The Republican convention has concluded, and the Democrat equivalent is about to begin. After viewing the speeches and balloons, the voters need the candidates to concentrate on viable proposals to address the serious issues facing the nation.
Generalities and platitudes will not be acceptable. 2016 finds the United States in deeper peril abroad than it has faced in well over half a century. At home, Americans face an unprecedented declining of the middle class, an extraordinary lack of good jobs, and an economy mired in the doldrums. The ability to address challenges in either sphere is severely hampered by a $20 trillion national debt, a figure that nearly doubled during the Obama Administration with nothing gained for all that spending.
There has been a troubling lack of accountability on the part of elected officials for America’s rapid descent during the past nearly eight years. Eight years ago, America was the “indispensable nation,” the most feared and respected country. But continuous disinvestment in the U.S. armed forces, an estrangement of allies, and a refusal to respond with any effectiveness to the aggression of Russia in Europe and China in Asia has eroded that position.
Terrorists have had unparalleled success, controlling more territory than ever in the Middle East, regaining strength in Afghanistan, and moving into vast new territories on the African continent. Terrorist acts in the West are no longer confined to single, horrible events that occur at long intervals; they have become part of everyday life. The failure to forcefully attack ISIS, and the lack of any retaliation for Benghazi have encouraged this trend.
These events in Europe, Asia, and the Islamic World did not occur in a vacuum. They are the direct, specific end products of dramatically mistaken policies. America’s unilateral cuts in nuclear and conventional strength and its reluctance to confront, even with substantive diplomatic responses, aggression gave a clear signal that it was open season for hostile acts.
The weakness in the U.S. economy is not the result of a cyclical downturn, an unexpected disaster, or even the recession of 2007—2008. Major handicaps have prevented what was once the world’s most dynamic marketplace from maintaining its traditional strength. Some of these were in place long before the current Administration. The Clinton Administration’s transfer of advanced technology to China, and its move to give Beijing virtually unrestricted access to American consumers had a dire impact. The continuation of America’s highest-in-the-developed world corporate tax rate absolutely encourages an exodus of jobs from the U.S. The rising impact of regulatory control over private business, and disincentives to hire over the past several years (especially those in the Affordable Care Act) have had an extremely detrimental impact. So, too, has the transfer of vast sums from the private sector to unproductive government spending. Whatever the motivation or rationale, hikes in welfare-type entitlements and the so-called “stimulus” package which spent over $800 billion without producing any positive impact on the economy were a major drawback.
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Donald Trump needs to provide consistent responses that contain specific actions he will take. He describes the problems, and has begun to detail some responses. More must be done.
Hillary Clinton’s statements to date are troubling. She promises to essentially continue President Obama’s domestic, military and foreign policies.
In international matters, that is not unexpected since in her role as his Secretary of State she had a substantive role in both developing and carrying them out. But those choices led to a disastrous downturn in America’s national security, and an increase in danger both from other nations and terrorists.
The politically popular but financially untenable positions she has taken in policies such as the promise of free college tuition are equally distressing. It is painfully obvious that a nation with a $20 trillion debt which continues to grow year after year, an economy that cannot encourage businesses to stay, and a woefully inadequate middle class job market cannot sustain further giveaways. It is inevitable that committing funds to those ideas will come at the expenses of more urgently needed programs, such as Social Security. It is not coincidental that as the Obama Administration spent vast sums on his unsuccessful stimulus, his 41% increase in food stamps, and other new expenses, seniors had to endure an unprecedented lack of social security cost of living increases, and veterans and active duty service members saw their needs go unmet.
Americans face major challenges, some unprecedented in the history of the nation. Platitudes and unfulfillable promises have no place in this election.