A short list of issues I disagree with him on are personal income taxes, the wall/immigration, judges, abortion, gay rights, his approach to foreign policy, business regulation, health care.
His temperament and behaviors wouldn't be considered "issues", but I find both of them to be a national embarrassment.
Thanks, I am just trying to separate his actions from his personality. As to your short list, I would appreciate clarification regarding:
1. Do you think personal income taxes should be raised as a general principle or because of the deficits we are running?
2. Are you opposed to physical barriers or changes to current immigration law?
3. Do you think abortion and gay rights should be decided by federal judges?
4. Are you opposed to his foreign policy or just to his approach?
5. Do you favor greater business regulation?
6. Do you favor any changes to our current health care system?
P.S. I do not mean for these to be trick questions. I am just interested in your specific disagreements with Trump's actions and policies.
Okay...
1. Do you think personal income taxes should be raised as a general principle or because of the deficits we are running?
First, I'm not a believer in the Laffer Curve, the theory that lowering taxes will create enough economic activity and tax receipts to pay for the lowered tax revenues. While the theory has merits as a thought exercise and a good reminder that there is an equilibrium to all this, it's not a dependable theory because its efficacy depends on too many market & economic trends and currents. Second, Trump is following the standard, simplistic conservative strategy of ignoring our rapidly-growing wealth inequality issue, confusing it with "jobs". If we don't look at raising the safety net soon, we will see a revolution at the ballot box that will take us in the wrong direction. It may already be too late.
2. Are you opposed to physical barriers or changes to current immigration law?
To me, the wall represents how far we have fallen as a society, how willing we are to slap a simplistic band-aid on a complicated problem, how unable we have become to think critically and innovate. The wall is just an object, and I frankly don't care about it all that much one way or the other. The problem to me here is that we just can't see anything more than tiny pieces of this. My unique approach to this issue is here:
Band Aids, Borders, Burritos & Bejing
3. Do you think abortion and gay rights should be decided by federal judges?
No. I think these are cultural issues that are not nearly as complicated as we are making them out to be. I'm not in favor of the approach either end of the spectrum is taking on these two issues. I'm pro choice and pro gay rights, but the behaviors from the Left on those issues are fairly repulsive to me, as are their behaviors in other areas. We could easily lower the level of hate and vitriol on these two issues, but it appears we no longer have that ability.
4. Are you opposed to his foreign policy or just to his approach?
On this topic, the two are essentially the same thing. He's behaving as the ultimate Ugly American, the very worst caricature the world has of America, and that behavior immediately puts every foreign country on the defensive, straining delicate partnerships, making everything more difficult. He clearly doesn't possess the capacity to behave like a thoughtful, intelligent, respectful, dignified adult on the world stage, and whether his fans care about that or not, that obviously hinders his effectiveness.
5. Do you favor greater business regulation?
The Left thinks more regulation is better regulation. The Right thinks less regulation is better regulation. I think that BETTER regulation is better regulation. Trump and the Right want to pretend that regulation is some kind of disease for capitalism, when the
fact is that regulation is an absolutely
critical component of capitalism. The Right refuses to admit it, but it was a lack of regulation and oversight that created the conditions that led to the Meltdown in 2008. So they reach for the nearest straw and pretend it was all about the CRA and the Democrats. That is pure willful ignorance. I'm a financial advisor, and I can tell you that our regulatory system, the heart of the Meltdown, is an absolute mess and a joke, with both silly redundancies and gaping holes. This is largely because the two parties can't behave like normal adults, work together, stop slapping band-aids on things, and create a comprehensive, efficient and effective regulatory system.
6. Do you favor any changes to our current health care system?
Yes, I'd like to see the current and very popular Medicare / Medicare Advantage / Medicare Supplement system (with some important tweaks) expanded to all. A dynamic public/private partnership that combines a solid, cost-saving preventive / diagnostic / basic services foundation with a dynamic and innovative free market component. It would take a massive cost monkey off the backs of American employers, give Americans better choice, and streamline a system that is a catastrophe. Bernie Sanders and the Democrats are lying to you - what I describe is the actual current Medicare system, they're pretending that "Medicare for All" would be what I'm talking about. That's a lie. They're purposely confusing the current overall Medicare system with Single Payer because it's an EASIER SELL. The GOP, of course, lied to us for eight years. They never had a plan because its simplistic base would go full drama queen if any government were involved.
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