Oliver Gilbert: A Harris presidency will help Miami-Dade | Opinion
Oliver Gilbert is chairman of the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners. He wrote this article in support of Kamala Harris in conjunction with fellow commissioner, Kevin Marino Cabrera, who is voting for Donald Trump. Click here to read Cabrera’s op-ed.
I come from a middle-class family, worked to put myself through college, went to law school, and served as a prosecutor before entering elected office. Her story is my story; it is an American story.
She is a walking and breathing reminder that the American Dream is accomplishable. You do not have to be born with wealth; your father does not have to leave you hundreds of millions of dollars, and you, too, can do it. That is the picture I want every American to see, the story I want every child to know.
But it’s not just who she is that moves me; it’s what she wants to do to move America forward that compels my support.
Money matters. Harris is proposing a middle-class tax cut as opposed to Donald Trump, who, as president, gave the middle class a temporary tax cut and gave corporations a permanent tax cut.
Further, Harris is proposing to strengthen labor rights and raise the federal minimum wage, while Trump is largely looking to deregulate and let corporations have their way. Harris believes in rebuilding America’s infrastructure. This includes rapid mass transit, which we all know is critical to our future as a county.
Harris is a proponent of small businesses. This is particularly important to Miami-Dade because our robust economy is built by thousands of small businesses. She wants to give them resources and make it easier for them to do business.
But it’s not just the big things; it’s the small, intimate things that affect us and our family members, like her plans to help working parents with the cost of childcare.
That matters to families who struggle to make ends meet but also want to ensure their child has a safe and nurturing environment when they aren’t with them. It’s things like capping the cost of insulin for our seniors because we know that they should never have to choose their medicine over their food.
Under Trump, the national debt grew $7.8 trillion in just four years, one of the highest increases during a modern presidency.
Increased national debt directly affects inflation in our economy. My mom used to say that character matters. Having said that, I will never be OK with how former President Trump talks about women. You shouldn’t be OK with it either.
And I will never believe that Jan. 6 was a day of love and peace. It was in fact, a disruption to the peaceful transfer of power, which is the hallmark of our representative Republic, our constitutional democracy.
I will never be OK with the racial rhetoric that saw a dramatic increase in hate crimes during former President Trump’s presidency, according to the FBI.
In Miami-Dade, more than 50% of our residents were born in a different country. Miami would not be Miami without Cuban, Haitian, Bahamian, Venezuelan, Argentinian, Asian, as well as those from countless other countries. Demonizing immigrants is wrong and must stop. The words of the American president matter. They set a tone. If that tone is hateful, it will permeate.
The president of the United States should embody the character and values of the American people. Regardless of background, Americans are hard-working, honest, and advocates for liberty and justice for all.
As chairman of the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners, I start our commission meetings with a prayer and the pledge of allegiance. With our right hand over our hearts, we pray to God and pledge ourselves to an indivisible country.
If we are to be indivisible, we cannot have a president who continuously tries to divide us.
Based on qualifications, character and country, I am proud to have cast my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.
Oliver Gilbert is chairman of the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners. He wrote this article in support of Kamala Harris in conjunction with fellow commissioner, Kevin Marino Cabrera, who is voting for Donald Trump.
This story was originally published October 29, 2024 at 8:43 PM.