An Open Letter to Donald Trump — 9/5/2020
- 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 fifth in a series of open letters, explaining our demands. These links are to the first, second, third, and fourth.
September 5th, 2020
Dear President Trump,
Raising a family is hard work–that is not a metaphor, not an exaggeration, and not pandering. Raising a family is hard work, plain and simple. While everyone knows the vital role that parenting plays in a functioning society, our society does not currently value those who have committed themselves to child rearing, often at the expense of outside employment. This noble calling can cause financial stress on a family because one caregiver is responsible for the family’s entire income; even though both caregivers are committed to working full time.
In 2020, the Coronavirus pandemic highlighted how valuable stay-at-home parents truly are as they assumed the role of teacher alongside parents. With the coming election, Americans are faced with a moment that requires a redefinition of the social contract to pave a prosperous path into the coming decades.
Mr. President, American history is full of examples. In the 1930s, as industrialization improved productivity, the 72-hour work week became unnecessary, FDR and the New Deal established a minimum wage, brought an end to child labor, and introduced the 40-hour work week. Doing so also helped address the wealth disparities that became so evident during the Great Depression.
The Blueprint for a Better America ends poverty with universal basic income of $300 a week for adults plus $100 a week for children. Everyone gets an American Union Job, which recognizes the value of all work, especially the work that is currently valued at $0. This is funded in part by a 15% value added tax (VAT); will families really be better off?
For the majority of families, the answer is certainly yes. In 2018, the median family income income was $61,937. Half of all families in the United States make less than that, Mr. President. If you sign the Blueprint for a Better America, a family of four would see their gross income rise by $41,600, most of which would fall into the 24% tax bracket for a family at the median income. Even if the full 15% VAT was passed through to consumers, they would still have more than $20,000 in additional disposable income.
That spending power is the stuff economic booms are made of. Just as important, it creates the possibility for more families to thrive with a single breadwinner, for a parent to give up outside work to stay home and raise a family. The time has come, and is long overdue, for this hard work to be valued.
It is inevitable that America will undergo a cultural shift as a result of the pandemic. Will the vital work of stay-at-home parents and other caregivers be valued in the new social contract?
Mr. President, 90% of the states you won in 2016 had median household incomes below $61,937. Your leadership can lift them up, and build stronger families. You can be the one to pave this path forward, if you sign our legislation. Will you join us?
Respectfully yours,
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
