We started this series in March with this question: Are you better off now than before? four years ago? We knew the 2024 elections would be unlike any other: the stakes are higher than at any time in the history of the United States. Its outcome will determine the fate of us all and that of the planet.

Our intention was to provide you with factual and reliable information in a range of critical areas: health care, education, climate, jobs and wages, infrastructure. You can then evaluate how you, your family, your community, your state, and your nation would fare under either administration and determine if that future is right for you.

Here’s a recap and update.

Economy: The pandemic has damaged the economy. Trump started with a stable economy, but by the end of his term it was “spiraling downward”; the national debt increased by 40.43%. Housing prices increased by 27.5%. Tax cuts for billionaires and big corporations would thrive and continue while taxes on working and middle-class Americans, partly because of tariffs, would rise by $3,900 a year. Social Security and Medicare would face constant calls for cuts. Addition to the national debt: $7.5 trillion.

The Biden/Harris administration has entered a disastrous economy and a calamitous pandemic. They have slowly brought it back – the envy of countries struggling with a post-pandemic recovery – with inflation slowly falling. Harris’ top priority is building the middle class — lowering the costs of health care, housing, groceries, cutting taxes on families, and ensuring the wealthiest Americans and corporations pay their fair share leaves.

Jobs and salaries: Under Trump, America lost 2.7 million jobs, or nearly 200,000 manufacturing jobs. The unemployment rate increased to 6.4%. Current proposals hint at tax exemptions for tipping, firing public employees and replacing them with anti-union loyalists, allowing businesses to stop paying overtime, and states opting out of federal workplace laws. overtime and minimum wage, and the elimination of protections against child labor.

Biden/Harris brought back 6 million more jobs than before the pandemic; Manufacturing job numbers rebound from pandemic-related losses. In 2023, 9,500 jobs were added to Maine’s economy, many of them in the construction sector. Harris would continue to strengthen collective bargaining to support higher wages and better labor protections for workers.

Infrastructure: While Trump campaigned in 2016 on a $1 trillion infrastructure plan, it never came to fruition, leaving states to fend for themselves. Trump is now proposing new investments for rural America, decision-making by state and local governments, removing regulatory barriers and streamlining permitting.

Harris will continue to emphasize infrastructure spending to rebuild from the pandemic. The bipartisan Infrastructure Act (BIL) allocated more than $2 billion to Maine’s state, regional and local governments for roads and bridges; ports and airports; replacement of school and public buses; and other infrastructure needs.

Climate: Destructive winter storms in Maine and devastating hurricanes along the Eastern Seaboard have underscored the need to combat climate change. The difference between the two candidates is obvious. In four years, the Trump administration has dismantled nearly 100 major climate policies and rules governing the quality of air, water, wildlife and toxic chemicals. Denying there is a climate crisis, he vows to repeal all new environmental protections and reject U.S. international climate commitments, while harassing fossil fuel companies for billions in contributions of dollars. The current administration has championed climate change interventions, rejoined the UN Paris Climate Accord, and is leading the way in reducing methane globally.

Harris supports current climate change initiatives, proposing stricter regulations on polluting industries while expanding clean energy initiatives and subsidies. Maine has received historically significant federal grants to help working waterfront areas recover from unprecedented winter storms and ensure their future resilience. A recent $40.5 million federal grant targets the effects of climate change on wildlife habitat and agricultural lands.

Education: Candidates differ greatly in their approach and goal to education. The GOP-Trump plans mirror the more detailed Blueprint 2025 and the America First Policy Institute proposing the elimination of Head Start and the federal Department of Education. Funding for essential special education services for Maine students would be uncertain. Creation of privatized student loans and universal education savings accounts (ESAs), allowing families to spend taxpayer dollars on private education. School curricula will be severely modified to exempt eras, events and people that depict slavery, segregation, the takeover of tribal lands, Chinese and Japanese internments, among others.

The Harris campaign calls for increased funding to support student success, continued support for Head Start, DoE, and student loan forgiveness, while rejecting bans or restrictions on books and curriculum.

Health care : Medicare, the Affordable Care Act (ACA – Obamacare), and drug costs have been lightning rod issues this election cycle. Under Trump, more than 3 million more people lacked health insurance. Cuts to Medicare funding have been proposed in every annual budget, as has the replacement of Obamacare. Effective COVID vaccines have been distributed ineffectively: by the day Trump left office, 401,000 people had died. Women (and families) have lost their rights to reproductive freedom and will be encouraged to “make babies and stay at home.” And although small gains have been made in reducing drug costs, big pharmaceutical companies have made larger profits.

Harris voted to split the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, allowing the government to negotiate lower drug prices for Medicare with pharmaceutical companies. She is a vocal advocate for the ACA, Medicaid expansion, protections for people with pre-existing conditions, increased home care coverage for seniors, and women’s rights to reproductive freedom. Expanding access to health care is a
priority.

The government must work for all citizens and not against them. Many are unaware of the impact federal policies and corresponding state actions have on them. They also do not know which policies have improved or diminished their well-being and that of their families.

The differences between the two main parties, especially between the presidential candidates, are very clear.

When you vote, ask yourself: Who will best assure my family and me that a secure, stable and sustainable future awaits us?

These considerations are essential information you can take with you into the voting booth this November.

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