An Open Letter to Donald Trump — 9/3/2020
- Phoenix Congress 2020 represents members of the American Union, who are willing to vote for both Republicans and Democrats in the 471 federal races who will meet our terms, including Donald Trump.
- This is the third in a series of open letters, explaining our demands; these are the first and the second.
September 3, 2020
Dear President Trump,
The members of the American Union are willing to reelect you this November under a very specific set of conditions.
As a real-estate developer and businessman, you’re familiar with unions; unions are a group of people collectively bargaining to improve their lives. Up until now, political parties have been the only real choice for Americans who wanted to influence the political process. In 2020, the people can unionize for a better social contract.
Many of us have tried to work within the two-party system. We’ve spent long hours volunteering for candidates we believed in; Bernie Sanders shared his vision of real, universal healthcare, where no one would ever fear medical bankruptcy. Andrew Yang explained that getting healthcare off the backs of business would make the economy recover and bloom.
But universal healthcare isn’t going to happen in 2020.
Access to healthcare is especially important during a pandemic, and America is the only industrialized nation where millions of people have lost their insurance this year. We can do better, we demand better, in the 21st century, Mr. President, and Joe Biden’s public option is the best offer that is on the table this election. We expect you to match it.
A public option isn’t government run healthcare, it’s healthcare paid for by the government. And, as you’ve correctly said, the government will save so much money on the other side. A 2013 CBO analysis estimated a public option would save $158 billion dollars over eight years. In 2020, that number will be even higher.
Mr. President, you can be proved right while helping millions of people get the coverage they need, no matter where they live or their employment status.
The public option is just part of the Blueprint for a Better America. Millions of Americans are struggling to get by, and your executive orders are helping the unemployed. We can do better with universal basic income. The unemployed, the under-employed, the essential workers, the stay at home parents, the retirees; everyone gets an American Union Job. Everyone gets $300 a week to be a better American. For those working full time, an extra $300 is equivalent to a $7.50 per hour raise.
This is the basic economic security that America needs, and that a union can fight for. End poverty, end mass incarceration, and end the endless wars, Mr. President. This would be the biggest deal you’ve ever made, and one that would ensure your place in the history books. What made America great is the Constitution, starting with those simple words, “We the people, of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union…”
Members of the American Union show their solidarity each month on the 15th with a fast for peace. Besides signing our legislation into law on October 30, we expect you to join us on October 15. More on that tomorrow.
Respectfully yours,
(You can read September 4th’s open letter here.)
Other articles on Medium:
A call to action around Martin Luther King, Jr.’s triple evils: The Marginalized Must Unionize in 2020
A look at our duties as Americans and the legislation they inspire; The Blueprint for a Better America
