Trump and the Middle Class

[Fuzzy Bear]

There was weeping and gnashing of teeth from the minute Donald Trump entered the race.  It was as if he had crashed a private party.  And, in his way, he's played the bull-in-the-china-shop to the hilt.  First, he makes harsh (but not false) comments about Mexican immigration, right at a time when the GOP is launching initiatives to win over Hispanic voters by attempting to have it both ways with them.  After that, he goes out and points out the obvious; that John McCain was a war hero only because he was captured.  Another inelegant statement that, in truth, is not false.  McCain wasn't an Eddie Rickenbacker or a Sgt. York; he was a guy who's plane got shot down.  He was tortured horribly and suffered greatly, but it wasn't as if his actions were those that saved lives, or represented unusual bravery in accomplishing an objective.  Trump opens his mouth, and most (though not all) of the GOP is "condemning him". 

Why the double standard?  Republicans said worse about Max Cleland and John Kerry's patriotism; far worse.  The GOP's problem with Hispanic voters comes not from Trump's comments (which reflect documentable problems aggravated by illegal immigration from Mexico) but from the performances of their 2012 candidates on the issue of immigration.  Who criticized Mitt Romney for suggesting "self-deportation"? 

No, the real issue is that Trump has called out the GOP on it's failure to be the party of the Middle Class.  The GOP was once that, but now, it's the party of the investor class and the super-rich who can fund super-PACs and flood the airwaves.  And it's the party of "free trade" (i. e. exporting American manufacturing jobs to foreign countries in exchange for lower tariffs on imported goods) which has decimated the middle class, but has made the investor class wealthier.  (Mitch McConnell, in suggesting areas of "bi-partisan" agreement to Obama, after the GOP took back the Senate, mentioned Fast-Tracking trade agreements as a bi-partisan initiative; nothing on healthcare, education, or anything the middle class might care about.)

Trump has been compared, in some circles, to Pat Buchanan, and it's an apt comparison.  What Trump gets (which the rest of the GOP doesn't want brought out into the open) is how the GOP went from a party that dominated Presidential elections (5 of 6 victories from 1968-88, 4 of the victories by massive landslides) to a party that has lost the popular vote in 5 of the last 6 Presidential elections.  Trump is the guy who echoes the Buchanan criticism of the GOP, and, specifically, of Bushism.  It was Bush 41 who gave us NAFTA and GATT, it was Bush 43 who gave us CAFTA, and it's the Congressional GOP, along with Obama, who gave us TPP.  Trump is calling out the GOP for its trade and immigration policies that have cost the GOP nationally, and that means bringing to light how this was done.  To quote Pat Buchanan, the GOP lost Middle America by giving corporate America everything they wanted in terms of trade agreements and immigration policies in exchange for unlimited campaign money, but it cost them the votes of Middle America that gave the GOP their landslides.

This Presidential election has become (as the past few have become) a way to win over a small slice of voters in New Hampshire, Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, Colorado, Nevada, New Hampshire, and Iowa.  For the GOP, it also has meant including a small slice of voters in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.  For the Democrats, it means waiting to see if demographic shifts will push Georgia over the top for them.  The rest of America is "locked in" in the view of most everyone in the political class.  No one sees anything really wrong with that, but it is a reality that allows Presidential elections to be about a very small slice of voters, when, in fact, it is the whole of the middle class which is in trouble, and no candidate is truly talking about the causes of this, with the exception of Trump and his unlikely soul-mate, Bernie Sanders.

The discussion of how the GOP betrayed the Middle America that was once its backbone is a conversation Trump could nationalize.  It would be quite inconvenient for the current GOP political class (as well as many Democrats), but it would be the first step in breaking out of the red/blue electoral box and truly expanding the electoral map.  It would also be a step toward making elections about economic policy, and not about "social issues".  It's not abortion, gay marriage, or the lack of same that is undermining the middle class.  (Talk about equality; now, same-sex married couples can experience the economic strain on married couples just like opposite-sex married couples.  Awesome sauce, eh?)  I would suggest that the focus on social issues are what keeps the EV rather stable, but a REAL focus on economic issues is the only thing that would shake up the Presidential structure.

Trump is actually advocating policies that would do this.  There's a reason why people were ganging up on him even before he announced.  Trump's campaign promises a discussion of issues the GOP doesn't want, but it's a discussion the middle class desperately needs.

[dudeabides]

Frankly, you are misguided here.

First off, let's start with the issue of John McCain's hero status. John McCain is an American hero. He endured five and a half years of torture, and refused early release because he knew he'd have to give up either information or he would be replaced by someone else. He is a hero, and to suggest otherwise is inhuman. President Bush's re-election campaign never attacked John Kerry's patriotism or service in uniform, nor did the Republican Party. Voters did not reject Kerry because of anything having to do with his service. A 527 group in opposition to Kerry said some despicable things about him. They didn't represent the Bush campaign, the RNC, or the feelings of the majority of Republicans. Our issue with Kerry in that campaign was his many flip-flops and his lack of judgement on public policy issues, we always honored his service.

Secondly, Donald Trump does not represent the majority of conservatives in his beliefs, and he certainly is not calling out the Republican Party for not being the party of the middle class. Trump is calling out the party for being too pro-immigrant and for being for free markets too much.

The fact of the matter is, those jobs associated with the export of our goods pay an average of 15% more than most jobs. Many companies in the United States have been created as a result of trade. Others have been able to sell products here that were purchased overseas or in South America at a fraction of the cost of what they would cost if they were manufactured here. These companies have outsourced manufacturing, yes, but they have created high waged jobs.

Furthermore, there are still manufacturing jobs here. The problem is, we have a skills gap. There are roughly 500,000 manufacturing jobs which aren't filled today because of this skills gap. We can have worker retraining programs, but let's be honest: most native born Americans who once worked in manufacturing don't want their kids to do the same. That's why we've seen increasing numbers of kids going to college. We should, at the state level, consider investing in some worker re-training programs for displaced workers.

What is ironic here is, with these 500,000 unfilled manufacturing jobs, it is legal immigrants who can help us fill these jobs. I am talking about legal immigrants, but Mr. Trump, like Mr. Buchanan before him, would rather rant about his bigotry than do something to fix our broken immigration system so we have a chance at manufacturing things again.

The reality is, middle America was doing quite well in the 1980s and 1990s. Republicans and Democrats worked together, but it is safe to say that Republicans won more policy battles back then. Between tax cuts, welfare reform, and deregulation, we Republicans acted like Republicans and won policy battles even as Democrats controlled congress in the 1980s and the white house in the 1990s.

Both parties have to accept some blame for our shrinking middle class. But, at no time in probably a century has the middle class been worse off than they are today. This is because of decades of failed monetary policies, an outdated tax code, and rising costs of energy. But, the policies of the last few years under President Obama have made life harder for working people.

The fact is, there are several factors as to why middle America has struggled. Part of it is our devaluing of the dollar, which has been going on for years. International bankers are getting rich off buying our assets even as working Americans see their buying power worth less. Part of this is also due to increasing costs, yet wages are barely keeping pace with inflation. More recently, Obamacare has made it so companies are cutting back hours, and more workers who used to work full-time are now working part-time. Policies such as Dodd-Frank, which make it tough for small businesses to get loans, have forced business people across this country to fall on hard times, even as Wall Street sees record profits.

What Donald Trump is advocating would lead to a depression. If we were to place a tax on foreign goods, prices would rise substantially. Every time someone went to the food store or to purchase clothes, they would see costs skyrocket. People's savings would be reduced, consumer spending would be reduced, and companies who rely on trade would have to layoff workers, this would impact several sectors.

In the end, free markets with limited government is what we require to rebuild the middle class. Lower taxes, an end to corporate welfare, fewer regulations, free trade, and less rule writing from Washington D.C.
 

[136or142]

I'll leave it to others here to rebut most of the points of the previous post (I mostly agree with the free trade stuff, and obviously about McCain being a war hero). I just wanted to point out how America centric that post is.

The increase in part time and, possibly worse short term, contract work is a phenomena going on in all of the industrialized world and has nothing to do with the things stated above.

The U.S dollar, far from being debased or devalued, is the highest its been relative to all the other major industrial currencies (and all currency's values are only in relation to other currencies) in probably at least 10 years.

Finally, I don't know if it's true throughout the entire industrialized world but companies hoarding cash and banks not lending is a problem at least in Australia, Canada and the U.K as well, so I suspect that while Dodd-Frank may play some small role, it is largely being used as a scapegoat by Republicans for partisan purposes, and being used by banks, and especially, investment banks to try to weaken it.

There probably is a need to reform Dodd Frank to ease the regulations on smaller banks, but the most recent data shows that loans by banks to businesses has been increasing quite nicely for the last few months even though Dodd-Frank hasn't been changed.

[Milquetoast]

Frankly, you are misguided here.

First off, let's start with the issue of John McCain's hero status. John McCain is an American hero. He endured five and a half years of torture, and refused early release because he knew he'd have to give up either information or he would be replaced by someone else. He is a hero, and to suggest otherwise is inhuman. President Bush's re-election campaign never attacked John Kerry's patriotism or service in uniform, nor did the Republican Party. Voters did not reject Kerry because of anything having to do with his service. A 527 group in opposition to Kerry said some despicable things about him. They didn't represent the Bush campaign, the RNC, or the feelings of the majority of Republicans. Our issue with Kerry in that campaign was his many flip-flops and his lack of judgement on public policy issues, we always honored his service.

Secondly, Donald Trump does not represent the majority of conservatives in his beliefs, and he certainly is not calling out the Republican Party for not being the party of the middle class. Trump is calling out the party for being too pro-immigrant and for being for free markets too much.

The fact of the matter is, those jobs associated with the export of our goods pay an average of 15% more than most jobs. Many companies in the United States have been created as a result of trade. Others have been able to sell products here that were purchased overseas or in South America at a fraction of the cost of what they would cost if they were manufactured here. These companies have outsourced manufacturing, yes, but they have created high waged jobs.

Furthermore, there are still manufacturing jobs here. The problem is, we have a skills gap. There are roughly 500,000 manufacturing jobs which aren't filled today because of this skills gap. We can have worker retraining programs, but let's be honest: most native born Americans who once worked in manufacturing don't want their kids to do the same. That's why we've seen increasing numbers of kids going to college. We should, at the state level, consider investing in some worker re-training programs for displaced workers.

What is ironic here is, with these 500,000 unfilled manufacturing jobs, it is legal immigrants who can help us fill these jobs. I am talking about legal immigrants, but Mr. Trump, like Mr. Buchanan before him, would rather rant about his bigotry than do something to fix our broken immigration system so we have a chance at manufacturing things again.

The reality is, middle America was doing quite well in the 1980s and 1990s. Republicans and Democrats worked together, but it is safe to say that Republicans won more policy battles back then. Between tax cuts, welfare reform, and deregulation, we Republicans acted like Republicans and won policy battles even as Democrats controlled congress in the 1980s and the white house in the 1990s.

Both parties have to accept some blame for our shrinking middle class. But, at no time in probably a century has the middle class been worse off than they are today. This is because of decades of failed monetary policies, an outdated tax code, and rising costs of energy. But, the policies of the last few years under President Obama have made life harder for working people.

The fact is, there are several factors as to why middle America has struggled. Part of it is our devaluing of the dollar, which has been going on for years. International bankers are getting rich off buying our assets even as working Americans see their buying power worth less. Part of this is also due to increasing costs, yet wages are barely keeping pace with inflation. More recently, Obamacare has made it so companies are cutting back hours, and more workers who used to work full-time are now working part-time. Policies such as Dodd-Frank, which make it tough for small businesses to get loans, have forced business people across this country to fall on hard times, even as Wall Street sees record profits.

What Donald Trump is advocating would lead to a depression. If we were to place a tax on foreign goods, prices would rise substantially. Every time someone went to the food store or to purchase clothes, they would see costs skyrocket. People's savings would be reduced, consumer spending would be reduced, and companies who rely on trade would have to layoff workers, this would impact several sectors.

In the end, free markets with limited government is what we require to rebuild the middle class. Lower taxes, an end to corporate welfare, fewer regulations, free trade, and less rule writing from Washington D.C.
 

Is that really what you think?

[Maxwell]

You make it sound as if Trump discusses these issues with any level of intelligence or depth instead of blind rage and pettiness. You make sound as if Trump has anything but contempt for regular people. You make it seem as if he really cares about any of these issues and isn't a media figure who craves attention. What a distortion of reality.

Were Republicans really not discussing immigration before this? And don't even get me started on trade.

[dudeabides]

You make it sound as if Trump discusses these issues with any level of intelligence or depth instead of blind rage and pettiness. You make sound as if Trump has anything but contempt for regular people. You make it seem as if he really cares about any of these issues and isn't a media figure who craves attention. What a distortion of reality.

Were Republicans really not discussing immigration before this? And don't even get me started on trade.

Agreed!

Frankly, you are misguided here.

First off, let's start with the issue of John McCain's hero status. John McCain is an American hero. He endured five and a half years of torture, and refused early release because he knew he'd have to give up either information or he would be replaced by someone else. He is a hero, and to suggest otherwise is inhuman. President Bush's re-election campaign never attacked John Kerry's patriotism or service in uniform, nor did the Republican Party. Voters did not reject Kerry because of anything having to do with his service. A 527 group in opposition to Kerry said some despicable things about him. They didn't represent the Bush campaign, the RNC, or the feelings of the majority of Republicans. Our issue with Kerry in that campaign was his many flip-flops and his lack of judgement on public policy issues, we always honored his service.

Secondly, Donald Trump does not represent the majority of conservatives in his beliefs, and he certainly is not calling out the Republican Party for not being the party of the middle class. Trump is calling out the party for being too pro-immigrant and for being for free markets too much.

The fact of the matter is, those jobs associated with the export of our goods pay an average of 15% more than most jobs. Many companies in the United States have been created as a result of trade. Others have been able to sell products here that were purchased overseas or in South America at a fraction of the cost of what they would cost if they were manufactured here. These companies have outsourced manufacturing, yes, but they have created high waged jobs.

Furthermore, there are still manufacturing jobs here. The problem is, we have a skills gap. There are roughly 500,000 manufacturing jobs which aren't filled today because of this skills gap. We can have worker retraining programs, but let's be honest: most native born Americans who once worked in manufacturing don't want their kids to do the same. That's why we've seen increasing numbers of kids going to college. We should, at the state level, consider investing in some worker re-training programs for displaced workers.

What is ironic here is, with these 500,000 unfilled manufacturing jobs, it is legal immigrants who can help us fill these jobs. I am talking about legal immigrants, but Mr. Trump, like Mr. Buchanan before him, would rather rant about his bigotry than do something to fix our broken immigration system so we have a chance at manufacturing things again.

The reality is, middle America was doing quite well in the 1980s and 1990s. Republicans and Democrats worked together, but it is safe to say that Republicans won more policy battles back then. Between tax cuts, welfare reform, and deregulation, we Republicans acted like Republicans and won policy battles even as Democrats controlled congress in the 1980s and the white house in the 1990s.

Both parties have to accept some blame for our shrinking middle class. But, at no time in probably a century has the middle class been worse off than they are today. This is because of decades of failed monetary policies, an outdated tax code, and rising costs of energy. But, the policies of the last few years under President Obama have made life harder for working people.

The fact is, there are several factors as to why middle America has struggled. Part of it is our devaluing of the dollar, which has been going on for years. International bankers are getting rich off buying our assets even as working Americans see their buying power worth less. Part of this is also due to increasing costs, yet wages are barely keeping pace with inflation. More recently, Obamacare has made it so companies are cutting back hours, and more workers who used to work full-time are now working part-time. Policies such as Dodd-Frank, which make it tough for small businesses to get loans, have forced business people across this country to fall on hard times, even as Wall Street sees record profits.

What Donald Trump is advocating would lead to a depression. If we were to place a tax on foreign goods, prices would rise substantially. Every time someone went to the food store or to purchase clothes, they would see costs skyrocket. People's savings would be reduced, consumer spending would be reduced, and companies who rely on trade would have to layoff workers, this would impact several sectors.

In the end, free markets with limited government is what we require to rebuild the middle class. Lower taxes, an end to corporate welfare, fewer regulations, free trade, and less rule writing from Washington D.C.
 

Is that really what you think?

Yes, I really do believe that free trade has been beneficial to America overall. I do believe that if done correctly, legal immigration can be a positive for America. I do believe that we should respect our veterans, even if we disagree with their politics.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Frankly, you are misguided here.

First off, let's start with the issue of John McCain's hero status. John McCain is an American hero. He endured five and a half years of torture, and refused early release because he knew he'd have to give up either information or he would be replaced by someone else. He is a hero, and to suggest otherwise is inhuman. President Bush's re-election campaign never attacked John Kerry's patriotism or service in uniform, nor did the Republican Party. Voters did not reject Kerry because of anything having to do with his service. A 527 group in opposition to Kerry said some despicable things about him. They didn't represent the Bush campaign, the RNC, or the feelings of the majority of Republicans. Our issue with Kerry in that campaign was his many flip-flops and his lack of judgement on public policy issues, we always honored his service.

Secondly, Donald Trump does not represent the majority of conservatives in his beliefs, and he certainly is not calling out the Republican Party for not being the party of the middle class. Trump is calling out the party for being too pro-immigrant and for being for free markets too much.

The fact of the matter is, those jobs associated with the export of our goods pay an average of 15% more than most jobs. Many companies in the United States have been created as a result of trade. Others have been able to sell products here that were purchased overseas or in South America at a fraction of the cost of what they would cost if they were manufactured here. These companies have outsourced manufacturing, yes, but they have created high waged jobs.

Furthermore, there are still manufacturing jobs here. The problem is, we have a skills gap. There are roughly 500,000 manufacturing jobs which aren't filled today because of this skills gap. We can have worker retraining programs, but let's be honest: most native born Americans who once worked in manufacturing don't want their kids to do the same. That's why we've seen increasing numbers of kids going to college. We should, at the state level, consider investing in some worker re-training programs for displaced workers.

What is ironic here is, with these 500,000 unfilled manufacturing jobs, it is legal immigrants who can help us fill these jobs. I am talking about legal immigrants, but Mr. Trump, like Mr. Buchanan before him, would rather rant about his bigotry than do something to fix our broken immigration system so we have a chance at manufacturing things again.

The reality is, middle America was doing quite well in the 1980s and 1990s. Republicans and Democrats worked together, but it is safe to say that Republicans won more policy battles back then. Between tax cuts, welfare reform, and deregulation, we Republicans acted like Republicans and won policy battles even as Democrats controlled congress in the 1980s and the white house in the 1990s.

Both parties have to accept some blame for our shrinking middle class. But, at no time in probably a century has the middle class been worse off than they are today. This is because of decades of failed monetary policies, an outdated tax code, and rising costs of energy. But, the policies of the last few years under President Obama have made life harder for working people.

The fact is, there are several factors as to why middle America has struggled. Part of it is our devaluing of the dollar, which has been going on for years. International bankers are getting rich off buying our assets even as working Americans see their buying power worth less. Part of this is also due to increasing costs, yet wages are barely keeping pace with inflation. More recently, Obamacare has made it so companies are cutting back hours, and more workers who used to work full-time are now working part-time. Policies such as Dodd-Frank, which make it tough for small businesses to get loans, have forced business people across this country to fall on hard times, even as Wall Street sees record profits.

What Donald Trump is advocating would lead to a depression. If we were to place a tax on foreign goods, prices would rise substantially. Every time someone went to the food store or to purchase clothes, they would see costs skyrocket. People's savings would be reduced, consumer spending would be reduced, and companies who rely on trade would have to layoff workers, this would impact several sectors.

In the end, free markets with limited government is what we require to rebuild the middle class. Lower taxes, an end to corporate welfare, fewer regulations, free trade, and less rule writing from Washington D.C.
 

See, that's what everyone tells me; that I'm misguided.  That I can't really see more and more people working for less money, and often at part-time jobs because manufacturing jobs are now done in foreign countries.  Because if I could see that, I'd (OMG!) demand my elected officials drop the double-talk and do something about it.  But because I can't see how the investor class can save through "global" investing (while the worker has no savings to be eaten up; he/she's already living paycheck to paycheck) I obviously don't know what I'm talking about.  I'm misguided; I didn't get the e-mail how government is to serve the investor class and corporate class first. 

Oh, and that 527 group that trashed Kerry were Bush's Do-Boys, hiding behind a 527.  Here are your two vocabulary words for the week:  "Plausible" and "Deniability".  Get real.  Lt. G. W. Bush served in a champagne unit during Vietnam, never in any danger of anything but an excessive hangover from a trip to Boys Town; he has no problem trashing the Max Cleland's of the world.  And, yes, I do think Trump was over the top on McCain, but I think that the free trade agreements of the last 20 years are more over the top than bad rhetoric from Donald Trump.

No one ever holds the authors of these trade agreements accountable.  No one ever sees the jobs created, because they are mythical.  No one ever sees the huge profits made by those who ship the jobs overseas, because they are not held accountable; it's all part of "free trade".  The free-traders never are subjected to a cost-benefit analysis of their NAFTAs, CAFTAs, GATTs, and TPPs. 

Donald Trump, a guy who I considered to be a jerk until a few weeks ago, has started the conversation.  It took Donald Trump to take up this banner within the GOP.  Is he narcissistic?  Of course.  But I don't care about his persona.  George Bush and George W. Bush both had nicer personalities, and they screwed America with free trade.  I want to hear everything Donald Trump has to say, and I want the rest of the GOP to hear it as well.  Who else in the GOP is taking on the free-traders who screwed us.

[Milquetoast]

Frankly, you are misguided here.

First off, let's start with the issue of John McCain's hero status. John McCain is an American hero. He endured five and a half years of torture, and refused early release because he knew he'd have to give up either information or he would be replaced by someone else. He is a hero, and to suggest otherwise is inhuman. President Bush's re-election campaign never attacked John Kerry's patriotism or service in uniform, nor did the Republican Party. Voters did not reject Kerry because of anything having to do with his service. A 527 group in opposition to Kerry said some despicable things about him. They didn't represent the Bush campaign, the RNC, or the feelings of the majority of Republicans. Our issue with Kerry in that campaign was his many flip-flops and his lack of judgement on public policy issues, we always honored his service.

Secondly, Donald Trump does not represent the majority of conservatives in his beliefs, and he certainly is not calling out the Republican Party for not being the party of the middle class. Trump is calling out the party for being too pro-immigrant and for being for free markets too much.

The fact of the matter is, those jobs associated with the export of our goods pay an average of 15% more than most jobs. Many companies in the United States have been created as a result of trade. Others have been able to sell products here that were purchased overseas or in South America at a fraction of the cost of what they would cost if they were manufactured here. These companies have outsourced manufacturing, yes, but they have created high waged jobs.

Furthermore, there are still manufacturing jobs here. The problem is, we have a skills gap. There are roughly 500,000 manufacturing jobs which aren't filled today because of this skills gap. We can have worker retraining programs, but let's be honest: most native born Americans who once worked in manufacturing don't want their kids to do the same. That's why we've seen increasing numbers of kids going to college. We should, at the state level, consider investing in some worker re-training programs for displaced workers.

What is ironic here is, with these 500,000 unfilled manufacturing jobs, it is legal immigrants who can help us fill these jobs. I am talking about legal immigrants, but Mr. Trump, like Mr. Buchanan before him, would rather rant about his bigotry than do something to fix our broken immigration system so we have a chance at manufacturing things again.

The reality is, middle America was doing quite well in the 1980s and 1990s. Republicans and Democrats worked together, but it is safe to say that Republicans won more policy battles back then. Between tax cuts, welfare reform, and deregulation, we Republicans acted like Republicans and won policy battles even as Democrats controlled congress in the 1980s and the white house in the 1990s.

Both parties have to accept some blame for our shrinking middle class. But, at no time in probably a century has the middle class been worse off than they are today. This is because of decades of failed monetary policies, an outdated tax code, and rising costs of energy. But, the policies of the last few years under President Obama have made life harder for working people.

The fact is, there are several factors as to why middle America has struggled. Part of it is our devaluing of the dollar, which has been going on for years. International bankers are getting rich off buying our assets even as working Americans see their buying power worth less. Part of this is also due to increasing costs, yet wages are barely keeping pace with inflation. More recently, Obamacare has made it so companies are cutting back hours, and more workers who used to work full-time are now working part-time. Policies such as Dodd-Frank, which make it tough for small businesses to get loans, have forced business people across this country to fall on hard times, even as Wall Street sees record profits.

What Donald Trump is advocating would lead to a depression. If we were to place a tax on foreign goods, prices would rise substantially. Every time someone went to the food store or to purchase clothes, they would see costs skyrocket. People's savings would be reduced, consumer spending would be reduced, and companies who rely on trade would have to layoff workers, this would impact several sectors.

In the end, free markets with limited government is what we require to rebuild the middle class. Lower taxes, an end to corporate welfare, fewer regulations, free trade, and less rule writing from Washington D.C.
 

See, that's what everyone tells me; that I'm misguided.  That I can't really see more and more people working for less money, and often at part-time jobs because manufacturing jobs are now done in foreign countries.  Because if I could see that, I'd (OMG!) demand my elected officials drop the double-talk and do something about it.  But because I can't see how the investor class can save through "global" investing (while the worker has no savings to be eaten up; he/she's already living paycheck to paycheck) I obviously don't know what I'm talking about.  I'm misguided; I didn't get the e-mail how government is to serve the investor class and corporate class first. 

Oh, and that 527 group that trashed Kerry were Bush's Do-Boys, hiding behind a 527.  Here are your two vocabulary words for the week:  "Plausible" and "Deniability".  Get real.  Lt. G. W. Bush served in a champagne unit during Vietnam, never in any danger of anything but an excessive hangover from a trip to Boys Town; he has no problem trashing the Max Cleland's of the world.  And, yes, I do think Trump was over the top on McCain, but I think that the free trade agreements of the last 20 years are more over the top than bad rhetoric from Donald Trump.

No one ever holds the authors of these trade agreements accountable.  No one ever sees the jobs created, because they are mythical.  No one ever sees the huge profits made by those who ship the jobs overseas, because they are not held accountable; it's all part of "free trade".  The free-traders never are subjected to a cost-benefit analysis of their NAFTAs, CAFTAs, GATTs, and TPPs. 

Donald Trump, a guy who I considered to be a jerk until a few weeks ago, has started the conversation.  It took Donald Trump to take up this banner within the GOP.  Is he narcissistic?  Of course.  But I don't care about his persona.  George Bush and George W. Bush both had nicer personalities, and they screwed America with free trade.  I want to hear everything Donald Trump has to say, and I want the rest of the GOP to hear it as well.  Who else in the GOP is taking on the free-traders who screwed us.

Why does Donald Trump outsource jobs with his own companies then? He's a hypocrite and you refuse to see it. Open your eyes!

[Fuzzy Bear]

You make it sound as if Trump discusses these issues with any level of intelligence or depth instead of blind rage and pettiness. You make sound as if Trump has anything but contempt for regular people. You make it seem as if he really cares about any of these issues and isn't a media figure who craves attention. What a distortion of reality.

Were Republicans really not discussing immigration before this? And don't even get me started on trade.

How much intelligence and depth or how much blind rage and pettiness is contained in Trump's statements is a matter for the beholder.  What DOES matter is that at THIS time, NO other candidate is raising the issue of our horrible trade agreements that have devastated our middle class.

Is Trump the guy I really wanted carrying this banner?  Of course not; I would have preferred one of the other candidates to come to their senses, but if they did, their private billionaire supporters would bail on them.  The rest of the field is about economic policies that have contracted the middle class over time. 

On top of it, these candidates are mostly all politicos; they've never done anything but practice law (some of them) and hold public office.  I'm not big on the "businessman" candidate, but Trump is a guy who, for better or worse, actually has a firsthand idea of how the economy works.  These other guys, for the most part, have done little or nothing in the "private sector" they shower with praise.

[136or142]

You make it sound as if Trump discusses these issues with any level of intelligence or depth instead of blind rage and pettiness. You make sound as if Trump has anything but contempt for regular people. You make it seem as if he really cares about any of these issues and isn't a media figure who craves attention. What a distortion of reality.

Were Republicans really not discussing immigration before this? And don't even get me started on trade.

How much intelligence and depth or how much blind rage and pettiness is contained in Trump's statements is a matter for the beholder.  What DOES matter is that at THIS time, NO other candidate is raising the issue of our horrible trade agreements that have devastated our middle class.

Is Trump the guy I really wanted carrying this banner?  Of course not; I would have preferred one of the other candidates to come to their senses, but if they did, their private billionaire supporters would bail on them.  The rest of the field is about economic policies that have contracted the middle class over time. 

On top of it, these candidates are mostly all politicos; they've never done anything but practice law (some of them) and hold public office.  I'm not big on the "businessman" candidate, but Trump is a guy who, for better or worse, actually has a firsthand idea of how the economy works.  These other guys, for the most part, have done little or nothing in the "private sector" they shower with praise.

Bernie Sanders obviously is and with reason and intelligence, though I mostly disagree with him.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Frankly, you are misguided here.

First off, let's start with the issue of John McCain's hero status. John McCain is an American hero. He endured five and a half years of torture, and refused early release because he knew he'd have to give up either information or he would be replaced by someone else. He is a hero, and to suggest otherwise is inhuman. President Bush's re-election campaign never attacked John Kerry's patriotism or service in uniform, nor did the Republican Party. Voters did not reject Kerry because of anything having to do with his service. A 527 group in opposition to Kerry said some despicable things about him. They didn't represent the Bush campaign, the RNC, or the feelings of the majority of Republicans. Our issue with Kerry in that campaign was his many flip-flops and his lack of judgement on public policy issues, we always honored his service.

Secondly, Donald Trump does not represent the majority of conservatives in his beliefs, and he certainly is not calling out the Republican Party for not being the party of the middle class. Trump is calling out the party for being too pro-immigrant and for being for free markets too much.

The fact of the matter is, those jobs associated with the export of our goods pay an average of 15% more than most jobs. Many companies in the United States have been created as a result of trade. Others have been able to sell products here that were purchased overseas or in South America at a fraction of the cost of what they would cost if they were manufactured here. These companies have outsourced manufacturing, yes, but they have created high waged jobs.

Furthermore, there are still manufacturing jobs here. The problem is, we have a skills gap. There are roughly 500,000 manufacturing jobs which aren't filled today because of this skills gap. We can have worker retraining programs, but let's be honest: most native born Americans who once worked in manufacturing don't want their kids to do the same. That's why we've seen increasing numbers of kids going to college. We should, at the state level, consider investing in some worker re-training programs for displaced workers.

What is ironic here is, with these 500,000 unfilled manufacturing jobs, it is legal immigrants who can help us fill these jobs. I am talking about legal immigrants, but Mr. Trump, like Mr. Buchanan before him, would rather rant about his bigotry than do something to fix our broken immigration system so we have a chance at manufacturing things again.

The reality is, middle America was doing quite well in the 1980s and 1990s. Republicans and Democrats worked together, but it is safe to say that Republicans won more policy battles back then. Between tax cuts, welfare reform, and deregulation, we Republicans acted like Republicans and won policy battles even as Democrats controlled congress in the 1980s and the white house in the 1990s.

Both parties have to accept some blame for our shrinking middle class. But, at no time in probably a century has the middle class been worse off than they are today. This is because of decades of failed monetary policies, an outdated tax code, and rising costs of energy. But, the policies of the last few years under President Obama have made life harder for working people.

The fact is, there are several factors as to why middle America has struggled. Part of it is our devaluing of the dollar, which has been going on for years. International bankers are getting rich off buying our assets even as working Americans see their buying power worth less. Part of this is also due to increasing costs, yet wages are barely keeping pace with inflation. More recently, Obamacare has made it so companies are cutting back hours, and more workers who used to work full-time are now working part-time. Policies such as Dodd-Frank, which make it tough for small businesses to get loans, have forced business people across this country to fall on hard times, even as Wall Street sees record profits.

What Donald Trump is advocating would lead to a depression. If we were to place a tax on foreign goods, prices would rise substantially. Every time someone went to the food store or to purchase clothes, they would see costs skyrocket. People's savings would be reduced, consumer spending would be reduced, and companies who rely on trade would have to layoff workers, this would impact several sectors.

In the end, free markets with limited government is what we require to rebuild the middle class. Lower taxes, an end to corporate welfare, fewer regulations, free trade, and less rule writing from Washington D.C.
 

See, that's what everyone tells me; that I'm misguided.  That I can't really see more and more people working for less money, and often at part-time jobs because manufacturing jobs are now done in foreign countries.  Because if I could see that, I'd (OMG!) demand my elected officials drop the double-talk and do something about it.  But because I can't see how the investor class can save through "global" investing (while the worker has no savings to be eaten up; he/she's already living paycheck to paycheck) I obviously don't know what I'm talking about.  I'm misguided; I didn't get the e-mail how government is to serve the investor class and corporate class first. 

Oh, and that 527 group that trashed Kerry were Bush's Do-Boys, hiding behind a 527.  Here are your two vocabulary words for the week:  "Plausible" and "Deniability".  Get real.  Lt. G. W. Bush served in a champagne unit during Vietnam, never in any danger of anything but an excessive hangover from a trip to Boys Town; he has no problem trashing the Max Cleland's of the world.  And, yes, I do think Trump was over the top on McCain, but I think that the free trade agreements of the last 20 years are more over the top than bad rhetoric from Donald Trump.

No one ever holds the authors of these trade agreements accountable.  No one ever sees the jobs created, because they are mythical.  No one ever sees the huge profits made by those who ship the jobs overseas, because they are not held accountable; it's all part of "free trade".  The free-traders never are subjected to a cost-benefit analysis of their NAFTAs, CAFTAs, GATTs, and TPPs. 

Donald Trump, a guy who I considered to be a jerk until a few weeks ago, has started the conversation.  It took Donald Trump to take up this banner within the GOP.  Is he narcissistic?  Of course.  But I don't care about his persona.  George Bush and George W. Bush both had nicer personalities, and they screwed America with free trade.  I want to hear everything Donald Trump has to say, and I want the rest of the GOP to hear it as well.  Who else in the GOP is taking on the free-traders who screwed us.

Why does Donald Trump outsource jobs with his own companies then? He's a hypocrite and you refuse to see it. Open your eyes!

Frankly, I don't care if Trump's a hypocrite.  We have Born Again Christians cheating on their wives and marrying their office assistants, Catholics who cite dogma in their pro-life stances, but blow off the Pope when he's critical of capitalism, all running for public office.  Trump has started a discussion, and if the GOP primary were held tomorrow, I'd vote for Trump, because its the only way I can effectively voice my opposition to "free trade".

If not being a hypocrite were a requirement for public office, our ballots would be mighty blank.

[Fuzzy Bear]

You make it sound as if Trump discusses these issues with any level of intelligence or depth instead of blind rage and pettiness. You make sound as if Trump has anything but contempt for regular people. You make it seem as if he really cares about any of these issues and isn't a media figure who craves attention. What a distortion of reality.

Were Republicans really not discussing immigration before this? And don't even get me started on trade.

How much intelligence and depth or how much blind rage and pettiness is contained in Trump's statements is a matter for the beholder.  What DOES matter is that at THIS time, NO other candidate is raising the issue of our horrible trade agreements that have devastated our middle class.

Is Trump the guy I really wanted carrying this banner?  Of course not; I would have preferred one of the other candidates to come to their senses, but if they did, their private billionaire supporters would bail on them.  The rest of the field is about economic policies that have contracted the middle class over time. 

On top of it, these candidates are mostly all politicos; they've never done anything but practice law (some of them) and hold public office.  I'm not big on the "businessman" candidate, but Trump is a guy who, for better or worse, actually has a firsthand idea of how the economy works.  These other guys, for the most part, have done little or nothing in the "private sector" they shower with praise.

Bernie Sanders obviously is and with reason and intelligence, though I mostly disagree with him.

And I like Sanders.  I'm a registered Republican, but an independent voter.  Sanders is pretty left for me on social issues, but I really believe that free-trade, immigration, and GOP war-mongering are the big issues for me.

Trump carries that banner for me with the GOP; it's a place where the left and right converge.

[136or142]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Other than for the U.S Senate, the number of politicians who are lawyers is grossly overestimated. While lawyers do make up one of the big four occupations for politicians, so do educators (anything from an educational assistant to a university president, but mostly, obviously school teachers or college instructors/professors), business people, somewhat more so on the Republican side, and civil servants, somewhat more so on the Democratic side.

What is true, is that lawyers are generally the only people who can self fund an election campaign, especially for the U.S Senate and also have an interest in running for office. Obviously some business people also run for office, but the vast majority believe they are making far more of an impact (or making far more money, to be more cynical) in running their businesses.

Of course, in most state there is at least one elected position that has to go to a lawyer: the State Attorney General, though at present their aren't many former State Attorneys General in the U.S Senate.  I believe in most, if not all states, elected judges are also required to be lawyers, but there are, at present, no prior elected judges in the U.S Senate, and I don't believe there are any who are are governors either (Brian Sandoval?).

For the average person, the only way to get elected to Congress is to work your way up.  You generally have   to start as either a city councillor or county commissioner and then get elected as either mayor or to the state legislature.

One thing this does, is it prevents nearly all the state legislators from taking on jobs that take more than forty hours a week.  So, in fact, for good and ill, most of the state legislators or U.S Representatives or even U.S Senators who held a prior elected office are still more or less common people, though many have tended to lose their common touch by they time they make it to the U.S Senate.

In the case of the civil servants, many are civil service staffers/administrators (and there are some political staffers as well) and the like, but quite a number are also (non lawyer) professionals like scientists, engineers, accountants and the like or are policy wonks like economists.

[Indy Texas]

President Bush's re-election campaign never attacked John Kerry's patriotism or service in uniform, nor did the Republican Party. Voters did not reject Kerry because of anything having to do with his service. A 527 group in opposition to Kerry said some despicable things about him. They didn't represent the Bush campaign, the RNC, or the feelings of the majority of Republicans. Our issue with Kerry in that campaign was his many flip-flops and his lack of judgement on public policy issues, we always honored his service.

Are you being paid by the RNC and Karl Rove to write your posts? Because if you aren't, you're a fool. If I wanted to lie through my teeth to protect some party apparatchiks, I'd at least demand payment for services rendered.

It is shameful and pathetic that you really think the Bush campaign knew nothing about Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and that they were completely powerless to stop those ads from airing.

The Bush Camp is full of liars and always has been. First it was Lee Atwater appealing to the nastiest instincts of racist Southerners in 1988. Then it was Karl Rove preying on those same racist instincts in 2000 by smearing John McCain's young adopted daughter. Then, four years later, it was enlisting Boone Pickens, a wealthy longtime Bush donor, to tell blatant lies about John Kerry's military service. (Even more galling, considering Bush's "military service" amounted to sitting around a National Guard aircraft hangar in Alabama.)

Democrats don't do that. Bill Clinton didn't need to smear George Bush or Bob Dole to get elected. Barack Obama didn't need to smear John McCain or Mitt Romney to get elected.

Your party has had to play dirty to win your last three presidential elections, and in one of those, most Americans still voted for the other candidate. What does that say about your party?

[136or142]

President Bush's re-election campaign never attacked John Kerry's patriotism or service in uniform, nor did the Republican Party. Voters did not reject Kerry because of anything having to do with his service. A 527 group in opposition to Kerry said some despicable things about him. They didn't represent the Bush campaign, the RNC, or the feelings of the majority of Republicans. Our issue with Kerry in that campaign was his many flip-flops and his lack of judgement on public policy issues, we always honored his service.

It is shameful and pathetic that you really think the Bush campaign knew nothing about Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and that they were completely powerless to stop those ads from airing.

Even if they didn't know anything about it, which is hard to believe, they never asked for the ads to be taken off the air.  I could be wrong, but I believe during the Republican nominating convention they gave the delegates fake purple hearts or something to mock Kerry's service.

The George W Bush administration was easily the most dishonest in the last 80 or so years, if not much longer.

Edit: It wasn't the National Republicans that distributed the fake purple hearts, it was one delegate, but a considerable number of delegates wore them, and even more carried the book "Unfit for Command."

Finally, it's pretty obvious the denunciation of the dishonest attack was nothing more than plausible deniability as the people behind both the ad and the swift boat liars were former Bush campaign workers.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/01/politics/campaign/01swift.html
http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/08/30/gop.purple.hearts/

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

You make it sound as if Trump discusses these issues with any level of intelligence or depth instead of blind rage and pettiness. You make sound as if Trump has anything but contempt for regular people. You make it seem as if he really cares about any of these issues and isn't a media figure who craves attention. What a distortion of reality.

Were Republicans really not discussing immigration before this? And don't even get me started on trade.

It doesn't really matter if Trump is doing a good job advocating his positions or not, or even if the positions themselves are reasonable. What he's really doing is pointing out that public political discussion on the Republican side of the table is a teeny, tiny slice of what Americans in general and Republicans in particular care about. He's throwing light on the disconnect between the public and the politicians. And the public are eating it up, while the politicians hate it. Which just feeds the cycle more.

The fact that he's not dead and sinking yet, even after doubling-down on his McCain comments, that were tactless AND questioned our civic religion is astonishing. It shows just how desperate people are for someone, anyone to say something DIFFERENT.

[136or142]

You make it sound as if Trump discusses these issues with any level of intelligence or depth instead of blind rage and pettiness. You make sound as if Trump has anything but contempt for regular people. You make it seem as if he really cares about any of these issues and isn't a media figure who craves attention. What a distortion of reality.

Were Republicans really not discussing immigration before this? And don't even get me started on trade.

It doesn't really matter if Trump is doing a good job advocating his positions or not, or even if the positions themselves are reasonable. What he's really doing is pointing out that public political discussion on the Republican side of the table is a teeny, tiny slice of what Americans in general and Republicans in particular care about. He's throwing light on the disconnect between the public and the politicians. And the public are eating it up, while the politicians hate it. Which just feeds the cycle more.

The fact that he's not dead and sinking yet, even after doubling-down on his McCain comments, that were tactless AND questioned our civic religion is astonishing. It shows just how desperate people are for someone, anyone to say something DIFFERENT.

It also shows in a multi multi candidate race, that a person with 20% support can become the front runner.

[ag]

First, he makes harsh (but not false) comments about Mexican immigration

As a murderer and rapist myself, this is where I stopped reading. I presume, in fact, quite a few of us would.

[Fuzzy Bear]

First, he makes harsh (but not false) comments about Mexican immigration

As a murderer and rapist myself, this is where I stopped reading. I presume, in fact, quite a few of us would.

Trump's comments were about ILLEGAL immigration, and they are not inaccurate.  The sheer number of illegal aliens that are at large with felony warrants against them in California, alone, is staggering.  Many of these folks are gang members, and many of their offenses are dangerous.

From the LA Times in 2002:  95% of all felony murder warrants in Los Angeles are for illegal aliens.   One-half of all criminal gang members in Los Angeles are estimated to be illegal aliens by the FBI.  Approximately 2/3 of all births in Los Angeles County were children of mothers not in the US legally, paid for by Medi-Cal.  Indeed, the total cost of illegal immigration is $70 billion (and that's as of 1997) AFTER taxes paid by illegal aliens.

This is not the cost of legal Mexican immigration, where folks are on the books, pay taxes, are tracked by ICE, etc.  This is the cost of ILLEGAL immigration.  Why is it wrong to not only want action on this problem, but to demand a solution that would rectify the problem long-term?

I, personally, do not care about the nationality of our immigrants, so long as our immigrants are assimilated in such a way as to where they become truly American, with their primary loyalty to the USA, and not their home nation.  That was the guiding policy of immigration prior to 1965, and the reason why the wave of diverse Ellis Island immmigrants was so successful.  It's why immigration from China and Japan was so successful.  Indeed, it was OUR attitude toward Japanese in America that led to internment camps during WWII that brought us national shame; these folks were well-assimilated into American culture, and the racism that led to their internment was inexcusable and shameful.  And most LEGAL immigrants from Mexico and Latin America are well-assimilated, taxpaying, law-abiding folks.

ILLEGAL immigrants are something else.  Many of them are gang members from the get-go, who could not hope to gain entry into America legally, and many others have no choice but to turn to criminal activities because they can't work legally in the US.  ILLEGAL immigration is the problem, and the idea that nothing should be done about this besides enacting the Dream Act (which I support in principle) and granting another amnesty doesn't make sense to a lot of Americans.

Trump gives voice to this.  He points out the inaction on this issue.  The stats are not kind, but what do we do if the stats are accurate?  Nothing?  That's not what the middle and working classes of America believe.  And it's the middle and working classes who do the work of our society and pay most of its taxes; they deserve more than misdirected lectures on diversity and tolerance.

[136or142]

I, personally, do not care about the nationality of our immigrants, so long as our immigrants are assimilated in such a way as to where they become truly American, with their primary loyalty to the USA, and not their home nation. 

Sounds like social engineering.

[CapoteMonster]

First, he makes harsh (but not false) comments about Mexican immigration

As a murderer and rapist myself, this is where I stopped reading. I presume, in fact, quite a few of us would.

Trump's comments were about ILLEGAL immigration, and they are not inaccurate.  The sheer number of illegal aliens that are at large with felony warrants against them in California, alone, is staggering.  Many of these folks are gang members, and many of their offenses are dangerous.

From the LA Times in 2002:  95% of all felony murder warrants in Los Angeles are for illegal aliens.   One-half of all criminal gang members in Los Angeles are estimated to be illegal aliens by the FBI.  Approximately 2/3 of all births in Los Angeles County were children of mothers not in the US legally, paid for by Medi-Cal.  Indeed, the total cost of illegal immigration is $70 billion (and that's as of 1997) AFTER taxes paid by illegal aliens.

This is not the cost of legal Mexican immigration, where folks are on the books, pay taxes, are tracked by ICE, etc.  This is the cost of ILLEGAL immigration.  Why is it wrong to not only want action on this problem, but to demand a solution that would rectify the problem long-term?

I, personally, do not care about the nationality of our immigrants, so long as our immigrants are assimilated in such a way as to where they become truly American, with their primary loyalty to the USA, and not their home nation.  That was the guiding policy of immigration prior to 1965, and the reason why the wave of diverse Ellis Island immmigrants was so successful.  It's why immigration from China and Japan was so successful.  Indeed, it was OUR attitude toward Japanese in America that led to internment camps during WWII that brought us national shame; these folks were well-assimilated into American culture, and the racism that led to their internment was inexcusable and shameful.  And most LEGAL immigrants from Mexico and Latin America are well-assimilated, taxpaying, law-abiding folks.

ILLEGAL immigrants are something else.  Many of them are gang members from the get-go, who could not hope to gain entry into America legally, and many others have no choice but to turn to criminal activities because they can't work legally in the US.  ILLEGAL immigration is the problem, and the idea that nothing should be done about this besides enacting the Dream Act (which I support in principle) and granting another amnesty doesn't make sense to a lot of Americans.

Trump gives voice to this.  He points out the inaction on this issue.  The stats are not kind, but what do we do if the stats are accurate?  Nothing?  That's not what the middle and working classes of America believe.  And it's the middle and working classes who do the work of our society and pay most of its taxes; they deserve more than misdirected lectures on diversity and tolerance.

First generation immigrants have a lower crime rate than natural born citizens. There's no study that backs up Trump's study on a large scale.

[dudeabides]

Frankly, you are misguided here.

First off, let's start with the issue of John McCain's hero status. John McCain is an American hero. He endured five and a half years of torture, and refused early release because he knew he'd have to give up either information or he would be replaced by someone else. He is a hero, and to suggest otherwise is inhuman. President Bush's re-election campaign never attacked John Kerry's patriotism or service in uniform, nor did the Republican Party. Voters did not reject Kerry because of anything having to do with his service. A 527 group in opposition to Kerry said some despicable things about him. They didn't represent the Bush campaign, the RNC, or the feelings of the majority of Republicans. Our issue with Kerry in that campaign was his many flip-flops and his lack of judgement on public policy issues, we always honored his service.

Secondly, Donald Trump does not represent the majority of conservatives in his beliefs, and he certainly is not calling out the Republican Party for not being the party of the middle class. Trump is calling out the party for being too pro-immigrant and for being for free markets too much.

The fact of the matter is, those jobs associated with the export of our goods pay an average of 15% more than most jobs. Many companies in the United States have been created as a result of trade. Others have been able to sell products here that were purchased overseas or in South America at a fraction of the cost of what they would cost if they were manufactured here. These companies have outsourced manufacturing, yes, but they have created high waged jobs.

Furthermore, there are still manufacturing jobs here. The problem is, we have a skills gap. There are roughly 500,000 manufacturing jobs which aren't filled today because of this skills gap. We can have worker retraining programs, but let's be honest: most native born Americans who once worked in manufacturing don't want their kids to do the same. That's why we've seen increasing numbers of kids going to college. We should, at the state level, consider investing in some worker re-training programs for displaced workers.

What is ironic here is, with these 500,000 unfilled manufacturing jobs, it is legal immigrants who can help us fill these jobs. I am talking about legal immigrants, but Mr. Trump, like Mr. Buchanan before him, would rather rant about his bigotry than do something to fix our broken immigration system so we have a chance at manufacturing things again.

The reality is, middle America was doing quite well in the 1980s and 1990s. Republicans and Democrats worked together, but it is safe to say that Republicans won more policy battles back then. Between tax cuts, welfare reform, and deregulation, we Republicans acted like Republicans and won policy battles even as Democrats controlled congress in the 1980s and the white house in the 1990s.

Both parties have to accept some blame for our shrinking middle class. But, at no time in probably a century has the middle class been worse off than they are today. This is because of decades of failed monetary policies, an outdated tax code, and rising costs of energy. But, the policies of the last few years under President Obama have made life harder for working people.

The fact is, there are several factors as to why middle America has struggled. Part of it is our devaluing of the dollar, which has been going on for years. International bankers are getting rich off buying our assets even as working Americans see their buying power worth less. Part of this is also due to increasing costs, yet wages are barely keeping pace with inflation. More recently, Obamacare has made it so companies are cutting back hours, and more workers who used to work full-time are now working part-time. Policies such as Dodd-Frank, which make it tough for small businesses to get loans, have forced business people across this country to fall on hard times, even as Wall Street sees record profits.

What Donald Trump is advocating would lead to a depression. If we were to place a tax on foreign goods, prices would rise substantially. Every time someone went to the food store or to purchase clothes, they would see costs skyrocket. People's savings would be reduced, consumer spending would be reduced, and companies who rely on trade would have to layoff workers, this would impact several sectors.

In the end, free markets with limited government is what we require to rebuild the middle class. Lower taxes, an end to corporate welfare, fewer regulations, free trade, and less rule writing from Washington D.C.
 

See, that's what everyone tells me; that I'm misguided.  That I can't really see more and more people working for less money, and often at part-time jobs because manufacturing jobs are now done in foreign countries.  Because if I could see that, I'd (OMG!) demand my elected officials drop the double-talk and do something about it.  But because I can't see how the investor class can save through "global" investing (while the worker has no savings to be eaten up; he/she's already living paycheck to paycheck) I obviously don't know what I'm talking about.  I'm misguided; I didn't get the e-mail how government is to serve the investor class and corporate class first. 

Oh, and that 527 group that trashed Kerry were Bush's Do-Boys, hiding behind a 527.  Here are your two vocabulary words for the week:  "Plausible" and "Deniability".  Get real.  Lt. G. W. Bush served in a champagne unit during Vietnam, never in any danger of anything but an excessive hangover from a trip to Boys Town; he has no problem trashing the Max Cleland's of the world.  And, yes, I do think Trump was over the top on McCain, but I think that the free trade agreements of the last 20 years are more over the top than bad rhetoric from Donald Trump.

No one ever holds the authors of these trade agreements accountable.  No one ever sees the jobs created, because they are mythical.  No one ever sees the huge profits made by those who ship the jobs overseas, because they are not held accountable; it's all part of "free trade".  The free-traders never are subjected to a cost-benefit analysis of their NAFTAs, CAFTAs, GATTs, and TPPs. 

Donald Trump, a guy who I considered to be a jerk until a few weeks ago, has started the conversation.  It took Donald Trump to take up this banner within the GOP.  Is he narcissistic?  Of course.  But I don't care about his persona.  George Bush and George W. Bush both had nicer personalities, and they screwed America with free trade.  I want to hear everything Donald Trump has to say, and I want the rest of the GOP to hear it as well.  Who else in the GOP is taking on the free-traders who screwed us.

Free trade has been beneficial to our country. It has created jobs related to exports, it has enabled prices on certain goods to fall, and 22 million jobs were created during the 1990s following NAFTA. Our economic downturn today has nothing to do with free trade.

If you worked 8 hours a day in a factory manufacturing something, wouldn't you want your kids NOT to work in manufacturing? As more and more people go to college, there are fewer people to fill blue collar jobs. As I have said previously, an estimated half a million manufacturing jobs are not filled right now because of a skills gap. There are plenty of manufacturing jobs in the midwest that have gone overseas. But that isn't the only reason we aren't manufacturing like we once where.

Also, look at the American south. Companies like BMW and other car manufacturers have plants in the south thanks to free trade.

It's time for us to implement policies that create jobs and foster an environment where incomes can rise again. If we reduce taxes and reform the tax code, reverse regulations created over the last fifteen years by Bush and Obama, if we repeal Obamacare and replace it, if we repeal Dodd-Frank, if we open up our markets, if we reform our immigration system, and if we stop the devaluing of our dollar, we will see prosperity again. The fact is, protectionism is not the way to go, free markets are.

[ag]

First, he makes harsh (but not false) comments about Mexican immigration

As a murderer and rapist myself, this is where I stopped reading. I presume, in fact, quite a few of us would.

Trump's comments were about ILLEGAL immigration, and they are not inaccurate. 

This, is where I stopped reading the second time. If you want any of what you write to be read, you will have to be more creative.