If Donald Trump Becomes President of the United States

I saw the above presentation by Donald Trump on Fox News channel this morning. It is apparent that he has not backed down on any of his opinions. That is a troubling possibility for the U.S.A.

Just listen to his words!

Besides building a wall between the United States and Mexico he would impose a 35% tariff on goods manufactured in Mexico. The consequence of that would be 1) higher prices for all the consumer items bought in the United States from Mexico and 2) the United States has a positive trade balance with Mexico of $182 Billion and the million jobs created by that trade balance would be lost.

China holds $1.3 Trillion in U.S. treasury notes. A 45% tariff on those goods imported from China (his plan) would not only destroy their sales of consumer goods to America, it would create a trade war. China would most likely demand repayment of the notes. Donald Trump, who believes in bankruptcies when he doesn’t want to pay his debts, would do what? Refuse payment. That decision would cause worldwide economic panic and the destruction of the American economy.

Saudi Arabia would also demand payment on the notes it holds ($116.8 billion) and just might embargo the oil sold to American oil companies.

Japan holds $1.1 Trillion in American notes. You think they will simply pay 100% of the bill for our troops in their country?

Market Watch says on their web site that “45% of Americans pay no federal income tax” and that converts to “77.5 million households do not pay federal individual income tax.” So when Donald Trump on his web site says “If you are single and earn less than $25,000, or married and jointly earn less than $50,000, you will not owe any income tax. That removes nearly 75 million households – over 50% – from the income tax rolls”, what is he telling you?

When Donald Trump says we will have the most powerful military in the world, what is he telling you? Well actually nothing. You see America’s military is the most powerful in the world today.

There is no drought in California. The weatherman are all wrong. Donald Trump says so. So it must be true!

Think smoke and mirrors. Think of Alice in Wonderland. Think the powerful Oz. That would be someone behind a curtain who has no power at all.

You think we have problems now. Donald Trump will destroy in just a few years what has taken over 200 years to build. The United States is the greatest country in the world today!

President Obama’s nuclear non-apology, apology

The following column was printed in today’s Los Angeles Daily News. The author, Doug McIntyre, has written almost exactly what I was thinking. I was asking myself, Why did Barack Obama feel the need to go to Hiroshima, Japan? Those who have accused Obama of being the president who apologizes for America’s strength in the world have hit upon his weakness.

I emphasized one paragraph in bold that looks to the future.

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Barack Obama never said the words “sorry” or “I apologize,” so technically it wasn’t an apology.

As the first sitting American president to ever visit Hiroshima, Japan, the world was focused on every syllable Obama would say.

“Seventy-one years ago” began the president, “on a bright, cloudless morning, death fell from the sky and the world was changed.”

Of course, 75 years ago, on a bright, cloudless morning in Hawaii, death also fell from the sky. But the president — a native son of Hawaii — had not traveled to Hiroshima to talk about World War II’s beginning, rather, its morally complex end.

The president’s critics (and more than a few friends) feared he might apologize for America’s use of atomic weapons to bring an end to the war in the Pacific; so concerned, the White House issued an unprecedented denial in advance, assuring the nation their president had no such intention.

Unfortunately, he did everything but.

In tone and demeanor, it was impossible to watch or read the text of President Obama’s Hiroshima address and not conclude the president regrets President Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb in August of 1945.

“The memory of the morning of August 6, 1945, must never fade,” Obama said.

Neither must the memory of Dec. 7, 1941.

Obama has a history of offering mea culpas for American foreign policy both past and present. He has not only apologized for the actions of his predecessors, he has frequently objected to his own foreign policy, bemoaning his inability to close the terrorist prison camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, while struggling to reconcile his use of drone strikes that also “rain death from cloudless skies” with his 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.

Barack Obama is hardly the first American president to have grave concerns about the horrific consequences of nuclear weapons. For this reason alone Donald Trump disqualifies himself to be commander-in-chief. The possibility of nuclear war has kept every president up at night. The possibility that Trump could be president should keep everyone up at night.

“With such weapons, war has become not just tragic, but preposterous,” the president said.

But the president who said this wasn’t Barack Obama. Rather, it was Dwight Eisenhower.

Eisenhower knew war. He understood its horrors. He understood the waste of it all.

“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed,” said the former Supreme Allied Commander in March 1953.

Yet, while Eisenhower loathed industrialized murder — and that’s what warfare is — he was not a utopian. Ike’s feet were firmly planted on the ground. Americans trusted him. America’s enemies feared him. There was more to Eisenhower than pretty words.

While Obama seems conflicted about the use of American military power, the men responsible for ending the Second World War had clarity of purpose. With millions upon millions slaughtered, any president, maybe even Obama, would have used any tool at his disposal to bring that war to an end.

To harshly judge his predecessors from the safety of the post-Cold War world they gave us is to diminish what it took to get us here.

Doug McIntyre’s column appears Sundays. Hear him weekday mornings 5-10 on AM 790. He can be reached at: Doug@DougMcIntyre.com.

Trump’s Discrimination Against Muslims

A Pin Drop

This article is appropriate for Memorial Day.
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Once upon a time when our politicians did not tend to apologize for our country’s prior actions, here’s a refresher on how some of our former patriots handled negative comments about our great country.

JFK’S Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, was in France in the early 60’s when DeGaulle decided to pull out of NATO.

DeGaulle said he wanted all US military out of France as soon as possible.

Rusk responded, “Does that include those who are buried here?”

DeGaulle did not respond. You could have heard a pin drop.

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When in England, at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of ’empire building’ by George Bush.

He answered by saying, “Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return.”

You could have heard a pin drop.

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There was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American. During a break, one of the French engineers came back into the room saying, “Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he intend to do, bomb them?”

A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: “Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck. We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?”

You could have heard a pin drop.

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A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S., English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of officers that included personnel from most of those countries. Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks, but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English. He then asked, “Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French?”

Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied, “Maybe it’s because the Brit’s, Canadians, Aussie’s and Americans arranged it so you wouldn’t have to speak German.”

You could have heard a pin drop.

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AND THIS STORY FITS RIGHT IN WITH THE ABOVE…

Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on.

“You have been to France before, monsieur?” the customs officer asked sarcastically.

Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously.

“Then you should know enough to have your passport ready.”

The American said, “The last time I was here, I didn’t have to show it.”

“Impossible.. Americans always have to show their passports on arrival in France!”

The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then, he quietly explained, ”Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn’t find a single Frenchman to show a passport to.”

You could have heard a pin drop.

The Nominees

Neither of these candidates are good for America. I see two Twilight Zone Devils.

In other words they appear reasonable until the until the last moment when they will do their nasty acts. Of course we won’t know that until it has happened.

Hillary Clinton is an insider who has too many donors that will have the final say on her actions as president. She is most likely to follow the philosophy of her husband (former President Bill Clinton). Recall that he signed the law revoking the Glass-Steagall act of 1933 that prohibited commercial banks from engaging in the investment business. He also signed into law NAFTA, a law proposed by Republicans and pushed by President George H.W. Bush that resulted in numerous companies relocating to Mexico.

Donald Trump has no experience in public office and does not appear to understand the workings of the federal government. He clearly does not understand the total significance of the Bill of Rights. “One of the things I’m going to do if I win… I’m going to open up our libel laws so when they write purposely negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money,” Trump said during a rally in Fort Worth, Texas. He has limited understanding of the relations the United States has with other countries and like most of us does not know a great deal about our military capabilities. He is a scholar of business.

Let’s start with Hillary Clinton.

There is no explanation to be found where she tells where she was and what she was doing when Benghazi, Libya was attacked.
The use of her private e-mail server does not appear to have compromised anything. However, her use of that device calls into question her judgement.
There is no theme to her campaign for president. Her entire theme seems to be she will continue the Obama administration and the banners saying “She’s with Us” and “Fighting for us.” The number one reason Hillary should be our next president according to her web site is “As a former secretary of state, U.S. senator, first lady, and a lifelong advocate for women and families, no one is more qualified to be president than Hillary.”

Let’s look at Donald Trump.

He has never held any elected office.
People might ask “How is Donald Trump able to file for bankruptcy so many times?” The answer is “He didn’t.” Trump himself has never filed for bankruptcy. His corporations have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy four times. This information from http://thelawdictionary.org/.
Is he a buffoon? A genius? An exploration of the man, his brand, and his chronic bluster at The Atlantic offers a perspective.
Foreign trade is a big part of the Trump campaign. Donald Trump’s trade war could kill millions of U.S. jobs contends Jim Tankersley in The Washington Post.

Go ahead and choose your devil. Just understand that in four years you will be ready for another unacceptable president. Ugh!!

A Historic Event in Cuba

This is a historic day in U.S. Cuban relations. It has been reported that the last president to visit Cuba came there 88 years ago. Clearly the president’s visit will be part of his legacy. The question should be how will the restoration of diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries really make a difference?

Permitting airlines to schedule flights to Cuba and opening hotels in Cuba will result in an economic impact. Can McDonald’s, Starbuck’s and Kroger Foods be far behind? This action initiated by the president contradicts those that say President Obama opposes America’s free enterprise society. You remember, there are those that say Obama wants to change the United States into a socialist/communist country.

It is impossible to predict the future but there is a possibility that free enterprise will come to Cuba soon. American businesses are the likely beneficiary of the opening of Cuba. Can this be a bad thing?

Recalling the George W. Bush Presidency

Remembering one of America’s worst presidents!

It appears that the folks in South Carolina have forgotten some major events that occurred when George W. Bush was president. Not all were his direct fault but he and his administration, in my opinion, did not take sufficient precautions. I did not have to refer to any publication or website for these occurrences. They are all clearly in my mind. They should be in yours too.

September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center in New York City did occur eight months after he was inaugurated into office. The prior administration had warned of a possible terrorist attack.
Hurricane Katrina occurred on the morning on August 29, 2005. When the storm made landfall, it had a Category 3 rating on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale–it brought sustained winds of 100–140 miles per hour–and stretched some 400 miles across the Gulf coast. The History Channel says “Officials, even including President George W. Bush, seemed unaware of just how bad things were in New Orleans and elsewhere: how many people were stranded or missing; how many homes and businesses had been damaged; how much food, water and aid was needed. Katrina had left in her wake what one reporter called a “total disaster zone” where people were “getting absolutely desperate.” The Bush administration was widely criticized for its slow response to the disaster.
The invasion of Iraq occurred in the spring of 2003, the United States invaded Iraq in order to overthrow leader Sadaam Hussein (1937-2006), whose regime was accused of supporting international terrorist groups and possessing large caches of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). No WMD were found. 4,486 U.S. soldiers died in Iraq.
He began his presidency with a federal budget surplus; however, factors such as the enormous cost of fighting two wars (Afghanistan and Iraq) and the broad tax cuts led to annual budget deficits starting in 2002.
The 2008 financial crisis was the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression. The president was mostly absent from the efforts to save the economy. Instead it was his Treasury Secretary, Henry Paulson, who made requests to congress for funds to support the banking industry.

Perhaps the above listing of George W. Bush’s major administration failures would be a reason to suspect another Bush would not be welcomed to the White House.

Analysis of GOP Debate on CBS February 13, 2016

The debate was a disappointment for me. The moderators failed to focus on anything that might change public opinion. Donald Trump has been leading in the polls and nothing was said that will change his lead.

The first thing that should have received greater attention is the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. A one minute of silence was nice gesture but where were the questions about selecting a replacement? Instead all who were asked said the next president should select a replacement but no discussion of ties in voting during the current court session. No discussion on selecting a new justice who will not be politically motivated.

North Korea now appears to have a ballistic missile that can reach the U.S. mainland and yet there was not a single question about addressing the obvious threat.

President Obama is hosting a meeting of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and possible additional members to the president’s TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership). Not a single question about our relationship with those countries and no discussion on the impact of free trade agreements.

No discussion about Social Security and Medicare and how to keep them financially healthy.

Instead there was discussion about eminent domain. That is not a topic that will determine who should be selected as the president.

One other thought. If the number of candidates continues to total five or more the field will be split and that will power Donald Trump’s lead in the polls that has remained in the 30% to 35% range.

What’s Wrong with the TPP?

What is wrong with NAFTA, TPP, and other free trade agreements that lower tariffs?

The United States is the dream country for capitalists. The limits on corporations are minimal. Very big companies buy each other out (called a merger) with few government efforts to control the likely outcome of near monopoly. The latest example in Walgreens drug company’s plan to buy Rite-Aid drug company.

Those same companies are now referred to as multi-nationals. General Electric is a creation of Thomas Edison but consider that the company now has facilities in 130 countries. GE has invested over $200 million in a flexible new “brilliant factory” in Pune, India. This information is from GE websites.

Heinz Ketchup sits on the tables of restaurants in Paris. It is not packaged in the United States.

The United States currently imposes low tariffs on most of the goods imported into this country. The TPP will eliminate those tariffs on the other 11 countries. That probably won’t impact the amount of goods being imported. The agreement also lowers the tariffs that other countries impose on imported American goods and that appears to be a good thing.

However when those goods are shipped overseas that are in limited supply in the United States that will drive up the prices in America. An example is chicken. Tyson Foods processes 41 million chickens a year. If they can sell some of those chickens in other countries that will reduce the number of chickens available for sale in America. Less supply translates to higher prices. That means higher profits for Tyson.

If you manufacture something in the United States where $15 to $25 per hour is a common pay rate, why not manufacture your goods in Vietnam, Peru or Malaysia where pay rates are significantly lower and import the products to America?

John Deere and Caterpillar are two companies that will benefit from lower tariffs in other countries. The problem is there are too few companies that are in the category of big machines.

The United States has lost millions of jobs to lower pay rate countries. The benefit to company shareholders is obvious. The loss of jobs in America is obvious. The rich typically get their way. I predict capitalism will prevail. I also predict the end of the middle class in America.