Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Trump refuses to reach out to the majority of Americans

I'll admit if you are a right-wing conservative, you would love President Donald Trump's speech to a joint session of Congress. It wasn't the hateful stuff we've seen at his campaign events. However, if this was supposed to be some effort to bring the country together, then you can forget about it. Take away the platitudes, it was boiler plate Trump. Hard right. Nothing for moderates, or liberals. This is not reaching out to the majority of Americans who did not vote for him.

On healthcare, he promised to repeal and replace Obamacare aka the Affordable Care Act. Yet, the day before he admitted how complicated national health care was. Folks, conservative Republicans really don't have a plan to replace it. They have nothing close that will cover the millions of citizens that Obamacare protects. That's because anything that looks like national health care to conservatives looks like socialized medicine. And let's face it. Insurance companies aren't going to keep costs down when they have to cover pre-existing conditions without an individual mandate. There won't be enough customers. So, there's no willingness by conservatives to improve Obamacare.

On immigration, Trump still rails against immigrants for bringing in crime. This broad stroke goes against statistics that immigrants commit crimes at a much lower rate than citizens. (The Atlantic.) He still wants to build that stupid great wall along the Mexico border. This goes against the majority of the people who oppose it. Yet he wants billions of dollars for the walls construction. And folks, he is not going to get Mexico to pay for it. So you the taxpayer will pay for it. In his speech he seemed to want only rich people coming to the United States. Hold on. Doesn't the Statue of Liberty say something about poor, huddled masses yearning to be free as the basis for immigration. I mean it's nice to have rich people come to America but that should not be the only criteria.

I will say he sounded like the Republican god, Ronald Reagan in his economic policies. Tax cuts for the rich. Massive defense spending. And guess where that's going to lead us? Gigantic deficits just like it did during Reagan's term. His policy that for every new governmental regulation there should be a reduction of two others is just too arbitrary. If you follow this illogical plan, you might end up getting rid of good government rules.

My fellow Americans, don't let Trump's flowery words fool you. It's like the movie Soylent Green (1973). The character Sol (Edward G. Robinson) is shown pretty pictures before he is euthanized. That empty stuff about renewing the American spirit is just pretty pictures. Trump's plans are still evil.

For you in the opposition, continue the fight. Keep the pressure on. Resist. Fight until we get justice.

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