The Independent Reformist

2020 Presidential Candidate Profiles: Part 3: Andrew Yang

Preface:

This series will attempt to do a profile of all presidential candidates for 2020, to include President Donald Trump, potential Independent candidate Howard Schultz, and lesser known candidates like Andrew Yang and Marianne Williamson.

The goal will be to show the political viewpoints, ratings, key milestones and who has funded each candidate with a fair, no B.S.presentation of facts. I will attempt to offer as little personal perspective as practical, while sourcing reference material. It is entirely possible that other candidates will join the race after the initial run of this series. I will attempt to include as many as practical.

The most important thing is to be sure that readers are informed without bias on the candidates, so that they can make as informed of a decision as possible.

*Please note: Some categories are not listed for sake of brevity. Links to all referenced information sources are at the end of the post.

Presidential Candidate: Andrew Yang

Andrew_Yang_talking_about_urban_entrepreneurship_at_Techonomy_Conference_2015_in_Detroit,_MI_(cropped)

 

The Basics:

  • Campaign Websites
  • Currently:
    • Founder (Previously Founder & CEO) of Venture for America (since 2011)

      • “VFA is a two-year fellowship program for recent grads who want to work at a startup and create jobs in American cities.”
    • Member of ProPhase, LLC Board of Directors (since 2010)
      • “ProPhase Labs, Inc. engages in the research, development, manufacture, distribution, marketing and sale of over-the-counter (OTC) cold remedy and consumer products, natural base health products, and other supplements and cosmeceuticals in the United States.”
  • Education
    • Juris Doctor, Activities and Societies, Columbia Law School
    • B.A. in Economics, Brown University
  • Prior roles:
    • CEO, President and Managing Director of Manhattan GMAT (2006-2011)
    • Vice President of MMF Systems, Private LTD (2002-2005)
    • Writer “The War on Normal People: The Truth About America’s Disappearing Jobs and Why Universal Basic Income Is Our Future” (2018)

Notable Quote(s) on why he’s running:

“I’m Andrew Yang, and I’m running for President as a Democrat in 2020 because I fear for the future of our country. New technologies – robots, software, artificial intelligence – have already destroyed more than 4 million US jobs, and in the next 5-10 years, they will eliminate millions more. A third of all American workers are at risk of permanent unemployment. And this time, the jobs will not come back.

I’m not a career politician—I’m an entrepreneur who understands the economy. It’s clear to me, and to many of the nation’s best job creators, that we need to make an unprecedented change, and we need to make it now. But the establishment isn’t willing to take the necessary bold steps. As president, my first priority will be to implement Universal Basic Income for every American adult over the age of 18: $1,000 a month, no strings attached, paid for by a new tax on the companies benefiting most from automation. UBI is just the beginning. A crisis is underway—we have to work together to stop it, or risk losing the heart of our country. The stakes have never been higher.”

From: https://www.yang2020.com/meet-andrew/

Sponsored Bills (Propublica.org)

  • Not Applicable

Basic Platform:

Ratings by Various Organizations (Votesmart.org):

  • Not Applicable

Policy Stances (AndrewYang2020.com):

*Mr Yang has not served in political office. All policies are from his campaign site.

  • Universal Basic Income
    •  Also referred to as The Freedom Dividend,’ of $1,000/month, $12,000 a year for every American adult over the age of 18.
    • Paid for using a Value-Added Tax (VAT) is a tax on the production of goods or services a business produces.
    • Argues that “A VAT at half the European level would generate $800 billion in new revenue.”
    • Believes that “1 out of 3 American workers is at risk of losing their jobs to new technologies… this time new jobs will not appear quickly enough in large enough numbers to make up for it.”
  •  Health Care

    • Advocates moving towards “a single-payer system to ensure that all Americans can receive the healthcare they deserve.
    • Argues that while “The Affordable Care Act was a step in the right direction”, but :
      • “Access to medicine isn’t guaranteed to all citizens
      • “The incentives for healthcare providers don’t align with providing quality, efficient care”
  •  Human Centered Capitalism
    • Regulate corporate excesses with well paid Regulators who “will be prohibited from going to private industry afterward.”
    • Argues “The Market systematically tends to undervalue many things, activities, and people, many of which are core to the human experience.”
    • Argues “There is no such thing as a pure Capitalist system.”
    • States 3 core tenets to Human Centered Capitalism:
      • Humanity is More Important Than Money
      • The Unit of an Economy is each Person, not each Dollar
      • Markets Exist to Serve Our Common Goals and Values
  • Foreign Policy
    • Goals:
      • “Make it harder for the United States to get involved in foreign engagements with no clear plan or goal”
      • “Rebuild our relationships with allies to strengthen the international order”
      • “Bring our military spending under control”
    • “We need to make sure we are strong at home if we are going to successfully project our values abroad.”
    • “America has involved itself at too high a cost in foreign issues that don’t concern us”
  • Gun right and Gun Issues
    • “Responsible gun owners should continue to enjoy the right to bear arms, subject to licensing and education requirements that will encourage the public safety.”
    • “Enhance mental health resources available to people who need help”
    • “Create a common sense licensing policy, requiring investment and safety precautions”
  • Crime and Policing
    • “Police officers do a dangerous job every day and deserve our support. Having a camera will help both the public and the police officer resolve complaints.”
    • “End the use of for-profit, private prisons”
    • “Shift federal drug policy away from punishment and towards treatment”
    • “Fund programs targeted at reducing recidivism and increasing reintegration”
  • Education
    • “Create a pre-kindergarten public education system for all 3- and 4-year-olds”
    • “Control the cost of higher education”
    • “Get schools to focus on their ideals and invest their money in increasing the quality of education while decreasing the cost of said education for their students”
  • Immigration
    • “We need to work with border security experts, immigrant advocates, and the Mexican government to provide effective, secure, humane border security.”
    • “We need to find a solution that allows these individuals to formally integrate into our country.” (Dreamers)
    • “Bring the 11+ million undocumented immigrants out of the shadows and into the formal economy”
    • “Find a solution that reflects the fact that they entered the country illegally”
  • Drugs
    • “The opiate addiction crisis exists in large part because our government thought it was okay for companies to make a lot of money prescribing addictive opiates to millions of people.”
    • “Reduce the production of and use of opioids for general pain management”
    • “Prevent a similar crisis from developing in the future with stricter regulations on marketing and sales tactics”
    • “Support the full legalization of marijuana at the federal level and remove it from the controlled substances list.”
    • “Provide regulation and oversight of the marijuana industry”
    • “Provide justice and equity for those convicted of marijuana use and possession” (under existing law)

Top Contributors:

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Sources

  1. https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewyangvfa/
  2. https://ventureforamerica.org/about-us/
  3. http://www.prophaselabs.com/about-us/overview/
  4. https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/P00006486/?cycle=2018&election_full=false

Previous posts in this series (2020 Presidential Candidate Profiles):

Senator Bernie Sanders

https://bernnoticepolitics.wordpress.com/2019/03/01/2020-presidential-candidate-profiles-part-2-senator-bernie-sanders/

Senator Kamala Harris

https://bernnoticepolitics.wordpress.com/2019/02/28/2020-presidential-candidate-profiles-part-1-senator-kamala-harris/