Well, it’s always good to dream, but achievement has to be grounded in reality. Goals are necessary for us to advance…the path can be tough, but that makes us stronger when we get there. I’ve always told my family that I believe, and still do, that high quality healthcare for all is a great goal shared by all reasonable people. The question has always been sustainability: This ACA model was destined to fail, and it is (massively, as now reports are starting to reveal: http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/2016/03/18/More-Bad-News-Remaining-Obamacare-Co-ops ). It is failing as predicted, late in second term. Exactly as the Clinton Affordable Housing Act was set to implode late in term-2 or after Bill Clinton’s departure, causing the housing crisis that Bush had to deal with (https://cei.org/blog/clinton-pressure-promote-affordable-housing-led-mortgage-meltdown ).
Rhetoric aside, we didn’t have the best choices, IMO, this time. Mr. Trump is certainly not without character flaws (Access Hollywood, unsubstantiated accusers, lots of sound bites that are frankly revolting, an NYAG investigation into his foundation), and Mrs. Clinton not without scandal after scandal (forget emails and Benghazi and Russia’s reset – don’t lose sight of Whitewater, Tyson, “hushed” apparent rape victims, a dead former ally of apparent suicide in the woods, etc.). This election had to escape that cloud of …stuff… and move into issues. Here are facts our family are close to:
- Those who know me and my career, know what is happening around me due to unbelievably lax and un-enforced immigration laws. This is a direct threat to our family now – not later.
- Our doctor (and MANY others I have known over the years) is contemplating exiting practice, as thousands (yes, really – thousands) have had to do under ACA. Why does someone who works for 8-10 years after a Bachelor’s degree, to become an MD, under massive debt in many cases, now make less than mid- and upper-level managers in many industries today? I’d get out too (oh, wait – I did!). This is ‘somewhat’ fixable – but not the way the other side wants.
- Our military that many of us have served in has been drawn down to levels that, if everyone knew the actual numbers, are frightening. And when did Russia start overflying warships at 100 feet, without challenge, while Iranian small vessels would capture and detain our sailors? That is absolutely not the rules of engagement most of us operated under in the past. With strength comes respect and restraint; while at times in the past this has overstepped boundaries, I would agree, for the vast majority of our history this has actually served us very, very well. How many of us remember operating under Cold War scenarios. I do. Europe does. And they remain grateful.
- I have told my girls that the competition they face isn’t sitting next to them in class. Instead, that competition is global – and coming. In many cases, already here. Our industries are being wiped out systematically; our trade is allowing our next door neighbors to slowly lose their careers due to jobs being displaced…due to foreign pressure. It’s all connected guys. You export jobs overseas to protect margins. But those margins are usually threatened in the first place because trade has allowed cheaper goods to undermine your business. Note the cycle – it’s real, and here.
We are a nation of immigrants. We need to remain a nation of immigrants. It makes us strong. And always will. But with that comes the responsibility to those that have come here to be citizens to have access to those dreams that brought them here in the first place. That means we don’t shut them out and export their jobs, or import replacements. Ever. I cannot, and will not budge on that point.
The election appears over. The policies in play during this nasty period I do believe will alter our path – and I am hopeful that shift will be good. The last 8 years have been rough. While the Fed continues to keep the market propped up through Quantitative Easing (another one to look up – but in a nutshell, we print money, buy back securities to keep interest low, flood cash into markets, and incur massive, MASSIVE debt along the way), it has to come to an end at some point. You can’t print money forever – but the other guys knew they just needed to do it through the election. And leave the next guy with a mess. Here we are. Approaching $21 trillion. Again – look it up; you won’t hear it on the news.
Our house is a split house. That’ll make for fun dinner conversations. Already has, actually. But I would encourage everyone…really, all of us, to consider the enormity of the issues we have created that we’ve not had to deal with yet. When you need China to write you a check again this month, you are hesitant to oppose them. That must change. When Obama was elected, my attitude was this: ‘I took an oath when I joined the military, it doesn’t expire, and I will uphold it for him as well – he is my president now, whether I voted for him or not. Let’s give him a chance.’ Well, that wasn’t the outcome I was hoping for in the last 8 years. Now I’m on the other side of the conversation. I’d ask everyone to consider doing the same now. There’s a lot to do, and a lot to heal.
