To the Editor:

In response to Ms. Lemieux, let’s look at another side of President Trump’s Report Card.

The economy is now growing at a rate of around 3 percent which economists say is ideal. This is much better than the anemic growth in the previous administration. The stock market continues to set records improving everyone’s retirement portfolios. The Treasury Department’s Office of Tax Policy estimates that the administration’s economic policies will increase tax revenue by $1.8 trillion over 10 years. And during his visits to China, Vietnam and South Korea, the President achieved trade deals worth more than $270 billion that will benefit American companies and their employees. Not bad for one year in office.

Unemployment is at its lowest level since 2000. It is also at a 17-year low for African-Americans, and it has dropped for all other major racial and ethnic groups. The black community is unlikely to give the president much credit because of its addiction to the Democratic party, even though that party has taken its votes for granted and done little for them.

The “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria established by the Islamic State has been effectively destroyed, primarily because the president lifted rules of engagement and allowed the military to go after the terrorists as if this is a real war, which it is, and not a conflict where one side is burdened by rules and the other isn’t.

Illegal immigration has declined substantially even before a wall is constructed. Isn’t it amazing how well the rule of law works as opposed to executive order?

The president is populating the federal courts with judges who are subject to the constraints of the Constitution and don’t have a history of legislating from the bench. What a refreshing idea to let our Constitution decide the rule of law.

Unnecessary regulations on businesses imposed by the previous administration are being rolled back at a rate of 22-1 for each regulation added, which is helping to fuel the economic boom mentioned above.

America finally recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The Jerusalem Embassy Act was passed by Congress in 1995 and has been ignored by each administration since until now. Thank you, President Trump, for standing up for our No. 1 ally in the middle east.

Next year will see campaign promises of welfare reform and finalization of immigration policies. The liberation of poor and minority children from failing public schools will also become a campaign promise kept with Betsy DeVos continuing to champion school choice involving private and charter schools.

Could and should the president be more optimistic as he cools his actions and rhetoric while using his Twitter account? Yes. Now is a great opportunity for the president and Republicans to not only remind voters of what they stand for, but also what is being accomplished by his administration still hampered by a Senate that is not steadfastly approving presidential appointments.

Like the descriptions of an animal never seen by the blind men simply by groping an elephant’s side, tail, leg, trunk, ear or tusk, each one is correct, though not the entire picture.

 

TJ Warren

Washington