Like many others, I watched the Vice-Presidential Debate between Republican candidate J.D. Vance and Democratic Candidate Tim Walz. As I have said to many of my friends, this debate was one of the more civil debates I have seen in a long time. I miss these debates; when 2 candidates can go on stage, talk about the issues that facing the American people calmly and firmly, and presenting their respective arguments on how to fix the issues we face as a Nation.
What made this debate interesting, however, is that both of these men come from harsh backgrounds. Walz grew up on a struggling farm in the heart of Nebraska, while J.D. Vance was raised in the poverty-stricken Rust Belt of Ohio. During the debate, you could see the passion both of the candidates had standing up for their respected Mid-Western communities. But it got me thinking, and then it made me scared; these men were the first that I have heard in a long time to mention the struggles that their respective regions face. Specifically, their industries.
Tim Walz has made argument about the protection and the advocacy for the rights of farmers across the United States, even saying during the debate that “our greatest export can’t be topsoil.” Vance, on the other hand, has advocated support for the area that raised him in the Rust Belt, which in the wake of a failed steel industry, has fallen into opioid filled poverty. Both these men care about their respective backgrounds, and I think that the American people should as well.
After the debate, I had a sit-down conversation with one of my friends about sustainability. We both concluded that the United States has a sustainability problem. Our country focuses too much on a crippling defense budget; so much that neglected the industries that were our strongest. Our only “self-sustaining” industry is energy, but even then, we keep it all to ourselves, not being able to properly export it. Other than that, we are, in my opinion, too reliant. We rely on other countries for their food imports, since our main crops, Corn and Wheat, are either turned into animal feed for factory farms or ethanol for gasoline. Almost half of our cars are foreign, almost all of our textiles are foreign, and practically every plastic and tech product we have is foreign. Furthermore, these foreign exports are usually made with cheap,
unethical, and harmful labor practices. This is not America. We can’t rely on the harmful practices of other countries to stay afloat.
Our goal should be to focus on becoming a self-sustaining nation. We need to increase funding to our manufacturing and farming industries to get the product we need and the food to feed our workers. An upgrade to our farming industry, whether it be in the farming methods or the tools we use, would mean an advantage in the fight against hunger in the United States. If we boost our manufacturing industries, then we can make more products necessary for the American people. But we can’t do that with leadership that refuses to take initiative to do so. If we do both, then the job market would explode, and impoverished areas could start making they money they need to get back up.
That is why I think in the future, we need to focus on the candidates who really do care about the harsh living that many Americans call reality. We need a leader who will focus their energy to make American businesses strong for American and the rest of the world. I think we can do it, but we need to have a leader who cares, much like the candidates for Vice-President care. I see a future for the United States, one where we become the farming and manufacturing powerhouse that we once were. I see a future that puts American industry first before the industries of others. I see a future where the world can rely on the United States for something other than our weapons of war. I see a future that would put America on top once again, and that future is completely possible. All we need are the right people in the right places. If that debate made me feel anything, it is this: Americans could be far from reliant. We are a strong people, made from all walks of life, and we can do anything with the right determination.