow China to take it over. Anyone who knows anything about where computer chips are manufactured knows the danger that brings. Our alliances will mean nothing.
By the way, he claims that there were no wars while he was president. However, 65 American troops died in wars in Iraq, Yemen, Syria and Afghanistan during his term. Biden got us out of these wars. 13 troops died in the pull-out from Afghanistan. No U.S. troops died in 2022 in hostile action, and there were three deaths in 2023.
One final area that concerns me deeply is religious freedom. As a Christian in America, I deeply treasure the genius of religious freedom that the founders established. No other nation had this principle in 1781, and it has really worked. Americans can believe as they wish with no fear that someone will impose on them or their children another belief system. Some Christian supporters of Donald Trump are believing he will usher in a “Christian Nation” of some sort. Save us from that day. The real question is, “Whose version of Christianity?” The one that believes in no guns or lots of guns. The one that believes in no gays or the one that allows for gay marriage? The one that is Catholic or the one that is Baptist? Kamala Harris, who has roots in Christian, Jewish and Hindu traditions, will ensure that the freedom to believe as we see fit is protected.
Character
The character of our President has always mattered. I cannot for the life of me understand why a man who has led a life that is so flawed, and who continues to demonstrate a complete disregard for moral standards, is so close to being back in the White House. This question is why dozens of those who served with him in White House during his first term, and who qualify as conservatives, are voting for Kamala Harris. They have seen Trump behind the scenes and know what kind of man he is. And we can see the way he acts in public, the things he says and does, and, of course, the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape. No way this man should be anywhere near the White House.
Race
I know many people are supporting Trump for a variety of reasons. Some think that the economy was better under him, and that it will be again in a second term. Good luck with that when he starts instituting tariffs. But what troubles me about Trump most of all is the phrase, “Make America Great Again.” I believe that the underlying message is about taking us back in history, back to a time when things were better, when people knew their place. Well let me tell you, there was no golden age. I remember my neighborhood as a child that was a mixed race, blue collar community. The white school bus went down the street to pick up white kids and the black school bus picked up black kids, who went to older, run-down schools. It was ludicrous and we rightly moved on. We do not want to go back. Not over race. Not over gender. We have made progress and we want a President who will take us forward, not backward.
So please, vote for Kamala Harris, Tim Walz and other Democrats who have demonstrated the character to lead us into a fairer, kinder, more equitable and more prosperous future. Let others know how you are voting.
