CAMPAIGN ISSUES

What are the critical issues in this Presidential campaign?  Trump has expressed his thoughts on this subject frequently, though not with the clarity we might wish.  Harris has remained silent since her nomination, so we must evaluate her position based on past statements. Here I describe some of the major issues and my understanding of the candidates’ positions.

The economy:

This is the issue of greatest importance to most Americans.  The average household has been hit hard by inflation, and the cost of everything has exploded by 25% to 50% when you consider core inflation plus the cost of financing.  Though the inflation is now growing at a more normal rate, the damage has been done  The lower middle class has been especially affected.  Rising home costs, food costs, childcare costs, etc. have severely impacted millions of families.

Trump says that he will bring down the effects of inflation immediately.  His proposed solution is to lower fuel costs by a massive expansion of oil and gas production, a move that he believes will bring down all other costs.  He also proposes to use dominance in oil and gas production to improve our trade position vis a vis the EU and China, thus helping reduce our dependence on foreign suppliers and create more domestic jobs.

Harris says she will fight inflation and high prices, but she doesn’t say how.  She supported the money-printing inflationary policies of the Biden administration. She has stated her intention to destroy the fossil fuel industry, starting with a ban on fracking. That would cause another increase in inflationary pressures. As for displaced oil-field workers, she says they would be retrained — but for what jobs?

The border:

The border problem is of great concern to most Americans.  More than ten million unvetted foreign immigrants have entered our nation during the past three and a half years.  Many are simply seeking a better life, but they also bring crime and drugs.  An increasing percentage are young males from nations hostile to us, and that contributes to a growing threat of terrorism.  Metropolitan areas of the country are experiencing an especially adverse impact from uncontrolled immigration.

Trump plans to close the border, complete the wall, and reinstitute a retain in Mexico policy while immigrants are vetted.  He wishes to pursue a more selective policy toward foreign immigrants, taking only limited numbers of the best.  He proposes a massive deportation program for recent immigrants, starting with those convicted of criminal offenses.

Harris is now talking tough on the border and promising to slow the influx of immigrants.  However, based on her record as Biden’s titular “Border Czar,” Harris appears to oppose any restriction on immigration and wishes to give new arrivals a quick path to citizenship and the voting booth.  She visited the border only once in the past four years and talked to none of the border patrol experts.   She said the real solution lies in improving the economies of other nations so that people will not wish to emigrate, but that’s an utterly unattainable goal over the near term..

Abortion:

The nation remains very divided on the abortion issue.  Those on the extreme right, including many sincere Christians, would ban abortions altogether.  Those on the extreme left would allow them up to the moment of birth.  The vast majority of Americans, including most people of faith, appear to take positions somewhere between these two extremes. 

Trump supported the recent Supreme Court’s decision to overrule Roe v Wade and return the issue to the people.  Trump wishes to allow citizens of each state to decide how to handle abortions..  Personally, he favors a ban on abortions after the 15^th week of pregnancy, with exceptions in cases of rape, incest, or danger to the life of the mother.

Harris was appalled by the Supreme Court’s Roe v Wade decision.  By her vote in the Senate, she indicated her preference for a federal law that would allow women to abort their babies up through the last month of pregnancy.

Crime:

Crime is rampant in many areas of our nation.  In some of our large cities police are being told to no longer respond to certain types of crime, and policemen are reluctant to pursue offenders when they know there will be no prosecution. Policemen are also fearful of civil or criminal charges as they attempt to enforce the law.  It is becoming very difficult to hire qualified law enforcement officers, and many urban police departments are seriously understaffed.  Areas in cities like Chicago and Baltimore are almost unlivable.  Smash-and-grab mobs attack major retail stores with impunity, and retailers are beginning to withdraw from a few crime-ridden cities.  In 2020, during the urban riots, more than 10,000 black citizens were murdered, the vast majority at the hands of other blacks. Even in a so-called normal year prior to 2020, black murder victims were in excess of 6,000, and only a few hundred of these deaths were the result of police action.  As police become less proactive, those rates are going up.

Trump is a law-and-order advocate and firmly supports the police.  He will not hesitate to allow governors to call up the National Guard as circumstances warrant, and he will federalize National Guard units if necessary.   He has pledged support state and local authorities in an all-out effort to reduce crime and restore justice in American cities. 

Kamala has shown little or no concern about the crime problem.  She supports cashless bail practices that have put violent criminals back on our streets, backed defund the police efforts, and helped raise money to defend 2020 rioters

Climate:

The earth’s temperature is slowly rising, and it is producing ecological effects that may eventually be devastating.  The issue is what can be done about it.  Many scientists (though not all) believe we must reduce carbon emissions to reduce the greenhouse effect and slow the rise in temperature.

At one time Trump supported carbon reduction efforts, but as President he opposed them.  He evidently believes that such efforts would have no effect unless all major polluters, including China, India, and Russia, cooperate, and there has been no indication that they will. Since a go-alone effort to curb carbon emissions appears futile, Trump plans to push our oil and gas production to the limit in an attempt to build our economy.

Kamala Harris fully supports carbon reduction efforts, seems unconcerned about what is going on in China and India, and appears willing to go it alone.  She pushes conversion to EVs and is hostile to American oil and gas producers.   

Mores:

This is the most important issue to me.  There is a culture war between traditionalists and progressives.  The traditionalists tend to be God-fearing, patriotic, family-loving citizens who cling to many of the old attitudes and values of past generations. Though many may personally fall short, they idealize monogamy and heterosexual marriages and reject the idea of changing or multiple genders. On the other side are the progressives.  They often reject the old Judeo-Christian ethic to which most of our society once subscribed.  They favor globalism over nationalism and promote an open, liberating approach to social relationships.  They favor LGBT views of gender and sexuality.

Trump is a traditionalist.  His personal life may not reflect it, but that is his ideal.  He stands alongside Evangelicals, conservative Catholics, and Orthodox Jews in fighting the progressives.  His Supreme Court appointments reflect his position on this issue.   

Harris is a progressive.  She supports LGBT positions, including sex-change surgery for minors.  It also appears that she fully supports other radicals in wishing to sever our society from its anachronistic religious, chauvinistic, sexually repressed, and socially restrictive roots  

Conclusion:

Whoever wins the election will confront many major problems, and there is no assurance that either Trump or Harris will be able to solve them.  As most of you know, I’m pulling for Trump. 

I pray for my country.