I made it through President Donald Trump's SOTU last night. I need more time to consider what he had to say, but I'll share my takeaways and welcome yours.
First, it was too long. Trump shattered the record for longest SOTU, a record that he himself set last year. As a result, it was boring at times.
Second, Democrats who opted to boycott the speech are childish and guilty of the very partisan behavior that Trump himself exhibited during his address. Like it or not, he is the President. I do not respect the person but do respect the office.
Third, most of Trump's partisan rants at Democrats are just as childish. At a time when we need to be talking to each other, we tend to talk at each other.
Fourth, his call to end insider trading was one of the few instances that resulted in bipartisan applause, but it's unclear to me whether Congress will act.
Fifth, the Trump accounts for kids (he claims he did not come up with the name), which will be seeded with $1,000 from the federal government, is an excellent idea and a way to help our children build a nest egg they can collect when they turn 18. He also deserves credit for eliminating taxes on tips (up to a point) and on overtime.
Sixth, his claim that tariffs could result in the elimination of income tax is sheer nonsense and would be regressive, hurting the poor.
Seventh, his claim to have stopped illegal immigration appears to be accurate.
Eighth, his claim that the economy is doing well is one with which most Americans disagree.
Ninth, his foreign policy is simply chaotic, but he avoided addressing many of the problems he himself has created, like alienating most of our allies.
No comments:
Post a Comment