TRUMP THE GREAT
By William J. Dodwell June 19, 2018 The president
continues to stick to his guns on immigration and trade. He insists he will not support migrant camps
in the U.S. He is only enforcing
existing law regarding custody for children separated from their parents
because of their required jailing for the misdemeanor of crossing the border
illegally. Democrats and many
Republicans want him to ignore the law and allow the migrants permanent entry
which means effective amnesty and eventual voting rights. Of course, doing so would encourage
additional mass migration which Trump will not abide. Many of the children detained were abandoned
by horrible parents who never even toilet trained them. What’s more, without current protection some
children would be joined by kidnappers, pedophiles and traffickers claiming to
be their parents. As Trump says, Congress
could quickly amend the law to mitigate the separation problem but Democrats
refuse because they want to exploit the optics of crying children for political
gain in the midterm elections. Meanwhile
the children are enjoying a physical quality of life better than many Americans. On the trade front, Trump just declared an additional $200 billion of
tariffs on imports from China, in addition to the $50 billion currently in
place. China likely will cry “uncle”
first, resulting in major tariff relief (ideally tariff elimination). In the
meantime, many small businesses in particular have to bear higher prices for
imports and for product of competing domestic producers. Some may have to close shop. This is most unfortunate but recall Fed
Chairman Paul Volcker’s monetary tightening in the early 1980s that did the
same amid a sharp recession. That action
ushered in economic growth and stability still enjoyed today. Economic relief from fair trade would foster
a similar stimulus. It is worth the
short-term pain. The same applies to
other trading partners. Only President Trump has the courage and conviction to pursue these and
other important policies. What
leadership! ©2018 William J. Dodwell |