Trump Opens the Door

Whether you hate him, or you love him, you have to at least be amazed at Trump's willingness to skip the common rules of political behavior and come straight to the People. He does this without regard to how much criticism comes with such openness. Already he has turned the Obama apologetic foreign policy on its head with his "in your face" America first proclamation. I just can't understand why people would have so much trouble with that. I have been in a dozen countries, in Europe, and lived in four nations in Central America for two years and I guarantee they did not worry about how their decisions would impact the US, No one does.

What I learned about foreign countries is you are required, not requested, to honor and obey their laws, and traditions, that make up their way of life. This is precisely how it should be. That is not to say that we should not have commerce and respect between nations. That's a neighbor thing and common courtesy, and assistance, especially in times of great need, builds friendship and respect. Even more so than words alone.

I realize that I can't just pick up the phone and call President Trump. But there is a certain personal touch that causes a deep impression on the mind when the President communicates on such a personal level. For FDR it was the radio. For Reagan it was the TV. For Trump it is the internet. How will this all turn out? Well at least one thing is true, you don't have long to wait to see what the President's opinion is about most anything.

Is it really wise to stay connected in such an open environment in a manner somewhat akin to a night on SNL? I honestly think people are tired of scripted politics where statements are prepared by committee and reviewed for political correctness to determine whether or not they conform to policies and agendas that have long since been lost on the real people. I for one am refreshed, informed, and dare I say, quite frankly... entertained.

No disrespect to the protesters, but where were they when I didn't get to choose my physician? Where were they when the cost of medical care went up instead of down? And where were they when the factories closed, energy went off shore, and the military took a back seat to the welfare state they were giving their blood to protect?

I used to teach college. I asked my students one day to participate in an experiment. They were to go out in the marketplace and randomly check the origin of clothing being sold off the rack and report back if they could find any made in the USA. I also wanted to know just how many countries were represented. What the study revealed is that it was very difficult to find garments actually made in the US. Shoes, coats, shirts, dresses, underwear for heaven's sake, all foreign. Everybody had an open door to the American market. The biggest one by far? Of course, China.

How long do you think its been "China First!" "Mexico First!" You name a country and chances are we import goods from them and every one without question has their priorities first and foremost aligned with a "________ first!" [you can fill in the blank]. Does that mean we turn our backs on poverty and hunger? Do we ignore despotic blood thirsty regimes? Do we condone brutal and offensive treatment of women and children? There is a cry right now that puts forward an abrupt conclusion that Trump does support these evils. I can't believe so many can't see the irony in such a conclusion. The sad and sorry condition of the world happened BEFORE Trump came into office,

The real question is not whether Trump caused it. He hasn't been in office long enough to create that much grief and sorrow. The real question is can he really change it? I am of the opinion that we have needed his unconventional approach for a long time. It means those who allowed the troubles to flourish, created a culture that ignored the real problems,, and now are being exposed for how they are connected to the problem, and that frightens them. They are responding because they don't know what else to do. There was no Plan B. It is very apparent that they are without a guiding light. The good news is all of that is about to change.

God bless America and may we yet survive this. Paul