No One Asked Me But… (November 18, 2020)

By DR. LARRY MOSES

No one asked me but… The election of 2020 is an interesting study in contrast. The incumbent candidate Donald Trump has been a government employee for four years. In those four years he has taken no salary and in fact has sacrificed millions of dollars of income to fill the position.

Some of his accomplishments in those four years are as follows: More than 5 million jobs were created under his watch, and the unemployment rate dropped below 4 percent. The unemployment rate for African-Americans fell to 5.9 percent, lowest rate on record. Asian and Hispanic-American unemployment rates reached record lows. The women’s unemployment rate reached its lowest rate in 65 years. Job openings outnumber the unemployed for the first time in American history.

African-American and Hispanic-American poverty rates reached record lows. Manufacturing added 284,000 jobs in 2018, the most added in a year since 1997. More than six million workers received tax cut bonuses and benefits. Legislation was signed that reauthorized the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act making more than $1 billion available for career education programs.

Deregulation efforts have achieved $33 billion in regulatory savings. In 2018, these efforts alone delivered $23 billion in benefits to American families and business owners. A new trade agreement replaced the outdated North American Free Trade Agreement. The United States–Korea Free Trade Agreement was renegotiated to preserve and grow jobs in the American auto industry. Market access for American agricultural producers has expanded. China was held accountable for its unfair trade practices, such as the theft of intellectual property, by imposing tariffs on $250 billion on Chinese goods. The Administration authorized $12 billion to aid farmers affected by retaliatory tariffs.

The United States became a net natural gas exporter for the first time in 60 years. American coal exports increased by more than 60 percent. The Administration approved construction of the stalled Dakota Access pipeline and the cross border permit for the Keystone XL pipeline. Permits were issued for the New Burgos Pipeline to export American petroleum to Mexico. The war on coal ended, cutting regulations such as the “Stream Protection Rule” which was estimated to cost industries $81 million a year.

Americans have more healthcare freedom thanks to legislation that ended the Affordable Health Care’s mandated penalty. The Food and Drug Administration approved a record number of generic drugs. Reforms were implemented as to the amount Medicare will reimburse hospitals for drugs that are purchased under the 340B program, saving seniors $320 million. The “Right to Try” legislation has expanded access to experimental treatments for terminally ill patients. In a world-wide pandemic 99.7 percent of the American people have remain free from the virus. The recovery rate is better than 99.7 percent of those infected. In less than a year a vaccine has been developed that Dr. Fauci indicates is 90 percent effective.

America defunded a United Nations (UN) agency for colluding with China’s brutal program of forced abortion and sterilization. The federal government withdrew constrains on the individual State’s ability to exclude family-planning providers of abortion services from the Medicaid program. Regulations were issued establishing new or expanded exemptions from the ACA contraceptive mandate based on religious beliefs or moral convictions.

Federal Bureau of Investigation data showed a decrease in violent crime. The DOJ announced nearly $100 million in grant funding to hire hundreds of additional law enforcement officers. The DOJ worked with international partners to arrest and charge approximately 4,000 MS-13 members. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations led to the arrest of nearly 800 MS-13 members and associates. Legislation to improve the Federal firearm background check system and keep guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals was instituted. Customs and Border Protection apprehended 17,256 criminals and 1,019 gang members.

Legislation was signed providing $700 billion for defense in 2018, and $716 billion in 2019. America’s men and women in uniform secured the largest military pay raise in nearly a decade. Due to the new National Security Strategy, the ISIS’ territorial caliphate was defeated. Three of the world’s leading terrorist have been eliminated: Osama Ben Laden, Gen. Soleimani and Abu Mahdi-al-Mohandes.

The remains of POW/MIA service members from the Korean War have been returned to the United States. Jerusalem has been recognized as the capital of Israel and the American embassy has been moved there. The United States has made it clear that it does not accept the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction over Americans and will continue to protect America’s sovereignty. America has encouraged NATO members to increase their defense spending. America has enhanced support for Ukraine’s defense by stepping up sales of weapons to its military. This administration secured the release of numerous American citizens held abroad, including Pastor Andrew Brunson from Turkey and Josh Holt from Venezuela.

A record $73.1 billion has been set aside to fund the Department of Veterans Affairs. This funding included $8.6 billion for mental health services, $400 million for opioid abuse prevention and $206 million for suicide prevention. The VA Mission Act, has made it possible for eligible veterans to use walk-in community clinics. The Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017, streamlined the process used by veterans when appealing benefits claims. The Forever GI Bill provides veterans, service members, and their families with enhanced education benefits.

Donald Trump is a foul mouthed bully who has little respect for anyone other than himself and his family. He disrespects and ridicules anyone who has an idea that is different than his. He has served in privileged positions all his life. His great pleasure in life is firing people.

The accomplishments of his opponent Joe Biden are as follows: He served in the Congress for forty-one years and not a single bit of legislation carries his name. He served as Vice-President, a position Vice-President James Gardner described as “being not worth a bucket of warm spit,” for eight years. He has lived off the taxes of the American people since he was 29 years old and has accumulated a fortune of 15 million dollars while in office. Joe Biden is, however, by all reports “a hail fellow well met.”

America has chosen a nice guy who has accomplished little in his life over a competent bully. So be it. Get over it. Four years from now we will see the results of selecting nice over competent.

Thought of the week… In America, anyone can become president. That’s the problem.
—George Carlin