Tag: election 2020

Let the People Pick the President

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Plot:

Let the People Pick the President has a subtitle that sums up its content well: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College. In this insightful book, Jesse Wegman explores the system that we use for electing the highest leader of the country. Although mayors, governors, senators, and other representatives are chosen by popular vote, the president is elected using a complicated system of electors based on, but not proportionally representative of, a given state’s population. Through an examination of the creation of this system at the time of the country’s founding, to a discussion of the current implications of the way the system works, Let the People Make the President presents a convincing case for moving to a popular vote election for president of the United States.

What I loved most:

Let’s be real here… does anyone actually understand the electoral college? Before reading this book, I was confident that I could explain the general way the electoral college works to a first grader… but also confident that I couldn’t explain satisfactorily to a high school student why two out of the last six presidents did not win the popular vote. The concept of a popular vote made sense to me, since it works for literally every other position we elect in this country, but I didn’t understand the electoral college enough to be able to make a solid argument for abolishing it. Wegman makes this seemingly-complex topic accessible to a wide audience. Even if you are pro-electoral college, this would be an interesting read for the exploration of the Constitution’s creation alone. It’s definitely worth your time!

Read this book if you like:

Politics, thinking through long-standing ways of doing things, democracy, learning from history

Book details:

Give People Money: How Universal Basic Income Could Change the Future–For the Rich, the Poor, and Everyone in Between

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Review:

This book is about a radical concept made simple. Give People Money discusses a Universal Basic Income (UBI), or a guaranteed amount of money provided by the government to each citizen. UBI is not a new concept, but it is one that is becoming more popular. In response to the impending job loss from automation, it’s being heralded as a way to keep America’s economy strong while supporting its citizens. Lowrey has taken on a comprehensive examination of UBI, including looking at implementation of UBI trials in Kenya, Germany, and Finland as well as examining what it would mean to implement UBI in the United States.

UBI has historically been supported by people from a variety of political parties, including Republican Richard Nixon, Libertarian Charles Murray, and Marxist Socialist Erik Olin Wright. Andrew Yang, a Democratic candidate for the 2020 presidency, is currently running on a platform based on UBI. And a recent study demonstrated that approximately 48% of Americans are in favor of implementing UBI. Give People Money explains the concept of UBI in a way that is accessible to the lay person while remaining grounded in research.

Favorite Passage:

A UBI, I thought, was not so much about welfare as inclusion. Universal cash programs were a way of providing the poor with an opportunity to participate in the economy. Universal cash programs were a way of ensuring that all members of the society had a foundation to build on. 
— Chapter 9

What I Loved Most:

I’m not a proponent of implementing UBI in America. While it sounds great to have everyone receive $1,000 a month, with no obligations or requirements, I simply don’t think it is a feasible program to fund. Give People Money does suggest several options for funding UBI, such as increased income, corporate, and consumption taxes, as well as funds from shared national resources. In addition, a UBI would allow many of our current social welfare programs (TANF/Food Stamps, Medicaid, Housing Assistance, etc.) to be stopped completely. The money currently used for these programs could be redirected to fund UBI. However, Lowrey admits that UBI would likely increase the deficit; in fact, she advocates for starting the program and letting the funding fall into place eventually. Seeing as there is no feasible way that I can find to fund this program, I simply don’t think the UBI would work.

With all of that being said, I think it is SO important to be informed on political issues. And if I don’t agree with something, I want to have solid reasoning as to why I don’t agree with it. I like reading books that challenge me to consider how I’ve come to the conclusions I have. I ended Give People Money with the same opinion about UBI as I had at the beginning of reading it, but with more knowledge as to the proposed benefits and negatives of the policy. Especially since I think UBI is likely to continue gaining supporters, I am glad that I understand more about the policy.

Read this book if you like:

Politics, economics, considering what social programs are best for our country

Book Details:

The Truths We Hold

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Review:

Kamala Harris was raised by parents who instilled a love of justice in her from a young age. Her mom (a breast cancer scientific researcher, originally born in India) and dad (an economics professor at Stanford, originally born in Jamaica) met through the civil rights movement while they were in graduate school. They taught Kamala that it was important to stand up for what was right, and she has been dedicated her life to doing just that. Harris has worn many hats throughout her career – District Attorney of San Francisco, Attorney General of California, and Senator on behalf of California. As of her recent announcement, she is adding Presidential Hopeful to that esteemed list.

In her book, Harris discusses everything from her political opinions to her industrious career to the pain of losing her mom to cancer. She gives us an in-depth look at major events that have happened in her career – the housing crisis, prison sentencing reform, the Back on Track program she spearheaded to reduce recidivism, the family separation policy at the U.S. border, and Brett Kavanaugh’s appointment to the Supreme Court were just a few topics she touches on. Harris is eloquent in her writing, and is both well-informed and passionate as she shares her opinions on political issues.

I love voting and elections. I think I am probably in the minority on that, as most people I know find politics exhausting. While I definitely don’t appreciate the vitriol that tends to characterize American elections, I find it absolutely thrilling that we as citizens get to have a hand in shaping what our government looks like. In considering who I want to vote for in the 2020 election, one of the best ways I have found to learn about candidates is to read their memoirs. The Truths We Hold is the first in what is sure to be a long line of books I read from presidential hopefuls before the 2020 election.

Favorite Passage:

A patriot is not someone who condones the conduct of our country whatever it does. It is someone who fights every day for the ideals of the country, whatever it takes.

What I Loved Most:

Harris discusses the American tendency toward false choices. For example, she states that most people feel you can either want the police to arrest dangerous criminals, or you can want the police to stop using excessive force. Harris says that you can and should want both – that you can support the brave men and women serving their country as police members while also wanting to hold them accountable for using unnecessary violence. Our current political system often says that you have to choose one side of an issue, even though most issues aren’t black and white enough to divide into only two choices. I personally hold the utmost respect for police officers, and I also believe that black lives matter. I appreciate Harris’s approach to criminal justice reform, stating that we need to hold our police officers accountable for using ethical tactics while creating an environment that supports our men and women in uniform.

Read this book if you like:

Being politically informed, memoirs, successful women of color, learning more about the legal system

Book Details: