I was watching the first Democratic debate and saw this
Asian guy with no necktie who said if he wins, everyone gets $1000 each month.
I said to myself, “Ok, I’ll vote for this guy,” convinced I’d never again hear
the name, Andrew Yang. The next day, he was still on my mind. I hopped on
Twitter to see what some of the candidates were saying and noticed this
hashtag, #YangGang. I’m still not sure I understand what a hashtag means,
exactly. I then started following Andrew Yang and garnered some understanding
as to this man’s vision. He wants people to live better lives. Period. His
campaign slogan is Humanity First. His catch
phrase is, Not Left. Not Right. Forward. Then I
saw the hats that simply say, MATH. I hate math,
the academic discipline, and thought, “maybe this isn’t for me.” After a bit of
research, I learned that MATH stands for Make America
Think Harder. Yes! Thinking has been missing for quite some time in our
American political system. So this guy wants to work for humanity, unite the
country, better the lives of countless Americans, and encourages thinking. Wow,
I’m all in. Those are my ideals; the ideological tenets of my political
philosophy.
Debate two came up and I fell harder. He appeared again
without a necktie and commented how surprised he was that media outlets even
cared about that sort of nonsense. His wardrobe, like his ideas, do not conform
to traditional politics. That is when “like” became “love” for me. When
mainstream media started leaving him off the polls and the DNC didn’t even seem
to know who he is, I knew he was on to something. Donald Trump still will not
mention his name…he’s afraid to engage and give Andrew the media attention. Trump
supporters are joining our Yang Gang and I couldn’t be happier. The Gang is
diverse in all aspects: political, social, economic, cultural, ethnic, age,
sexual orientation, gender or lack thereof, religion. I’m sure I’ve forgotten
some. That is the attraction for me; a truly united country.
The third debate showed me a few things. First, Andrew’s
proposal to test the Freedom Dividend by selecting ten people to receive $1000
monthly for one year. It was laughed at by other candidates; it was cheered by
his supporters. To run a pilot program at the cost of $120,000 rather than
spend that money on advertisements that do nothing but smear other candidates,
is inspired. Second, ABC set rules for the participants and not one person
other than Andrew followed the rules. They all agreed, promised, to abide by
the guidelines, yet each thought what she had to say was more important than
anyone else. Except Andrew. Yang was the only person up there who kept his
word. That’s what I want from my president.
I have been politically engaged and voting since I was
eighteen years old. I am fifty-four now. I am considered disabled and live on
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), something for which I worked
extremely hard. I have numerous medical and prescription expenses. The Freedom
Dividend will enhance my life. Not only will it help me financially, it will allow me to provide more for others. Our
nation will prosper. People who have no homes will again have means. People in
abusive situations will have the means to flee. Stay at home parents and
caregivers will be compensated for the amazing work they perform. There are so
many more situations to list.
Andrew Yang saved me from political disengagement. He has
given me hope and made me care again. He is not a “cookie-cutter” politician. I
was registered as an Independent and switched to Dem in order to vote for Yang.
I donated a small amount to his campaign, which averages $25 per donation.
There are no corporate interests here. I am driving my friends crazy with my
endorsements of this man. These are all firsts for me. I have renewed hope for
the future of our country and humanity as a whole. Thank you, Andrew.
