To quote a fictional character more relevant than he should be, 'let's get things nice and sparkling clear': Joe Biden does not want to defund the police; it was among the first things he addressed upon receiving the nomination. 

"No, I don't," the presidential nominee for the Democratic party told ABC in his first interview after accepting the nomination. The notion is an outright lie, created and perpetuated by the Trump administration as well as members of the Republican party, to attempt to discredit Biden and tarnish his reputation.

The "defund" lie is one of many that is widely believed and circulated among conservatives and some undecided voters. There are others, such as Republican Matt Goetz' paranoid and delusional claims that Biden will invite members of the MS-13 gang to babysit your children.

These myths stretch far beyond the realms of reality, such as fringe conspiracies being spread by conservatives online. But putting the theories, lies, and rumors aside, there are plenty of reasons why Joe Biden should be your preferred choice for President.

For four years, President Trump has been promising to unveil a new health care system better than Obama's Affordable Care Act. He has touted its announcement for at least the last 15 months, and on September 16 at a CNN town hall, he again pushed the date back, stating it would be released within two weeks. 

He's repeatedly claimed he will protect those with pre-existing conditions, all the while suing to have those protections removed. Visiting Whitehouse.gov's healthcare page yields nothing more than a single paragraph about how Obamacare has hurt America, rather than laying out the policies that would make his proposal stronger. Biden's campaign page lays out a path to protect and expand on Obamacare. With this expansion, Biden is signaling empathy and compassion for the American people.

During his presidency, President Trump has made many disparaging statements about Americans, even going as far as to disrespect our armed forces repeatedly. He has allegedly called Americans who died in war "losers" and "suckers" and even went so far as to ask John Kelly, "What's in it for them?" while standing over his veteran son's grave.

 Over the past four years, it has become clear that Donald Trump is not a man that values others or this nation. If a fraction of the statements he's purported to have made are accurate, it wouldn't even be a surprise. Consider his attitude on wearing masks during the pandemic, literally the bare minimum one can do to slow the spread.

This election is one of the most important in history, and it is imperative Americans stand together to defend and secure our democracy. With a new vacancy in the supreme court, we must stand against Trump to ensure balance at the head of our nation's judiciary.