Over 20 Democratic presidential hopefuls are attempting to remove President Donald Trump from the White House in 2020.

 

Getting to Know Businessperson Andrew Yang


The 2020 Democratic presidential race boasts some familiar names in the political arena.


On the contrary, some lesser-known names on the political stage have tossed their hats in the ring as well.


One of the political novices vying to represent the Democratic Party versus President Donald Trump in 2020 is businessperson, Andrew Yang.


But who is Andrew Yang?


Like Trump, Yang is not a career politician but has made a name for himself as a successful entrepreneur.


Therefore, jobs and a livable income top his priority list if elected as the 46th President of the United States of America.


News reports have circulated from China about 5G technology, which will allow robots to do jobs once performed by humans like medical surgery.


Yang fears the day that artificial intelligence and technology replaces working Americans, which will obviously replace the money in their bank accounts with nothing.


The businessperson said that technology has already cost Americans four million jobs and will probably eliminate millions more in the near future.


Yang said that a third of Americans would be at risk of losing their jobs.


And like the lost factory jobs, many of those jobs will never return to working Americans.


To make sure that every American has a heads up when trying to make a way financially for themselves, Yang has proposed the Freedom Dividend, a universal basic income (UBI) for every American over the age of 18.


Via the Freedom Dividend, legal adults will receive $1,000 per month, with absolutely no strings attached.


The money will come from a new tax on companies who use automation instead of real American workers.


Yang said that while establishment politicians refuse to take bold steps to prevent the catastrophic loss of jobs to technology, wanting to leave his children a decent future when he is gone has led him to act radically to help save the future of the workforce.


The Democratic presidential hopeful said, “Once I understood the magnitude of this problem, and that even our most forward-thinking politicians were not going to take the steps necessary to stem the tide, I had no choice but to act.


“I’m the father of two young boys. I know the country my sons will grow up in is going to be very different than the one I grew up in, and I want to look back at my life knowing I did everything in my power to create the kind of future our children deserve—an America of opportunity, freedom, equality and abundance.”


Not only is Yang in favor of a universal basic income, the businessperson is also in favor of Medicare for all.


Yang believes that access to quality healthcare should be a universal right.


Yet, he says that America is one of the only industrialized countries that does not guarantee healthcare for its citizens, instead having private insurance.


Yang said that the private healthcare system leaves millions of Americans uninsured because of high prices and leaves other people bankrupt from unpaid medical services.


The businessperson said that Obamacare was a step in the right direction but does not address two major concerns.


The first concern for Yang is that access to medicine is not guaranteed to all citizens.


And two, the incentives for healthcare providers do not align with providing quality and efficient healthcare.


In the eyes of Yang, Medicare for all will increase access to healthcare, which improves the overall health of all Americans, which leads to costs going down.


Having controlled set prices for medical services is something else that Yang said could lead to affordable healthcare.


Yang looks at the Cleveland Clinic as a model for his Medicare for all program in which doctors receive a set salary, which eliminates the need to run unnecessary tests and procedures just to increase the bill.


This would eliminate the price-for-service model and have set prices for each service.


Some doctors like eliminating the price-for-service model because it allows them to spend more time with each patient instead of running from patient to patient because of the financial incentives of having many patients.


Yang also favors a holistic approach to healthcare in which psychological treatment is included in medical care.


“By referring patients to psychologists during routine physicals, doctors are able to treat, for example, both symptoms of obesity and the underlying mental health issue that often is related to the issue,” Yang said. “The referral also leads people with issues they may otherwise try to bury—sexual abuse, addictions, or domestic violence issues—to bring them up with a doctor so that they can be addressed.”


Like many Americans, Yang does not believe that American capitalism represents true capitalism.


Yang prefers a form of human-centered capitalism.


The businessperson’s three principles of human capitalism are: humans are more important than money; the unit of a human capitalism economy is each person, not each dollar and markets exist to serve our common goals and values.


What many American voters might not know is that Yang is a huge fan of the New York Knicks basketball team.


And like many fans, he can get fanatical about his favorite NBA team for better or worse.

 

The presidential candidate blasted the Knicks organization for signing a bunch of “overpaid role players” this offseason.


The flagship NBA franchise in New York City lost big name NBA free agents like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to crosstown rivals, the Brooklyn Nets.


Furthermore, the Knicks lost out on the opportunity to draft Duke University superstar Zion Williamson who now plays for the New Orleans Pelicans.

 

So it might be understandable that Yang is upset because his Knicks do not boast any big name players to play in their hallowed arena, Madison Square Garden.

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