Congratulations, President-Elect Trump - We're Watching

Congratulations, President-Elect Trump – We’re Watching

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

November 17, 2016

Brimming with a cadre of riches, the Republican Party has won the White House, controls both houses of Congress and more than two-thirds of governors’ mansions. But with great power undeniably comes great responsibility.

The time is now to shift from politicking to governing – to don, as it were, the big-boy pants and make the campaign promises reality – and sooner rather than later. President-Elect Donald Trump has but two years to accomplish what just about any other president would have four years to accomplish.

Trump doesn’t need to complete all projects in two years, but he must start them while he has the majorities he will undoubtedly enjoy before the midterm election of 2018, which will spring up rather than creep up on him and the GOP. Should Trump’s ambitious agenda fall flat, 2018 will be a harsh reality of payback, retribution, and lost opportunities.

And make no mistake, the media, as they have already proven, will hound Trump’s every move. The media will do their level worst to distract Trump, demean his every decision, and fault his every selection and appointment. Trump must rise above the muck and mire of the media’s overt bias and disdain to focus on what is most important – draining the swamp and making America great again, via the plan he has put before the American people.

The press has already criticized Trump for not having cabinet picks ready for Senate confirmation a mere eight days after writing the political obituary of Hillary Clinton. Yet, the past three presidents, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Barack Obama did not have cabinet announcements until mid-December at the earliest, some as late as after the first of the year. (Obama named one pick in the third week following his 2008 election.) Trump needs to construct the best team of players to fill his cabinet at his own pace, not the media’s. Once again, it behooves me to remind the media it is their job to report the news, not make the news, something they have failed to remember for decades.

Aside from the cabinet concerns, the media went fully apoplectic when they “lost” Trump who managed to slip away for dinner with his family. Then they doubled down on the criticism when they learned how expensive the Trumps’ meal cost. As long as Trump’s Secret Service detail is with him, it should be inconsequential to the media where Trump dines or the cost of the meal. It’s still his money and how he legally filters it into the local economy is his business.

Trump needs to ignore the press and focus on repealing the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare. Government needs to be less involved in Americans’ health care. Choices should be numerous and cross state lines – the greater the competition, the greater the service and care. What should be retained from the current ACA are covering pre-existing conditions and allowing children to remain on their parent’s plans until age 26. The rest of the ACA must be flushed.

Trump needs to ignore the press and focus on stimulating the economy via lowering of tax rates – both corporate and personal. More companies will remain in the United States and many who fled the US in search of lower rates overseas will return. At present, the United States has the third highest corporate tax rates in the world. With the lowering of corporate taxes and the repeal of the ACA smaller businesses will hire more people to fulltime positions as confidence in the economy will help return it to its former robust self. A reduction in personal tax rates will put more money in the pockets of the citizenry, who in turn will spend and invest more. We the people can better spend our own money than can government with its failed boondoggles.

Confidence seems to have begun to return just by the recent rise in the stock market since the election of Trump. Typically the election of a president from the party not in the White House creates a sense of uncertainty and a precipitous drop in market averages, but thus far, since November 8, the market has reached a new high.

Trump needs to ignore the press and focus on cancelling the myriad executive orders penned by Obama. Checks and balances exist for a reason – be the administration that follows the Constitution. Also, no czars or earmarks.

Trump needs to ignore the press and focus on building the wall and strengthening the southern border. Border security leads to greater confidence in a safer America. The United States is a nation of laws and that includes borders. It is not racist or bigoted to expect all people within the borders of the United States to obey the laws of the land. People who are here illegally have broken the law and should have no rights while in the country other than the right to return to their country of origin – after being fingerprinted and photographed for a data base to track illegals.

This includes a severe crackdown on sanctuary cities – those locales around the United States whose mayors have brazenly flipped the bird at the federal government by announcing they will not follow federal law. They are already, and will continue harboring illegals in their cities. The federal government must cut off all federal funding to those cities at once. The ranks of sanctuary cities includes, but is not limited to, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Jersey City, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Newark, New Haven, New York, Oakland, Philadelphia, Portland (OR), Providence, Santa Fe, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC.

The 14^th Amendment to the US Constitution either needs amending itself, or reinterpreting. A person born on American soil should not be rewarded with citizenship if they are born to a mother in this country illegally. Those already in this country illegally should not be entitled to any rights – no food stamps, no welfare, no jobs, no schooling, no medical care. This may sound harsh, but the bottom line is that all of those resources are for American citizens and legal residents. While millions of veterans are suffering from poor or no medical care, substandard housing, unemployment, mental and physical trauma, millions of illegals are stealing from Americans by way of government largesse.

Trump needs to ignore the press and take care of American veterans. Veterans need to be placed at the front of the line for medical care. See the previous paragraph on the restructuring of resources.

Trump needs to ignore the press and begin fixing the inner cities by making school choice more available as well as increasing the ease at which charter schools can be created. (In reality this would best be handled at the various state levels.) He opposes Common Core; that along with teaching to the test, are starting points to lift inner cities out of the sewer and sludge of ignorance and remaining beholden to a government for generations.

Trump needs to ignore the press and focus on becoming more energy independent. Keystone XL Pipeline and others need to be constructed as well as fracking, drilling for shale, drilling offshore, as well as in ANWR. Done properly and safely, the United States can diminish its dependence on foreign nations – many of which have a strong animus toward the US, which is patently unsafe.

Trump needs to ignore the press and focus on appointing originalist jurists to the United States Supreme Court as well as to the lower courts. Trump should start by naming Texas Senator Ted Cruz to the High Court to replace the late, brilliant Antonin Scalia who passed away in February. Cruz should have no problem winning confirmation from the US Senate because, quite frankly, they can’t stand him and they can make him the problem of his future eight colleagues. (Should Cruz fail to earn confirmation he would no doubt make his fellow senator’s lives a living hell remaining in that body.)

While I am calling for the appointment of Cruz to the Supreme Court, I have other picks Trump should consider. Bear in mind, some of these picks are already moot based upon the work the transition team has already conducted. Call it my fantasy cabinet – this is what political dorks do after baseball season is over.

Department of…

State – John Bolton

Treasury – Steve Mnuchin

Defense – KT McFarland

Justice – Rudy Giuliani

Interior – Bobby Jindal

Agriculture – Mike Huckabee

Commerce – Ben Stein – yes, THAT Ben Stein

Labor – Carly Fiorina

Health & Human Services – Dr. Ben Carson (prior to declining any Trump offer)

Housing & Urban Development – Rick Perry

Transportation – Mary T. Barra

Energy – Sen. Joe Manchin or Sarah Palin

Education – Eva Moskowitz or Mitch Daniels

Veterans Affairs – Col. Allen West

Homeland Security – Sherriff David Clarke or Jim Gilmore

Okay, boys and girls, time to roll up the sleeves and get to work! We are watching!

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.