Less than two weeks to November 5th, our national Election Day. If you’re a hardy soul, you listened to stories of immigrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, the dehumanization of one candidate or another, the dehumanization of deceased Veterans, a candidate dancing for 39 minutes, rambling, word salads, more rambling, candidates with likely dementia if not Alzhimer’s symptoms, tariffs, former administrative staffs calling out their boss(s), horror stories from the front lines Roe V. Wade, ‘drill baby drill,’ racism, radical left, radical right, racism, socialism, nationalism, nepotism, no-bism’s, slipped-ism’s, left-out-ism’s, toilet-ism’s and genitalia. What we didn’t hear was answers to complex questions.  

Here are the questions I wished candidates answered.

  1. America’s national debt is just over $35 trillion. Implementing tariffs sounds excellent on the campaign trail, but tariffs will only increase economic pain to American citizens. So, with all that in mind, how will your economic policies help reduce America’s national debt and ease American economic pain?
  2. Experts estimate that sometime between 2035 and 2050, one in four U.S. citizens will either have dementia or Alzheimer’s. The nation and our current healthcare system are unprepared. How will your healthcare policies help prepare America for that burden? 
  3. Statistics indicate that crime has decreased. Yet many Americans do not feel safe. Besides sending military or National Guard units into neighborhoods, how will your policies reduce systemic racism while ensuring Americans feel safer?
  4. One political party denounces any form of climate change impact. Floridians pay some of the highest home insurance rates in the country. However, after hurricanes Helene and Milton, Florida home insurers have denied more than 37,000 claims. Roughly 10% of claims have resulted in no payment, and 157,000 Hurricane Milton claims remain open without payment. How would your policies prepare American cities for the onslaught of natural disasters and help Americans in their time of need, especially when insurance companies fail?
  5. One party appears to have shifted to autocratic tendencies. As opposed to a democratic society, how would an autocratic government help Americans live better lives?
  6. Massachusetts, Hawaii, and New Hampshire top the 2023 State Scorecard rankings for health system performance, based on 58 measures of health care access, quality, use of services, costs, health disparities, reproductive care and women’s health, and health outcomes. Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Mississippi rank last. The U.S. ranks last on four of five health outcome measures. Life expectancy is more than four years below the 10-country average, and the U.S. has the highest rates of preventable and treatable deaths for all ages. Lastly, the United States has one of the most significant healthcare expenses in the world but the poorest outcomes. America’s healthcare issues are not solely a ‘health insurance’ issue. How will your policies improve healthcare outcomes for all Americans?
  7. The United States Supreme Court overturned a fundamental right for women to choose abortion and returned the decision to the states. A few states have prosecuted women for miscarriage. What type of healthcare restrictions should men receive, and of those restrictions, for which should they be prosecuted?
  8. One political party wants to end the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The other political party wants to enhance the ACA. Which would you choose, and how will your policies increase healthcare coverage for all Americans?

Of course, there are many more profound questions, but I chose eight for this post. When I reviewed the rallies and debates, candidates hadn’t provided detailed answers to any of the eight listed above. One candidate deflected any meaningful response and discussed the horrors of immigration, John McCain sandbagging him on an ACA vote, the deep state. The other candidate spoke about improving America. 

If you review each candidate’s answers, only one seems like the best choice. However, the decision is yours.