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Forgetting the frivolious and facing the facts

By Christopher Curran
Posted 10/19/16

We Americans are so beleaguered by this campaign season that we are baffled as to what any of these two major party candidates or the two minor party candidates might do if elected. Recent weeks have concentrated the public's attention on GOP nominee

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Forgetting the frivolious and facing the facts

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We Americans are so beleaguered by this campaign season that we are baffled as to what any of these two major party candidates or the two minor party candidates might do if elected.

Recent weeks have concentrated the public’s attention on GOP nominee Donald Trump’s bawdy behavior toward the female of the species. Thus, no substantial issues have been addressed. Instead, there is an ongoing dialogue in the press and at the water-cooler about accosting women by both Trump and former President Bill Clinton, the Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton’s husband.

The absence of vital discourse and the pervasive attention to the tawdry has wasted valuable time voters need to make a judgment in November. At this point, what most people know top of mind about these competitors is the following:

Trump is driven by avarice and self-possession and has no depth of knowledge whatsoever regarding the challenges of the executive branch of the federal government.

Hillary is a Machiavellian character willing to discount her veracity for political gain.

Former Gov. Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate, apparently smokes way too much “grass,” so much so that he does not know where Aleppo, Syria is and he cannot name any world leader.

Lastly, Dr. Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate, wants to reduce the federal government to a town council and wants to immediately and untenably stop using fossil fuels nationally.

So, if we push the frivolous aside and face the stark reality of our nation’s problems we can enumerate a long list of fragile circumstances that must be addressed by the next president whoever that may be.

Domestically, we are enduring the burden of a sluggish economy with a relative growth rate of just about 2 percent. A healthy rate of growth is considered by economists to be about 3.5 percent to 4 percent. This recovery, after the Great Recession of 2008, has been the slowest comeback since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Reliance on public assistance has increased 40 percent in the last eight years and the government/public covenant known as Social Security is heading toward insolvency in short order mostly because of the increased number of dependants perhaps erroneously receiving SSDI and SSI (Social Security Disability).

Additionally at home, growing social unrest in regard to the relationship between law enforcement and minorities has degenerated to levels we have not seen in 50 years.

Internationally, our nation’s import/export deficit is currently $41 billion annually according to the International Monetary Fund’s statistics, thus begging the question of how can we galvanize our manufacturing sectors. The Russian Federation has been more territorially aggressive. ISIS is spreading virtually unchecked. Middle Eastern refugees are permeating Europe and beckoning the United States for more access. Also, North Korea is nuclear capable and learning more offensive acumen in their nuclear program month to month. With the irrational Kim Jung Un at the helm, one can deduce that when he can deliver a nuclear weapon accurately and successfully, he might.

So, with all these pressing issues looming over our heads imperiling our future happiness like a “Sword of Damocles,” what have we been talking about in this presidential campaign?

Well, the answer is simple: not a great deal that is relevant to the challenges that we must contend with in the near term.

Monopolizing the recent stump speeches, the cable news reporting, and the most recent political debates has been the suspicious epiphany that Donald Trump is a lout. Apparently, the electorate has not read the numerous books about Trump’s life, or read the New York newspapers that had closely followed the Donald during his Studio 54 years in the 1970s. Trump was an aggressive womanizer for decades that objectified women and serially used them for utilitarian purposes. There is no surprise here. A few weeks ago when the 11-year-old video and audio record of Trump’s bragging about his dominance of women by aggressive advances was revealed, news channels centered on this exposure around the clock.

Every time Hillary Clinton and her running mate, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), assail Trump for his boasts of predatory behavior, Trump responds by claiming all accounts are lies and exaggerations. More and more women from his past are coming forward to recount anecdotes of sullied actions by Trump. As a result of this melee, all discussions of actual issues of importance have been excluded from the public forum in favor of the frivolous.

In response to Clinton and Kaine’s preoccupation with Trump’s predatory behavior, the Donald constantly blurts out the well-documented history of Bill Clinton. Hillary’s husband is a well-known lothario who was impeached as president for lying under oath about his serial adultery. What this revisit to the ’90s and the dirty deeds of “President Pants Down” has to do our current issues, no one knows.

So, imagine if you will that we had candidates for the presidency who were truly addressing the pressing issues of the day. What would that candidate prescribe for the ills of the country?

First, to address the lack of robust growth in the economy, we must be bold in our attitude regarding creating new jobs. For decades, administrations have conceded low technology manufacturing to the Asian market. This is a mistake. By passing a national “Right to Work” bill, we can provide workers in factories with the option to join a union or not. This will allow manufacturers to not be constrained with union “closed shop rules.”

Further, we must require goods imported to our country to be produced with the same standards for quality and safety as what is produced domestically. Also, we need to eliminate all the tax advantages for companies that expatriate out of the nation. If we institute these steps, American manufacturing can immediately become more competitive and there will be many more restarts. Thus, we could substantially lower the import/export deficit and create more jobs.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) proposal needs to be scrapped in favor of a reworked and more equitable agreement that guarantees at least mandatory equivalence in trade with the participating Pacific Rim nations.

Nationally, increases to the national gasoline tax are necessary to provide a revenue stream to address the crippling infrastructure, in which the renovation and rebuilding will create many construction jobs for decades to come. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, over half of our roadways and bridges are sub-par nationally. This must be addressed now.

These two actions, among others in a coordinated economic approach, would give rise to our growth in gross domestic product (GDP). Yet our candidates for the presidency are not talking about them.

SSDI and SSI should no longer be used as an extension of unemployment benefits. All SSDI and SSI recipients would need to be re-certified to reverse the overly liberal policies of the last eight years, which have over-burdened the system greatly. This move alone could preserve the Social Security pension recipients funds for many more years without an age qualification rise.

Regarding the civil unrest stateside, police need to further reach out to the minorities and urban activist organizations through community policing efforts. Simultaneously, families of offenders need to appreciate the immediate peril that law enforcement officers face during every shift they work. A president can use the “Bully Pulpit” to support police and reassure the minority community and by doing so help quell the friction.

Regarding foreign affairs, the new president must project strength to our foes and support to our allies. This can be achieved through consistency in policy and follow-through on promises. ISIS must be defeated, with no option – including more boots on the ground – disregarded. A no-fly zone is needed in Syria and refugees should not be admitted to our country without foolproof electronic and documentable verification. Russia must be clearly warned that we will wholly support our NATO allies and will unquestionably uphold our agreements.

However, despite these crucial realities, we are talking about Trump being a bounder, Hillary being a liar, and old Bill chasing every skirt he sees.

Gratefully, the ridiculous soap opera-like election season will be soon over and sadly one of these people will have to govern. Since we really know very little about where they stand on vital issues, we can merely hope that the sword over our heads does not fall when the next president is sworn in.

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