Wayne Messam has frequently stated that he has experienced the American Dream. His parents emigrated from Jamaica to the United States with only a 5th grade education. He was born in Pahokee, Florida on June 7th ,1974, where his father cut sugarcane in the sun to provide for the family. He won a full ride football scholarship to Florida State University where he was a wide receiver on the Florida State Seminoles, where he was a member of the 1993 National Championship team. Unfortunately for him, he did not make the cut for the NFL.





He then started a construction business with his wife and the building projects received national recognition from the US Green Building Council for building the greenest school in the southeastern portion of the US. He started his political career as a city commissioner and eventually became the two-term mayor of Miramar, a position he has held since 2015.





Global Warming





If elected President, Mayor Messam would make global warming a priority. He would prioritize rebuilding bridges, levees, and dams so they can take the additional flooding and he would get the US to transition off of fossil fuels and commit to renewable energy production. He also does not want to leave behind the people who work in the fossil fuel industry and would re-train them to work in renewable energy jobs.





Student Debt





Mayor Messam is for completely cancelling student debt. Under his plan, borrowers would receive

confirmation about debt forgiveness within 60 days of the plan’s execution. The Department of Education will work with the Federal Reserve to identify people with private student loan debt.





To pay for the plan, he will rescind the 2017 tax cut for the wealthy and he will increase employer contributions to the payroll tax by 1.5% for companies that employ over 50 people.





Cancelling student debt would free up an average of $400 per month for student debt holders to build

wealth at the rate of those that do not have student debt. His plan also has the added benefit of

creating 1.2-1.5 million jobs within the first few years of implementation and it will increase the number of degrees received. Finally, it would reduce household vulnerability in down cycles.





Minimum wage





He is for increasing the minimum wage.





Healthcare





He is a proponent for Medicare for all and supports the government negotiating drug prices for Medicare’s outpatient prescription drug benefit.





Abortions/Women’s health





He is for a woman’s right to choose and he does not support any restrictions on that right.





Gun Control





He is for a assault weapons ban and he is a proponent of universal background checks





Immigration





He is a proponent of DACA and he believes that there should be no penalty for crossing the border.





Election Reform





He supports suffrage for formerly incarcerated criminals to vote and he is against Citizen’s United. He also believes that the Electoral College should be eliminated, since it is undemocratic.





Closing Remarks

All in all, Mayor Wayne Messam believes in Medicare-for-All and that undocumented migrants should not be penalized under the law. He also has a plan to abolish student loan debt and reinvigorate the economy.





Wayne Messam has suspended his campaign for the presidency on November 20th, 2019.





Bibliography





“Change Can't Wait. – Messam for America.” Change Cant Wait, WAYNE MESSAM FOR AMERICA, 2019, wayneforusa.com/.

“Where Wayne Messam Stands on the Biggest 2020 Issues.” POLITICO, POLITICO, 18 Nov. 2019, www.politico.com/2020-election/candidates-views-on-the-issues/wayne-messam/.

Young, Robin. “Florida Mayor Wayne Messam Makes His Case For 2020 Presidential Nomination.” Florida Mayor Wayne Messam Makes His Case For 2020 Presidential Nomination | Here & Now, WBUR, 13 June 2019, www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2019/06/13/wayne-messam-2020-presidential-candidate.