York-HI’s Endorsement for the 2020 Primary Election

News about policies and the politicians behind them are constantly in the spotlight on news networks. While President Donald Trump is running for his second term as the incumbent, the Democratic Party is in the process of determining their nominee who will face Trump in November. After an anonymous voting process, York-Hi has voted in a simple majority to endorse Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) for the Democratic Nomination.

Sanders’ political experience includes 10 years as the mayor of Burlington, Vermont, the largest city in the state, a 16 year tenure as the Congressional representative for Vermont at-large, and 12 years in the United States Senate. In 2018, Sanders was elected to another six year term. In addition, Sanders was the runner-up for the Democratic nomination in 2016, in which he won 23 contests and over 13 million votes nationwide. 

Arguably his biggest policy plan is his Medicare-for-All plan that would eliminate private insurance and enroll Americans in a healthcare plan similar to the current Medicare system. One of his more moderate opponents, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, proposed a system of Medicare-for-All Who Want It. While Sanders’ system is about universal healthcare, Buttigieg markets a plan to make healthcare cheaper and more available to the public with private insurance still being an option. The majority of our class supports Sanders’ system.

Sanders succeeded over Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in our staff votes with 10 votes while she had six. While Warren also has a strong background in politics, Sanders has been more consistent in his beliefs. He has promoted the idea of Medicare for All for decades, and he voted against the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which denied the right of marriage to gay and lesbian couples. As a teenager at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, he protested against the bigotry and racism that was prevalent across the country. Sanders would be a nominee that would not waiver on his positions going into the general election.

Another issue that Sanders has talked about with great excitement is canceling the student loan debt of every student. Considering many York students will go to some form of college following their time in high school, the student debt crisis is one that hits home for many students here at York. Students who come out of college with copious amounts of debt can be restricted in their ability to afford homes and apartments. Other candidates in the race have put out plans to help reduce or eliminate student debt; however, many of these plans are based on income levels, and therefore Bernie’s plan would help a greater portion of the York student population.

For the Republican Nomination, we endorse President Donald Trump; with five votes, Trump dominated the York-Hi Republican vote. Following his victory in 2016, Trump has begun the construction of the southern border wall, and he has overseen record highs in the stock market, record job growth (added 6.7 million jobs since election day) and record lows in African American unemployment (5.5%) and general unemployment (3.5%). In addition, despite speculations following the tariffs placed on China, the US has seen an increase in net exports and wealth for the United States since the tariffs were put in place. He has also increased relations with North Korea and taken strong actions against ISIS and Al Qaeda. 

Our endorsement comes from the student staff of the York-Hi Newspaper. Our vote does not come from the staff or the entirety of students at York Community High School, nor does it necessarily reflect the individual views of all those on staff.