Facts You Might Not Know About Biden
Joe Biden earned a bachelor’s degree from
Delaware U. and a law degree from Syracuse U. He married Neilia Hunter and they
had three children, but Neilia and their infant daughter were killed in a tragic
car wreck, which also injured their two sons. Joe recovered from that devastating
grief to enter politics and the people of Delaware elected him to the U.S.
Senate in 1972, a job he then held for 36 years before becoming the 47th U.S. Vice President for eight years. In addition to his role as a U.S. Senator, he was also an adjunct
professor (1991–2008) at the Wilmington, Delaware, branch of the Widener
University School of Law. He and Jill Jacobs, who holds a doctorate degree in education and is a
bestselling author, married in 1977 and had a daughter. In 2015, the Biden
family suffered another tragedy when Joe’s eldest son, Beau, died of brain
cancer.
During his decades in Washington Joe
gained a wealth of experience and was respected by members of both parties as
an outspoken and effective legislator, a unifier, and a strong-willed advocate
on many fronts, chief among these being foreign affairs and the battle against
illegal drugs.
When Biden won the 2020 election, he
inherited a White House riven by chaos, a raging pandemic, and economic and
climate crises. Yet, despite a steady stream of false defamatory statements
from Donald Trump and his far-right followers, and their extensive illegal efforts
to overturn the election, including attacking the Capitol—the heart of our
democracy—the Biden administration has worked quietly on behalf of all Americans.
Accomplishments so far include:
- Fully vaccinating 79% of Americans against Covid (anyone
who wisely wanted it free for themselves and their families).
- Restored threatened species protections, which were
dropped by Trump to favor big business.
- Rejoined the Paris Agreement to fight climate change,
which was also dropped by Trump, again to favor big business. Adopted the
most aggressive climate change/environmental justice agenda in U.S.
history, while adding many new jobs in those areas. Pledged to cut harmful
emissions in half by 2030 and to net zero by 2050.
- Phenomenal job growth, with 11 million jobs created
including 750,000 new manufacturing jobs making things in America rather
than importing them from overseas. More people are working now than at any
time in our history.
- An unemployment record of 3.5%, the lowest in 50 years.
- A $15/hour minimum wage for federal workers.
- A 15% minimum tax on billion-dollar corporations, with NO
tax increases for families making under $400,000/year. (Trump gave a big tax
break to the wealthy, including himself.)
- Legislation to rebuild our infrastructure—deteriorating bridges,
buildings, and roads—in all 50 states, territories, and tribal lands.
- Despite worldwide inflation that is beyond our
government’s ability to control, the Biden Administration passed the
Inflation Reduction Act to slow inflation in America, and lowered gas
prices with the release of strategic reserves.
- Rallied allies to help Ukraine fight off Russian
aggression, eroding Putin’s dictatorial powers and military capability,
which is in America’s best interests.
- More Americans now have health care than ever before.
Capping insulin price at $35 per month. Capping seniors’ drug costs at
$2,000/year. An $800 health insurance savings for 13 million Americans.
- Historic student
debt relief so they can get to work in successful contributing careers (and
pay their taxes).
- Clamping down on “junk fees” such as those routinely tacked
on by car dealerships after a deal has been agreed on, which can
increase the final price by many hundreds of dollars.
- Record-breaking Wall Street performance that is boosting
the investments of all Americans.
- Proposed the most comprehensive immigration reform
legislation in decades, granting much of what the Republicans said they wanted,
only to have Trump shoot it down (with his far-right legislative followers
bowing to his wishes) because Trump wanted immigration as a platform to
attack Biden.
The Biden administration has been and
still is working for all Americans.
Joe Biden is a good guy.
Donald Trump is obviously not. (See
the last blog post for hard facts to back up that claim.)
Phil
