Thursday, August 02, 2018

Economic Winning

By Douglas V. Gibbs
Author, Speaker, Instructor, Radio Host

President Donald J. Trump has been bragging about the U.S. Economy's turn-around and growth during his presidency.  He's got plenty of room to beat his chest because, well, he's right.  Now, I am not ready to agree with him that it's the "greatest" economy on record, but what is going on now thanks to the GOP and Trump policies in place definitely ranks high.

Jobless rates are low, and jobless rates among minority groups are at record lows.  There are currently more job openings than workers searching for work for the first time in history.  Granted, that statistic is great for some, not so much for others.  I spent 20 years in the construction industry, and while construction is up from its rock-bottom slam a decade ago, the amount of work we were getting during the housing bubble is probably never going to be reached again.

Wage growth, while not yet something to throw huge parties about, is on the rise after stagnation under the last president's regime.  As a result, the overall standard of living is on the rise.

New technologies are helping, as well.  Are new technologies emerging because that's just what the industry does?  Or could the reduction in regulations by the government be playing a part?  Likely, it's a little bit of both, so Trump gets some credit for that particular rising boom.

CNBC says that 59% of the people polled by their survey says they approve of Trump's handling of the economy.  The same article also claims those same people are not real hip when it comes to Trump's trade policies.


Those same media types telling us that people approve of Trump's economy, mind you, are also telling us that more than half of the country disapproves of Trump overall.

Is that even possible?  Could the pollsters be wrong about the overall disapproval of Trump?  It's not like they got it right during the months approaching the 2016 Election.  

As for Trump's trade policies, the tariff threats are along the same vein as his foreign policy techniques.  Be firm, even scary, make sure the other side firmly believes you are going to slam them if they don't play the game by your rules, soften them, and win.  That's what he did with North Korea, and when it comes to his tariff talk that is what he's doing with China, Japan, and Europe.  People are not happy about his tariff talk because the talking heads out there keep screaming that a tariff inspired trade war is what caused the Great Depression.  First of all, the Federal Reserve caused the Great Depression with their manipulation of the monetary system, and second of all, what Trump has been calling for is not Smoot-Hawley, it's Trump 101. . . and as a result, the Europeans and Japan have softened up and are now willing to not only work with us, but on the tariff front, help level the playing field with an agreement that nearly eliminates all existing tariffs.

Stateside, domestic economic growth is now over 4%, and Trump's economy is roaring so well that deep blue California is even benefiting, and we are now body-slamming Hong Kong in the race for top global economy.

What's that Clinton-era saying, again?

"It's the economy, stupid."

2020 should be a landslide of a level not seen since Ronald Reagan's 1984 beating of Mondale.

So, why are the Democrats still saying Trump is an unpopular president?

I remember flipping through the channels, one time, and when I landed on MSNBC the person with his mug in the camera lens said, "I agree with his economic policies, but . . ."

But what?

It's the economy, stupid.

Right?

Don't people vote with their wallets?

The Boston Globe argues that the economy is no longer the primary thing voters look at.

Really?  Do they think Trump Derangement Syndrome has a more powerful pull on a voter's ballot-marking elbow than living better?

Unless I am a straight out socialist like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (you know, that 28-year old, recently indoctrinated public school kid, in New York who stunned the world with a primary election win?) who has no idea how she would pay for the socialist utopia demands she wants to carry into Congress, even if I am convinced that Trump is some kind of racist, screws porn stars behind his wife's back, and secretly kneels in a hidden room to a swastika icon, but I've got a mess-load of more money in my wallet because of his economic policies, am I going to vote against him?

No.

We want to live better, and we are.

We want to have more money in our wallets, and we do.

I don't care if he swings on a trapeze upside down while naked in the Lincoln bedroom, he's going to get my vote as long as I am living better in a soaring economy.

Personally, I don't believe anything about Donald J. Trump that the Trump Derangement Syndrome crazies in our population scream.  I am happy we have a good economy, and I think credit should go where credit is due.  Donald J. Trump.

The Wall Street Journal is telling us that the situation is so good, and employers are so desperate for new hires, that "no experience necessary" is fine in many cases.  In other words, "Americans looking to land a first job or break into a dream career face their best odds of success in years."

Don't have a college degree?  No problem.  Only thirty percent of job postings now require, at minimum, a college degree. This is down from 34 percent from 2012. Now, 23 percent of entry-level jobs require three or more years of work experience. This is down from 29 percent in 2012.

The drop in work requirements puts 1.2 million jobs "in closer reach to more applicants," says The Wall Street Journal story.

So, while the liberal left is saying that the Trump administration and Republicans only care about the rich, and their tax cuts gave everyone else mere crumbs, the reality is, the trickle is not a trickle, it's a Niagra Falls level downpour.  There is no war on the poor, the poor now has opportunity, and a litany of job opportunities to choose from . . . if only they are willing to reach out and leave their Democrat Party inspired plantation lifestyle behind.

But, just to make sure those people get the kick-in-the-behind they need, the Grand Ol' Party around the county is also proposing to add work requirements to welfare programs like Medicaid. 

The Democrats hate that idea.  I think it's a good one.  Let's get those who refuse to work some excuses to look for a job in a market where, to be honest, we need them to be working.

I get it.  Not all of these folks can work.  But, the ones that can ought to be?  If ever there was a time to be able to shed the excuse that no one will hire them, this is it.

It's amazing what tax cuts and deregulation measures can do, huh?

In fact, it's downright in line with the attitude of the Founding Fathers.
Laissez Faire - A policy or attitude of letting things take their own course, without interfering.  Abstention by governments from interfering in the workings of the free market.  -- "The Basic Constitution" and "7 Worst Constitutional Liars" by Douglas V. Gibbs

The Republicans are reducing the federal government's size of its Obama-era authoritarian boot-print on our necks, and as a result, as history shows time and time again when government backs off, we are doing well.  Beyond well.  Things are kickin' and screamin' in the right direction.


And, they think they have the makings of a blue wave curling into place in the upcoming dance at the ballot boxes?

Hey, Democrats!  It's the economy, stupid.

If the news of economic growth continues, the Republicans will gain half a dozen seats in the Senate, and gain a few seats in the House in November.  Oh, and in 2020, if this economic news continues, we are going to see a massive landslide for Trump . . . with maybe New York (and perhaps a couple other northeastern States), California, and Washington D.C. being the only electoral votes President Trump doesn't get.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

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