Badmouthing America

There should be more artful ways of criticizing policies of the opposing political party than trashing the whole country. Not liking the political philosophy of opponents, or particular regulations they support, or their general tax policy, is fine. That’s politics.

But this constant badmouthing of America is not good.

Both parties warn of the consequences that will befall the United States if the presidential candidate of the opposing party is elected. Again, that’s politics. But to say as Trump does, “We won’t have a country if you don’t elect me,” is just wrong. America has survived the Great Depression, severe recessions, world wars and immense tragedies. When Trump tells voters the United States is in terrible shape and a total failure, he is being ridiculous. Or, plainly speaking, “lying through his teeth.”

There is deep concern, however, about a conservative plan being developed for a second Trump presidency by The Heritage Group. Project 2025 calls for eliminating federal agencies, mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, a nationwide ban on abortion, concentrating power in the executive branch while bypassing Congress and replacing civil service employees with loyalists to the president. They’re even preparing an enemies list of people who aren’t loyal to Trump.

Americans must fight The Heritage Group as they try to install an authoritarian government. Extreme decisions by the Supreme Court aren’t making it any easier, though, as they, too, grab power away from Congress with recent decisions.

It’s hard to protect ourselves from autocrats with the deluge of today’s misinformation. Such dishonesty presents the American people with a badly distorted view of democracy. The debate last week was a tragic example of one candidate lying to the American people for 90 minutes, while his faltering opponent never challenged him. Nor did the moderators.

A recent poll shows many voters rarely question misinformation and outright lies that could easily be fact-checked. For instance, 55% of those polled believe we are in a recession today. We are not. Instead, the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) has been growing steadily for two years. It’s a well-known fact.

Although it was feared reducing the rate of inflation too quickly might trigger a recession, it didn’t happen. The efforts of the Federal Reserve Board succeeded in bringing inflation down under 3%. Fortune 500 CEOs and Nobel-prize economists, however, are predicting Trump’s economic plans would be extremely inflationary, decimating the GDP. They are not supporting him for president.

Republicans complain constantly about the horrible “Biden economy,” so it’s not surprising 49% of those polled think the stock market has been down during his administration. Actually, the market has been reaching record highs for the last two years. Of those polled, 49% also think unemployment is at a 50-year high. It’s been around 3.7% for two years now – a 50- year low.

What’s really needed is for corporations to reduce prices and cut back on the price gouging they’ve been doing since the pandemic – while making obscene profits. Politicians don’t talk about that aspect of the economy. Neither does Fox “News.”

The United States is still the greatest country in the world. It’s far more successful than Russia, China, North Korea and every other authoritarian country in the world. Why anyone supports making America more authoritarian with a Trump presidency is beyond me.

We have the strongest military and strongest economy in the world, the best judicial system, best medical services, best educational system and the most freedom in the world. No one thinks the United States is perfect, but most of us would never choose to live anywhere else.

There’s a reason people from around the world come to study at our universities. They come because the education they receive is of the highest quality, and they stay to work in medicine, science and technology because American workplaces are the most productive.

So, let the naysayers claim America is in decline, and complain incessantly about the bad economy. American consumers, despite dealing with prices that are too high, aren’t acting like they think it’s so bad. Spending is up significantly, according to the Consumer Index. Airports are crowded, interstates are congested with travelers who evidently think the price of gas is about right. Restaurants are overflowing with customers who were staying away just a year ago.

No way is America failing.