Why I will vote for Trump.

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‘Hold your nose and vote’: Progressives weigh backing Biden  by Sara Burnett and Will Wiessert, AP 4/15/2020

The progressives are not happy they lost, Biden is dancing around the platform, https://www.demconvention.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/2020-07-31-Democratic-Party-Platform-For-Distribution.pdf, by not committing to the demands of the Bernie/AOC group—green new deal, free college, defund the police, stack the court, etc. BUT, they are going to hold their nose.

So am I.

I have voted in presidential elections since 1968, mostly conservatively but not exclusively. My heart hurts over the partisanship, language, personal insults and falsehoods bombarding voters today, from both sides, but more so from President Trump. Those who hate President Trump voted for John Kennedy-an aggressive philanderer and recipient of fraudulent votes in Chicago; Bill Clinton-another womanizer; in past elections personality was disregarded.

President Trump is vain, not a team player, disrespectful of those who oppose him, too eager to use his phone and pen, caustic, willing to trash those who offered their loyalty but disagreed with him, well I could go on. A friend said it best, I vote for policies, not people.

Pew Trust did a survey of the top issues in this election. I will detail for each one why I think Biden is the wrong choice.

Economy. During Clinton’s first election the slogan was, “It’s the economy stupid!” If anyone thinks Biden will do a better job than Trump they are blind to the data. Obama Biden had the worst post-recession recovery in history, raised taxes, raised regulations, outlawed energy companies who followed the federal rules, worked against fracking, supported losing renewable projects, supported companies that should have declared chapter 11, need I go on.

Taxes. Competitive tax rates with the rest of the world is critical for our competitiveness, innovation, job growth, capital investments-the tax changes made recently have produced those results. Yet, the progressive movement class warfare has labeled all corporations and wealthy people as evil. Their extreme left wing chants death to capitalism and the rich.

Regulations. Our free market system must have regulation, without such the evils of the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries would repeat themselves, greed is alive and well.  I have done business in China and seen those abuses there, first hand in the last decade. Their government truly could care less. The question is how heavy. In commenting on “The Road to Serfdom” by Hayek, J.M. Keynes said,    “In my opinion it is a grand book … Morally and philosophically I find myself in agreement with virtually the whole of it: and not only in agreement with it, but in deeply moved agreement.” He commented also that only in degree of recommendations do we disagree, Hayek on lighter regulations,

Trump may be a blowhard, but he understands that a growing economy is good for all. Income inequality (Including transfers) has turned the corner. Unemployment is the lowest in 50 years, for all quintiles and races.

Vice President Biden has already stated his administration will reverse everything they can to go back to the past.

Health Care:  “You can keep your doctor and your premiums will drop an average of $2,000.” If not a lie, then gross incompetence. The Democrats refused to accept conservative input. They had a supermajority and pushed it through. To quote speaker Pelosi, “We have to pass the bill,” she said, “so that you can find out what is in it — away from the fog of the controversy.” Or the quote from the architect, Jonathon Gruber about us “Stupid Americans,” https://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2014/11/10/obamacare-architect-yeah-we-lied-to-the-stupid-american-people-n1916605.

Our lack of bi-partisanship (Go No Labels.org) has prevented us from reforming health care. It is not a constitutional right but it is something that all Americans should have access to quality care. Ask the veterans if they are happy with the government responsible for their health care. Ask the 150,000,000 voters if they want their private health care taken away. Do Americans really want illegal aliens to have access to our health care system?

Progressives do not want the private sector involved in health care. I do.

Supreme Court: Judges should not create laws out of thin air, they must follow the law as passed, not as they and their likeminded roadies would like it to be. Precedent, stare decisis is important and has benefited both sides of the political aisles, abortion recently. But, some decisions should be overturned, such as those forcing people to pay union dues for political speech they disagree with. Much of the law is not black and white but open to interpretation. The Congress has abdicated its’ role in our country with its’ partisanship, the executive and judicial have taken on legislative duties, “I have a phone and a pen.” Ring a bell.

Coronavirus: By early 2021 the vaccines will be given to most folks and the economy can be fully reopened, but the damage is significant. Biden talks about listening to the experts, exactly which ones? There is much disagreement about what to do going forward and what we should have done in the beginning.

Violent Crime: Not much to say here, I don’t have any data but most of the cities in flames are historically run by democrats. No real condemnation of the violence until it became necessary. Andrew Cuomo saying, “If Trump wants to come to NY to campaign he better bring an army.” We need to control police unions who protect bad cops. We need to spend money on conflict training, etc. We need to root out racists. There is much to do but to say there is systemic racism is false. The Democrats are rooting the bad guys on, or not stopping them which is the same thing. Peaceful protests about police issues are welcome. I think MLK would throw up to see the lack of action to stop violence by a small minority of people in the midst of peaceful protests. Einstein said “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

 

Foreign Policy: China, Iran, Russia and others. Trump has a mixed record on being consistent towards those whose mission is to undermine our country and freedom and democracy around the world. In the last year or so he seems to have firmed up and is doing those things that promote the above. The progressives are very, very weak in this area, remember the “Reset” button and Iran deal that allowed it to produce a nuclear weapon without restriction in ten years!! Senator Feinstein said in early August; “We hold China as a potential trading partner, as a country that has pulled tens of millions of people out of poverty in a short period of time, and as a country growing into a respectable nation amongst other nations,” So as China imprisons one million Muslims, monitors half its’ citizens with technology and if you do anything the CCP doesn’t like you don’t get jobs, move around, etc., will not allow you to have social services it you don’t have an identity card from that region, has stolen our intellectual property, …. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said that China was “not competition” for the U.S., prompting blowback from prominent members of both political parties. At an event in Iowa City, Biden was explaining why he believes concerns that China could eventually surpass the U.S. as a world superpower and economic force are overstated. “China is going to eat our lunch? Come on, man,” the former vice president said. “I mean, you know, they’re not bad folks, folks. But guess what? They’re not competition for us,” he added.

Robert Gates wrote a book called “Duty.’ Biden was against the hit on Bin Laden, pg 543, “Biden was against the operation to take out Bin Laden.”  He also is quoted as saying Biden has been wrong on every major foreign policy decision over the past four decades, as he reaffirmed during an interview.

MARGARET BRENNAN: I was rereading your memoir before we sat down to talk and you said in your memoir, Joe Biden is impossible not to like.
Quote: “He’s a man of integrity, incapable of hiding what he really thinks, and one of those rare people you know you could turn to for help in a personal crisis. Still, I think he’s been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades.”
Would he be an effective commander-in-chief?
ROBERT GATES: I– I don’t know. I don’t know. I– I think I stand by that statement. He and I agreed on some key issues in the Obama administration. We disagreed significantly on Afghanistan and some other issues. I think that the vice president had some issues with the military.

Gun Policy: Well, not much to talk about here, the positions are well established. As Biden said to Robert Francis “Beto”O’Rourke,  moments after former Democratic presidential candidate — who promised in a September debate to take away legally purchased assault rifles if elected — endorsed Joe Biden’s White House run, the former vice president promised to name the Texan as his point man on gun control. “I want to make something clear, I’m going to guarantee you this is not the last you’ve seen of him,” Biden said Monday evening during a campaign rally in Dallas. “You’re going to take care of the gun problem with me. You’re going to be the one who leads this effort.” “I’m counting on you. I’m counting on you,” Biden continued. “We need you badly, the state needs you, the country needs you. You’re the best.”

Chicago has the strictest gun control laws in the country;that works really well. We need to ensure those with metal issues are not allowed to buy guns legally. What is the hold up?

Race and ethnic inequality:  Race. “Let’s eliminate systemic racism.” That chant has been heard loudly recently and in some cases deservedly. But we humans have been favoring members of our own group-tribe, since we became sentient beings. I say eliminate the racists, those whose prejudice allows them to hold power over others. Saying that all whites are racist is, well, racist. Rodney King said, “Why can’t we all just get along?” Why can’t we, because there are people who like to cause trouble, want others to suffer, filled with hate—on both sides of the fence. Isolate them; don’t paint all with the same paintbrush. I believe that is what M.L. King died for.

Immigration: The democrats want more immigration, conservatives want control. Our quotas today are over a million a year. Exactly how many more should we allow in our country? The lack of bi-partisanship and the desire to make political points keep us from enacting reasonable reform. Sad.

Economic Inequality:  This was addressed above in the economy section.

Climate Change:  Our emissions have been going down for 15 years. We are no longer the big emitter, China and India are the issue. We are competitive with Europe with respect to Tons per GDP. The Green new deal is a solution chasing a problem.

Abortion:  Also pretty clear. Democrats want abortion up to time of birth and some want infanticide if the mother wants it. Life begins at conception, us and all other life. To end the life of a fetus with a beating heart takes one without one.

OK, I have other issues that I list below.

Schools. The K-12 public school monopoly has failed this country. Our PISA rating is now 20^th even though we have spent more and more money. Why? No competition, tenure for secondary teachers, union rules that force school districts to keep poor teachers, too much bureaucracy, and much more. The L.A. school district recently said they would not go back to work unless charter schools were outlawed. The sign of a totalitarian attitude. Those who can send their kids to private school, or home school must pay for education twice. The progressives want to end the D.C. and New Orleans charter programs that have produced acceptable results and parents overwhelmingly want to keep them.

Freedom of Speech. The last few months, or years, have convinced me that progressives want to limit my ability to speak. The evidence is clear and obvious. If I happen to donate to a movement to end abortion I can lose my job. If someone express an honest opinion that women seem to take less to the technical professions than men they lose thier job. If I am accused of sexual harassment at a college, or in a company, I am denied my rights to defend myself. If I don’t kneel at the start of a game I am abused verbally and on social media. If I try to stop mobs from destroying my business I am beaten. If I am a mixed race police officer I could be shot by someone who hates the police. This totalitarian trend is not rebuked by progressives to any extent. The cancel culture is totalitarian and Jacobian at its’ root, will we see the guillotine come back?

Freedom of Religion. The Supreme Court has finally stated that funds for schools cannot be withheld from an accredited K-12 school run by a religious organization.  The religion of secularism is forced on me everywhere I turn. Covid lockdowns exempt many organizations who could look like a church-a court for one. OK, don’t sing while at church. Wear a mask and socially distance but go if you wish.  The first amendment said Congress could not establish a state religion. Read the following from Wikipedia. The First Amendment which ratified in 1791 states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” However, the phrase “separation of church and state” itself does not appear in the United States Constitution. The states themselves were free to establish an official religion, and twelve out of the thirteen had official religions.  The secularists want to eliminate religion. Never has Congress tried to establish a state religion.

Unions. Unions came into being to protect workers, and necessarily so as business owners abused and took advantage of workers. Today the landscape has changed, a business owner today who does is liable in many ways, legally and loss of employees. Unions however have not adapted. The officer who is accused of murdering Mr. Floyd was reprimanded numerous times and the chief wanted to fire him, the union leader-who has also had numerous offences, kept him on the force. NYC spends tens of millions dollars a year paying teachers that no one will allow in their schools. Public employee unions give money to the politicians who then determine their benefits. I think that is the definition of graft, payola, whatever you want to call it. Illegal except with regard to them. I have experience with unions in other countries and am impressed with the commitment of management and labor to work together, if that happened here there would a bunch of unemployed lawyers. To be competitive in the world we need to work towards that kind of relationship.

The filibuster. The progressives have been talking about getting rid of this in the Senate. Although the filibuster is used many times for trite, partisan reasons, it also a circuit breaker for the minority if all three branches are run by one party.

The Biden Sanders Manifesto. Biden ran as not a left winger and won. Now he has joined the ranks of the left leaning folks like Sanders, AOC and her group, etc. Do we dislike Trump so much that we are willing to move the country into territories and policies that have proven to be detrimental all over the world?

Divisiveness. This is the only reason I would vote for Biden, not that I expect him to actually do anything to fix the partisanship that has frozen compromise in D.C., but, at least I don’t have to listen to the presidents’ tweets and execrable comments on everything and everybody, he is worse than Biden would be. No one seems to want to stop this bullshit, from either side and it is sinful. Our country has had contentious relationships in Congress once GW retired, but, there was usually grumpy agreement over something better than what was in place. I am not a historian so don’t know if this is true, and I sound like my father—“This is the worst in history.” This divisiveness in Congress is what has allowed the presidency to become more powerful, both sides of the fence need to regain their power by agreeing on something.

Debt. Neither party seems to care about our national debt; Trump loves debt and low interest rates. Those of us who depend on our investments to live, not so much. Progressives are in love with MMT, the theory that we can print as much money as we like without any consequences.  Seems like whistling past the graveyard to me. Federal pensions can be funded with debt. State pensions however less so. State pensions are 4 trillion in deficit, meaning they have promised 8 trillion in benefits yet have only 4 trillion in assets. Those with strong unions are in the worst shape, but all do not have the political will, or sense, to make the sacrifices needed to fund the pensions.  I don’t know the number but over 90% of companies have transitioned to defined contribution plans, putting the burden of saving for retirement on the employee.

Small government. The bigger the control concentrated in the center of an organization, the worse the outcome. “Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This is human nature, it hasn’t changed, ever. Our system was designed to distribute power, not to focus it. That concept is proven in the business world, the military-why can’t we learn the lesson? Trump is in the camp of concentrating power to him, the progressives have been there since the late 19^th century. Those favoring the system are concentrated on the right side of the aisle.

 

So, does Trump support all of the above, mostly. Is he divisive, absolutely, but it is a large club and has members across the political spectrum. I have a number of letters to him asking him to change his attitude, unfortunately it hasn’t happened. I also wrote a number of letters to Obama as he did things in opposition to the above.

I am not sure why I wrote this but I just felt I needed to help me work out my feelings about the election. I wish there was a “None of the Above” selection sometimes.

 

What? “The claim that rich Americans pay a smaller share of their income in taxes than any other households in verifiably false” claims an article in the 2/26/2020 Wall Street Journal-“Wealthy Americans Already Pay Their Share”.

The top 10% of earners in the U.S. pay 45% of all income taxes, including social security and medicare. In France that number is 28%, Sweden 27%. If the U.S. adopted the “enlightened European system” taxes on the lower 90% would double.

The numbers: The top 1% pay at a rate of 40% of income; the next 4% -38%; the next 4%-34%;  those in the 81-90% pay at 33%; the next quintile at 27%; the next at 22%; the next at 12% and the bottom 20% of earners in the U.S. pay at the rate of 5%.

If the data is accurate why all the caterwauling about the rich? Is it they happen to have a bunch of money and we don’t? Is it envy? Or maybe the subject is a good one to energize folks to take wealth from those that have “too much”, after all it is only 2 cents as Warren says.

Do some rich people squander their money on themselves, many times obscenely, absolutely!! But progressives don’t talk much about entertainers who do that; or billionaires who give them money-like George Soros; or….. The bile is reserved for those who happen to think that liberty is better than a huge ass government intruding into every facet of our lives. Why, because they want to intrude into every facet of our lives, to have power, to tell us what is good for us. Are we going to say that the all enlightened government will spend our money better that the Gates Foundation? Absolutely not!

Are there any immigrants from socialist, democratic socialist or communist systems who are advocating to move away from our system to the ones they left? A few maybe, 2% let’s say. The other 98% are aghast that 40% of young people think socialism, and attacking the wealthy is a good idea.

Liberty and a fair free market system has raised billions of people out of poverty. Go to Hong Kong or Taiwan and listen to those millions of people. Go to China and try to do something, or read something that the government doesn’t minisculey control. Be a Muslim in western China.

People, look at the data. Please.