The official Election Day is fast
approaching, and many people have already voted through early voting or mail-in
voting. I am one of those who sent my ballot in last week. In listening to all
of the arguments for electing Trump for four more years, I am struck by the
large number of his supporters who say they don’t like the man or his behavior,
but they like his policies. I am not sure you can really separate the two.
President Trump has had a policy of
America first, which I believe reflects his personality of self-first. And I
believe his immigration policies also reflect that personality. His lack of a
health-care plan for the United States shows his unconcern for the many
dependent on Obamacare. He has claimed for almost four years that the
Republican’s plan will be superior to the current Obamacare in all regards, but
a plan is still not forthcoming. But he still tries to kill Obama Care with no
replacement. What is his health care policy?
Our response to the coronavirus has desperately
needed a national policy. There is none. Even now, President Trump holds large
rallies with thousands seated side-by-side with few masks. The most effective
means for slowing the virus, which includes physical distancing and the use of
masks, has been spurned by Trump from the beginning. He has no plan for dealing
with the virus other than a vaccine, which for most Americans will not be
available until next spring. And then it will be some time before enough people
are inoculated to be effective in slowing the spread of the virus.
President Trump is dealing with climate
change the same way he dealt with the coronavirus. His policy is to mostly
ignore it and hope it will go away. But climate change is not going away and
this country desperately needs to prepare for it through a national plan. As
the destruction from storms, droughts, and flooding increases, there will be no
vaccine for preventing nature’s fury. The recent fires in California and Colorado
are directly attributed to a warming climate and longer dry season. And so is the
record number of named storms this year. We need a plan to address climate
change; we need a plan for feeding, clothing, and providing housing for the displaced.
I believe that we have already
passed the tipping point and some of the changes we will experience this decade
cannot be avoided. We must prepare for major climate-related effects on our
livelihoods and quality of life. As Joe Biden stated in the final debate, it is
an existential threat. Without a plan, when nature’s full fury is felt, it will
be too late to help many in dire circumstances.
President Trump has been busy
undoing many of the regulations put in place by President Obama to protect the
American people. He sees them as a hindrance to businesses and a drain on the
economy. Of course, he is not drinking polluted water or watching his children
die from the effects of toxic chemicals.
I think that when most people say
they like Trumps policies they really mean they believe they personally are
better off economically with him as president. They don’t think climate change
is a big threat to them, they probably have health insurance, and they care
little about letting more immigrants into this country. Some fear that they
will lose their right to choose their own doctors under the Democrats, their
taxes will increase, and that lazy people will get handouts from the
government. They believe that President Trump has been great for job growth. He
would have you believe he has been the best with the greatest economy ever. If
you believe that, I suggest you read the Forbes’s article titled Obama’s
Last Three Years Of Job Growth All Beat Trump’s Best Year by Chuck Jones published on February 7,
2020.
Donald Trump has a way of
exaggerating his accomplishments to make you think they were the greatest ever.
The reality is usually much different. As far as jobs and the economy are
concerned, his tax cuts gave us nearly a trillion dollar budget deficits prior
to the coronavirus during a time when we were not in a recession. The deficit
should have been brought down. The reason given for the tax cuts was to grow
the economy (GDP) at above 4 percent. This never happened. The GDP growth has
been between 2 and 3 percent.
The budget deficit for the government’s
fiscal year just completed was $3.1 trillion dollars because of tax cuts and
the coronavirus. We will probably need to add several trillion more in the current
fiscal year to prevent a recession. The national debt is growing to a level
many consider dangerous. As the US experiences trillions of dollars in losses
from climate change, where will the money come from to address these costs? Many
states are already bankrupt because of the coronavirus.
Let’s consider his trade policies
and foreign relations. Even what he considers a phase one with China is
questionable. China has yet to meet their commitments, although they have
recently increased their grain purchases. Now his attacks on China over the
coronavirus are putting any further progress at risk. And the loss of
leadership in the world arena by the US under Trump may have long lasting
effects. Our allies no longer trust the US as being dependable, which limits
our future influence.
I believe that all of President
Trump’s key policies are a reflection of him as a man. He cares little for
other people and everything he does he makes about him. I don’t need to put a
label on his personality; others have already done that. I think it is a big
mistake to think you can separate the policies from the man. Those who are
disturbed by his behavior as a man, but support his policies, need to take a
closer look at what his policies really mean for the long-term health of this
country. Other countries will see and judge the behavior of the US much as we
see and judge the behavior of Donald Trump as a man because the policies will
reflect the personality of the man.
We are all united in a fundamental
and deep way. Those who do not recognize this should not be in a position of
responsibility and leadership for an entire nation. A humane leader of the most
powerful nation on earth casts a benevolent influence over the entire world; an
inhumane US leader casts a cloud of animosity and disharmony over the world. As
a nation, we need to tell the world that lying, cheating, and stealing are not the
values of the American people. We are a people who stand for honesty and fairness,
and individuals without those values should not represent us.
Both President Trump and Joe Biden made
their points in the final debate. I think the American people were able to see
the clear differences between their values and vision for America. Joe Biden
gave a beautiful summary of his vision when answering the final question. In
contrast, Trump used a scare tactic by claiming the US would experience monumental
recession under Joe Biden.
After listening to many pundits and
reading numerous articles, it seems clear that the coronavirus is the key issue
going into the final days of the election. Voters have to decide if Trump did a
good job in his coronavirus response or demonstrated a complete lack of
leadership.
I remind people that the medical
experts are consistent in their recommendation that each American do three
things: wear a mask in public, socially distance, and frequently wash their
hands. President Trump has never addressed the American people to emphasize the
importance of these actions. In fact, as stated previously, he is now conducting
rallies in Florida where I live with images of people packed together with few
wearing masks. For many months, he refused to even wear a mask himself. His
core supporters still believe that wearing a mask and social distancing aren’t
necessary because that is the message they got from him.
I consider Trump’s actions
irresponsible and the most grievous failure of leadership during a crisis. He
has continuously fed disinformation to the American public and must bear the direct
responsibility for the more than 200,000 deaths. The simple act of the President
of the United States addressing the American people, holding up a mask, and explaining
the necessity for all Americans to follow the three recommendations from the
experts could have saves thousands of lives.
I am an independent voter and do not
agree with all of the positions of either major party. But I see four more
years of Trump creating a division in this country from which we may never
recover. And I believe that four more years of a lack of response to global
warming will be catastrophic for this country. Trump has no background in
science, but he thinks he knows best. Beware of the person who never admits a
mistake and claims to know everything better than the experts do. Do you want a petulant 12-year-old or
and adult running the country?
