The Patriot Post - Alexander's Column 1-3-2018

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The Patriot Post - Alexander's Column 1-3-2018
From The Federalist Patriot
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The Patriot Post® · Year One of Making America Great Again!

By Mark Alexander · Jan. 3, 2018 · https://patriotpost.us/alexander/53221

“The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind.” —Thomas Paine1 (1776)

In his 1980 presidential debate with Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan2 did what he would often do in the years that followed: He talked over the mainstream media cameras and spoke directly to the American people. On this particular occasion, he asked, “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” They were not, of course, and they thus entrusted Reagan with two presidential terms to right our nation’s course, which he did.

Today, only a leftist suffering from the deep denial associated with Trump Derangement Syndrome refuses to acknowledge how much better off our nation is today than it was just one year ago. Notably, Donald Trump3 has also found a way to talk over the heads of the Leftmedia propaganda machine4 — his social media platform. Fortunately, Trump’s chief of staff, former Marine Gen. John Kelly, is helping his boss refine his use of that message medium, curbing his propensity for undermining his own achievements with petty social media disputes5.

In the first week of 2017, I had concerns about what a Trump presidency would look like, but I knew for certain that our nation would be better off on his worst day in office than on Hillary Clinton’s best.

Two months earlier, like most other constitutionally conservative defenders of Liberty6, I had encouraged fellow Patriots to vote for the Trump ticket7 — as I did personally, motivated primarily by four lines of reasoning.

First, Hillary Clinton8 (never an option) would have taken the domestic and foreign policy catastrophes implemented by her predecessor9 and their statist Democrat Party10 and driven those stakes further into the heart of Liberty.

Second, one of the deepest stakes would have been Clinton’s Supreme Court nominees, which would have further advanced her tyrannical “rule of men11” agenda over our Republic’s Rule of Law12 mandate. It is that most fundamental republican principle which all federal politicians and administrators have sworn “to Support and Defend13,” but which those on the Left violate constantly and contemptuously.

Third, though the ranks of genuine conservatives in the House and Senate have grown substantially, the so-called “establishment Republicans” were still in control. We were ready for a Trump detonation in the middle of that status quo “leadership,” to set a course for something other than more of the same.

And last but certainly not least, I have known and followed closely the career and policies advocated by Mike Pence for 20 years. Trump’s choice of Pence, versus Clinton’s pathetic choice of Sen. Tim Kaine for her ticket, spoke volumes about Trump’s leadership potential.

So are we better off than we were a year ago? President Reagan would, I think, be proud of the conservative agenda that Donald Trump has pushed through.

All the leftist denial notwithstanding, here is what the Trump administration’s domestic policies14 have helped create in just 12 months.

GDP topped 3% for the last two quarters of 2017. (In the 32 quarters of Obama’s “recovery,” only twice did he register a GDP of 3% or better.)

American businesses have created more than 1.7 million new jobs, including almost 160,000 manufacturing jobs and another 58,000 in mining and logging. Notably, the number of illegal immigrants vying for American jobs and lowering American wages has declined significantly.

The headline unemployment rate of 4.1%, is the lowest mark in 17 years, though I note this benchmark with caution as there are many Americans who had to take subsistence jobs during the previous eight years and many who have given up on looking for work over the previous eight years. The real unemployment rate is closer to 8%, though that is down 2% in the last year. Notably, “food stamp” rolls declined by more than 2 million in 2017.

Our economy, re-fueled in large part by enthusiasm for the future, is once again growing. The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index is at a 17-year high, and the National Association of Manufacturers’ Outlook Index is at its highest annual average in its history. Manufacturing orders and production are the strongest since 2004.

Even The New York Times has had to acknowledge15, “A wave of optimism has swept over American business leaders, and it is beginning to translate into the sort of investment in new plants, equipment and factory upgrades that bolsters economic growth, spurs job creation — and may finally raise wages significantly.” (One can only imagine the gnashing of teeth that took place prior to publishing that single sentence.)

The prospects of continued growth are being supercharged by the Republican passage of tax reform16 — $1.5 trillion in tax cuts — almost 60% to families, most of whom will now be able to file their IRS return on a single page.

The tax reform measures also repealed the so-called “Affordable Care Act17” individual mandate burden on individuals and families.