In the turmoil surrounding President Trump I am sure you have lost count of all the off-the-cuff executive orders flying off his desk and lips. We all love the fast, action-packed Western movies where the villains and pursuers shoot off the hip without a second thought in split-second drama, but this is not a movie or TV show, it is our nation’s real life and the life of our children and loved ones. We want a thoughtful, respected leader, not a non-thinking gunslinger who insults himself as well as both friends and enemies.
A recent poorly thought out move and executive order to remove the U.S. from the Trans–Pacific Partnership (TTP) alienated another large group. Farmers and related port workers—in the U.S. and particularly in California—are disappointed and understandably alienated with this executive order. The top exports in West Coast ports are food products and the agreement would have allowed America to reach more customers in the Pacific Rim marketplace. Those markets consisted of Singapore, Vietnam, Peru, New Zealand, Mexico, Malaysia, Japan, Chile, Canada, Australia, and Brunel. It is estimated that U.S. farmers and ranchers would have gained $4.4 billion a year in added farm income plus related port and transportation jobs, which are now gone! The president should have first discussed this change with West Coast agricultural interests before proceeding.
The president has also mentioned going after the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Canada and Mexico. During the past 20 years with NAFTA in force, our nation’s farm exports have jumped from $8.9 billion to $38.6 billion in 2015. Instead of making America great, Trump’s non-thinking decisions are driving us all off a cliff into an unknown future and abyss.
The president, again without much thought, has also fired off an immigration executive order banning travel from seven Muslim-majority nations, which resulted in stranded green card holders and airline passengers at most of our major airports, coupled with massive nationwide demonstrations against his order. By Monday, the acting attorney general had ordered the Justice Department to not enforce the order because she felt it was not lawful under our laws and therefore not defendable. Again, without any forethought, the new president ordered her immediate removal, apparently unaware of the need for DOJ independence and also unaware that his unthinking act appears to place him above the law, just as with the Nixon White House, with the attempted removal of the independent counsel years ago. It might have been better to first get input from experts in the Department of Homeland Security, and then using this input, develop new protocols for immigrants just as all past presidents have done on similar issues. These actions, in fact, have made us less able to work with friendly Muslim Arab countries and American Muslims to help us defeat militant terrorists.
During the campaign President Trump promised to repeal and replace Obamacare with Trumpcare, which would cover everyone, offer more choice, and cost less. Other items mentioned were tax deductions to cover cost, but this only works for people in high tax brackets, not for lower-income folks. Also mentioned was Healthcare Savings Accounts, but again, this only works for those with high incomes who can afford to shift funds. Repeal will be easy, but replacement is another headache now that he is in office. As the old saying goes, “If you break health care, you will own it.” He will need majority support in this effort, or will he act as a bull in a china shop?
To top off the first few days of his presidency, Trump has managed to ignore the actions of our country’s long standing nemesis, Russia, saying nothing of its actions in Europe and recent cyber attacks against the U.S., but did manage to become enraged and yell at the leader of our close ally Australia during a recent phone conversation. Again, these actions need to stop and he needs to act like a respectful father setting a wholesome example for us all! When will this behavior end? Most of us during the campaign thought Trump’s behavior would change after he took office. The end will come when he fires off more shots from the hip without thinking, finally hitting the wrong target or targets that will make it impossible for him to avoid “impeachment.” We must note the old truism that “all politics are local,” and as the shots from the president continue to ring out, we must reach out to our local representatives and national power brokers with our thoughts.
These impertinent actions from America must not continue on, as our leader needs to be present, thoughtful, with well-balanced aim. We are not the people who shoot from the hip. We are the people who take aim with a careful, steady hand. We know where the center of the bullseye sits.
Ken McCalip is a North Santa Barbara County native who holds bachelor and doctorate degrees in history, cultural geography, and law from various California universities. Send thoughts to letters@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Feb 23 – Mar 2, 2017.