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IS THE ECONOMY REALLY DOING “GREAT”?

While many news outlets and the Trump Administration have been quick to repeatedly tell us the US economy is doing “Great”, data on what is undergirding the economy, and how most Americans are really doing, indicate that the economy really isn’t doing so “Great” after all.  Sure GDP growth is doing pretty well, jobs are being created, and wealth is growing through gains in the stock and real estate markets, but the facts are that Trump and Republicans in Congress have spiked the punch bowl with $1 trillion per year of deficit spending, the Federal Reserve has been injecting roughly $120 billion per month into the banking system to keep interest rates from rising, and all while a great many people remain financially insecure and struggling.  

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COMPASSION IN GOVERNANCE?

I’ve never been one of the sharper pencils in the box, but something that has perplexed me over the last three years is the support so many friends and colleagues have extended to Donald Trump and his policies. The Trump supporters I speak of are intelligent people of good will, whom I respect.  And yet, one question continually confounds me: If you saw a man abusing women and children or an elderly person somewhere in public, would you not step in and do your utmost to stop it? I’m confident everyone I know would. And yet, for reasons apparently beyond me, people continue to support Trump despite a wealth of speech and conduct that runs counter to the values they espouse, and clear evidence that he drives policies that hurt millions of innocent people. Here are a few examples for your consideration.  

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TECTONIC RISKS GROWING BENEATH OUR FEET

Mindful of the many sincere prayers, songs and wishes for “peace on earth” not far in our rear view mirror, it is with sadness that I submit that the risks of war are growing and at an accelerating pace. With our nation beset with current challenges and our daily lives filled with so much to do, dismissing the possibility of a war somewhere over the horizon seems a very natural response. And yet, if we consider the growing tensions between the US and Russia, Iran, North Korea, and China, the proliferation of advanced technologies and the dysfunctional process with which Trump handles foreign relations, it is not difficult to discern the risks growing beneath our feet.

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BEWARE OF FAUSTIAN BARGAINS

One thing about Faustian bargains, where we consciously choose to turn from the moral beliefs and values that define us, in favor of something we desire in the short term, is that they always end in tragedy.  Just as Faust sold his soul for worldly pleasures, selling the moral basis of our lives to achieve short term goals, even noble ones, inevitably results in long term consequences far more dire then we ever imagined and leaves us broken and filled with regret.

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PROCESS COUNTS

Given the gravity of a Kavanaugh appointment to the Supreme Court, and the abysmal way the confirmation process for him was rammed through the Senate, I am left with no choice but to speak out against the abuse of power by Trump and Republican senators that have done his bidding.  As a conservative, a Christian, a Republican, and someone who believes that aborting a child is a great tragedy, it is particularly difficult to advocate against the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh, but I must. Given the gravity of appointing him to the highest court in our land, for decades, to both those yet born and the future of our nation, here are my reasons:

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ONE OF THE BEST INVESTMENTS EVER

One of the best investments we can ever make is not some great stock or real estate opportunity, but investing in preschool for our children and the children in our community. While investing in preschools probably sounds rather mundane, sometimes it’s the not so impressive or grand opportunities right under our noses that produce the sweetest and most lasting fruit.  Research from distinguished universities not only confirm what we’d intuitively believe about how quality preschool experiences help children during their school years, they underscore benefits far beyond what most of us might imagine.

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WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A REPUBLICAN?

As a Republican of 40 years, it is not only painful and deeply troubling to witness how dramatically divisions have cut into the fabric of our country, but how fellow moderate, pragmatic Republicans have caved in to the ideological hard-right.  Given what has become an all too common tendency among so many of us to stridently lurch to support or denigrate Trump, perhaps it would be worthwhile to take a step back and ask ourselves: “What does it mean to be a Republican?” What are the core values we stand for, and let those values guide our judgments, words and votes on the policies and people leading us.  

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EDUCATION IS THE KEY

Freedom, a cornerstone of our heritage, who we are as people, and how we live out our lives, provides us with not only the blessing of being able to choose our religion and speak our mind, it also opens up before us the frequently daunting challenge of choosing where to invest our time, talent and treasure.  As our homes, cars and other things beg our attention and beckon us to invest in them, let me suggest that we continue to keep the opportunity to invest in the education of the young people in our community foremost in our minds. Daily we witness on TV, and read about, stories of racial tensions, drug abuse, crime, under-employment, income inequality, poverty, and poor health care, and are tempted to despairingly ask: “When is this going to end?” Let me suggest that there is a key capable of substantially turning around all of these and that is investing in education.  While our “leaders” in Washington remain engrossed in their ongoing political brawls, locally we can meaningfully brighten the future of the children of our community and our community at large by supporting education in any and every way we can.

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REPUBLICAN TAX REFORM

As a conservative and a Republican for over 40 years, I’m compelled to testify, without political motive, and with the best interest of our country and people at heart, that the current Republican tax plan is extremely disappointing. It is disappointing because while it purports to reform the tax code, stimulate economic growth, and help the American people, it does little more than provide a handout to those that are already wealthy. It is a Trump led con, supported by Republican “leaders” desperately seeking a “win”, who have forgotten their compassionate conservative roots and given in to enriching wealthy friends and maintaining a narrow base they’ve conned into believing their pitch.  This tax bill will add to the deficit, stoke inflation, raise interest rates, result in 13 million people losing their health insurance, put additional upward pressure on health insurance premiums for the rest of us, and ignore the very real constraints to the economy and the long term needs of our country.

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BEYOND THE BATTLE

When combating injustice, the tragedy of lost opportunities and the senseless loss of life, both here and abroad, for the sake of those we choose to defend as well as our own humanity, it is essential to remember to live out a “thirst for righteousness” on multiple fronts. While exposing and confronting the perpetrators of injustice with their selfishness and shortsightedness is a noble cause, it is equally if not more important to bring to light and labor together on constructive solutions to some of the seemingly intractable problems that beset us.  And beyond that, sometimes it is good and right, even for warriors, to sheath their sword, lay it down for at least a little bit, and take up the good work of lending a helping hand and a broad smile to those that are struggling and hurting.

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