Over the past few months, we’ve been exposed to a lot of noisy campaigning on both sides of the party line. Can you believe what Trump just said? Bernie wants to do what? Is Cruz serious? As voters, we hear so much that we often forget to think about the specifics. Do any of the candidates have an actual plan – or is everyone in the business of producing viral sound bites?
Clinton’s Tangible Agenda
If anyone has a tangible plan for what they want to do when in the Oval Office, it’s Hillary Clinton. Her “Breaking Every Barrier Agenda” is as concrete a plan as you’ll find. It clearly speaks to pressing issues and lays out steps and strategies for how certain needs will be dealt with.
Clinton’s plan, which was recently announced, comes in response to the idea that so many of the candidates are currently running on a single issue.
“[The Flint water crisis] reminds us, my friends, there's a lot more going on in our country that we should be concerned about,” Clinton said in a speech. “The truth is we’re not a single-issue country.”
4 Topics Clinton Wants to Tackle
So, what are these multiple issues we, as a country, are facing? And why is it important that we deal with them sooner rather than later? Let’s take a look:
1. Revitalizing the Economy
It should come as no surprise that Clinton’s plan starts with revitalizing the American economy. She hopes to do this by introducing a $125 billion economic revitalization initiative that will create higher paying jobs for the lower and middle class, rebuild a crumbling infrastructure, and connect home ownership opportunities with communities that are currently being alienated.
Part of Clinton’s plan is to help impoverished families stop renting and start buying. “Hard-working families of modest means often find that saving the money needed for a down payment on their first home presents an insurmountable barrier to homeownership,” her campaign states. In order to help these would-be homeowners, Clinton suggests matching up to $10,000 in savings towards the down payment on a first home.
2. Tackling Disparities in Health and Nutrition
Something that’s largely swept under the rug is the disparity in health and nutrition among different communities and demographics. While most people associate nutritional deficiencies with starving children in third-world countries, there’s a very real problem on the domestic front.
Part of Clinton’s plan for breaking down barriers involves “tackling disparities in health and nutrition.” This involves reevaluating school lunches, ensuring communities have access to affordable and healthy dietary items, and expanding health and nutritional education.
3. Providing Children with Education
One of the cornerstones of Clinton’s plan is to provide every child in America with a world-class education while simultaneously dismantling what she calls the “school-to-prison” pipeline.
Clinton intends on accomplishing these goals by scaling the Department of Labor’s YouthBuild program and engaging individuals in constructive and profitable activities that pave the way for career growth.
4. Fighting for the Environment
Finally, Clinton understands the need to fight for the environment and protect the assets we’ve been charged with sustaining.
“Clinton will make substantial investments in rebuilding crumbling drinking water and wastewater systems—saving billions of gallons of drinking water, cutting energy costs, and safeguarding public health,” her website clearly explains. “And she will support bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure in our cities—reducing carbon emissions, improving public health and safety, and further providing Americans with affordable transportation options.”
Clinton Rises Above the Noise
While all of the other candidates are arguing and throwing stones, the Clinton campaign is working hard to develop tangible ideas that revitalize a deteriorating economy and promote equality that’s sorely lacking in our divided society. That’s much more than a sound bite.