The election of 2016 represented the people against an out-of-control government. The people won. It’s the beginning of a bloodless revolution.
Just the beginning, of course. Government officials love to exercise power. They’ll fight tooth and nail to prevent slimming down. It’ll take years.
But Donald Trump is a fighter, which is just what we need. Here are policies he favors:
Strengthen the military. This isn’t slimming, of course. But President Obama has starved the U.S. military for funds. Manpower levels are too low. All too often, mechanics must cannibalize fighter planes for parts to keep the others flying. Mr. Obama has frequently threatened “serious consequences” if a foreign nation does such-and-such, only to subsequently back off. Mr. Trump will probably draw fewer lines in the sand, but stand behind the ones he draws.
Repeal Obamacare. This disastrous law should not be replaced by another government program. Just get the government out of the health care business and let it operate by supply and demand. The quality and availability of health care will improve, and the costs will fall significantly.
Reduce income-tax rates, especially for corporations. U.S. corporate tax rates are among the highest in the world. Excessive rates are a key reason why the economy is moribund and why so many jobs have left America. Relatively few years after a significant cut in tax rates, revenues climb to new levels.
Reduce federal regulations. Since the start of the George W. Bush Administration in 1991, federal regulators have imposed 1200 major rules – those that incur costs of at least $100 million each. Mr. Trump intends to reduce this burden.
Place limits on the Federal Reserve Bank. The Fed has gone hog wild imposing unnecessary requirements and regulations on financial institutions. Reforming monetary policy might render higher tariffs unnecessary.
Repeal the Dodd Frank Act, which provides no lasting benefits but has caused plenty of harm.
Amend civil service laws so that government workers can more easily be fired.
Stop paying the United Nations for measures to defeat global warming. The primary cause of changes in the earth’s temperature are the fluctuations in the emissions of energy from the sun. Fossil fuels have very little to do with it. Too much of the personal income of scientists comes from grants that are supplied by the government. This has caused science to become politicized.
Close the door on Muslims entering America. In Europe, Protestants and Catholics killed each other for several hundred years. Muslims should be given time to halt religious killings – in their lands, not ours. It would be nice to admit only peaceful Muslims, but it’s impossible to differentiate between good guys and bad guys.
Mr. Trump threatens higher tariffs on China. Congress is unlikely to allow this. The higher tariffs enacted by the Smoot-Hawley Bill in 1929 was a key cause of the Great Depression. Riddled with overcapacity and debt, China probably faces a severe recession and widespread unemployment during the next four years. The Communist government would likely be thrown out. The Chinese people, who are well-educated and hard-working, will eventually create one of the world’s leading nations. But in the short run, China is a paper tiger.
A wall on the U.S. southern border is unlikely to be built, because neither Congress nor Mexico wants to pay for it. Besides, we already have a wall, not to mention 21,000 immigration agents. Far better would be to enforce the immigration laws that are already in place but not currently enforced. Here’s a good start: People who enter the U.S. illegally and commit other crimes should be deported immediately.
It seems more likely than not that Donald Trump will mature on the job, become increasingly presidential and that his policies will become increasingly popular. America has 10 million more people working for government than in manufacturing. One hopes this ratio will be reversed.
(Archie M. Richards Jr. of Concord was a syndicated newspaper columnist on money matters. His email address is archier71@gmail.com.)