Can you believe it’s already Presidential Election season? If you feel a bit baffled about how it’s almost time to head to the ballot box, you’re not alone. Plenty of people had their perception of time interrupted by the response to COVID-19. Somehow, we’ve already made it through four years under President Joe Biden, but after he recently pulled out from running for re-election, our main choices in November are either former President Donald Trump or current Vice President Kamala Harris.
Each American is free to vote however they’d like, so I’d never pressure you into doing as I do, but I do want to offer you some cautionary advice. Elections should be about the issues, not the individual. As our culture has become increasingly narcissistic and caught up in the cult of celebrity, we miss out on honest exchanges about public policy issues and how to solve them.
Amid a bloated bureaucracy, it’s tough to parse out which public policy issues you should care most about. Housing? Labor economics? Homeland security? Criminal justice? All pretty dry, huh?
Well, what about reproductive justice or diversity, equity, and inclusion regulations? These emotionally charged issues tug at the heartstrings of voters across the nation who have been conditioned to prioritize the underdog above all else. Naturally, many are housed under the “women’s rights” umbrella.
I’m sympathetic to an extent. I work for a women’s policy organization and write for a women’s magazine. Clearly, women’s issues make up a massive portion of my mental capacity. Despite this, I’m not impressed by what many consider the most pertinent issues for American women’s rights, and I believe that many undermine the well-being of women (and men, for that matter) across the nation.
So, which policy issue areas do I think actually matter for girls’ and women’s ability to thrive? Here are three of the biggest ones you should keep in mind ahead of this upcoming election.
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