Trump’s first 100 days
16th May 2016 · 0 Comments
By Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.
TriceEdneyWire.com Columnist
It’s human nature to develop methods of personal survival or providing for self-protection. They’re not the same for everyone, but many are common. Among those known to me, one predictable survival standard is that one should believe that a person will attempt to do that which she or he promises to do.
Routinely, a person keeping a promise isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In most circles, keeping one’s word is an admirable quality. In politics the kept promise of a politician is often unwelcomed. It usually means that some people will consider themselves the target of undesirable consequence. One positive in politics is that we can counteract promises we don’t like with a simple tool—the VOTE.
Recently, we’ve heard that Republican candidate Donald Trump has moved to “Presumptive Nominee.” Barring unforeseen circumstance, Donald Trump will be the standard bearer for the Republican effort to regain the White House. Given the unpredictable nature of people and circumstance, Trump has a “theoretical possibility” of becoming President.
The shock of that possibility should be followed with the requirement for all Americans to explore the goals of a President Trump. We should want to know his most important policy initiatives and what they would mean to our country. For information, Trump has promised to pursue four goals in his first 100 days in office which provide insight into what to expect.
The first 100 days of a Trump presidency are expected to foreshadow the tone and quality of his administration. To clarify, the day after Ted Cruz suspended his candidacy, Trump announced four main objectives of his first 100 days as President. They are:
1. Completing the design of his wall on the U.S. — Mexican Border.
2. Stopping Muslim immigration.
3. Auditing the Federal Reserve.
4. Repealing the Affordable Care Act.
One can only wonder about the completion of Trump’s “Great Wall.” His cost estimate of $10 billion for construction is far exceeded by the $25 billion construction estimate, not including maintenance, by many experts. The question is who will pay for it? Mexican officials have already negated any possibility of payment, but Trump has offered options as varied as forced recompense from the $58 billion trade deficit to increasing fees on travel costs from Mexico to the U.S. or impounding remittance payments (monies) sent home by undocumented Mexicans working in the US. These monetary remedies seem as realistic as Trump’s objective to deport 12 million undocumented persons currently residing in the U.S.
Trump has doubled-down on his promise to stop Muslim immigration. Our nation has never used religion as a criteria for entry or immigration – temporary or permanent, but Trump proposes both. The obvious historical comparison is in the Nazi treatment of the Jews.
While some critics of the Federal Reserve state that audits will bring that body more in line with the principles of democracy, Trump’s motivation seems clear. According to Libertarian Alex Jones, Trump wants a Fed audit to prove that interest rates are being held artificially low to stabilize the economy during the final months of the Obama Presidency.
How much more can be said about the proposed repeal of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Trump’s goals and Republican efforts to do so border on the ridiculous and demonstrate their desire to put Americans back “under the thumb” of insurance companies. It’s that simple.
More than promises, these are threats to many. If you agree with these First 100 Day objectives, you should vote for Trump or sit twiddling your thumbs on November 8, 2016. If you don’t agree, then it’s time to commit to using the voting tool mentioned earlier AND to inspire like-minded friends and neighbors to commit to using theirs to vote FOR different principles.
This article originally published in the May 16, 2016 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
