In regard to any government administration, an idiom inspired by the Forrest Gump movie bears repeating: “There’s an awful lot you can do with shrimp.” Neither Forrest or Bubba Blue ever uttered these exact words, but you’ve gotta admit, it’s a pretty great way to “boil down” a lengthy monologue.
In this application, I’m using it to say that there are countless ways to make something sound good or bad with very little. Numbers and statistics concerning the economy can be read many ways. Changes in the economy, jobless rates, business investments, even the deficit can be attributed to many factors, internal and external; they can simultaneously be seen as direct or indirect results of administrational policies, unavoidable circumstance, world conflicts and/or the unpredictable moods and hot flashes of society in general.
That being said, I’m going to list a few indisputable things that have taken place since the election and inauguration of Donald Trump to the office of President.
To date, a plethora of witch hunts have been undertaken concerning anything Donald Trump, from Collusion with Russians to Conflicts of Interest and Obstruction of Justice. Though nothing has come of any of them (much to the chagrin of those who wish to sabotage his Presidency), it can be argued that these partisan harangues have served to hamper and stall many good things that may have taken place in the first year, but have not, due to a constant barrage of negative “news” surrounding the Presidency; and that, in what has, none-the-less proven to be a stellar year for America.
“America has always been the land of dreams because America is a nation of true believers…When the pilgrims landed at Plymouth, they prayed. When the founders wrote the Declaration of Independence, they invoked our creator four times. Because in America, we don’t worship government, we worship God.”
President Donald J. Trump, speaking to graduates at Liberty University in May 2017
Let me say first, there have to be rules for fairly examining any administration:
1. One can not say that the effects of an outgoing administration necessarily stop when that administration leaves office.
2. One can not say that what happens during any administration is altogether the fault of that administration.
3. One can not ignore what actually happens during an administration.
4. One can not play 1, 2 and 3 against each other depending on which administration or results one prefers.
With that in mind, here are the indisputable facts: By April of 2017, a mere two+ months into office, Donald Trump had managed to place a Conservative Pro-Life Judge onto a teetering Supreme Court. Not bad for someone who never got the obligatory Honeymoon afforded other Presidents in perpetuity.
If you don’t think this appointment is BIG, then you misunderstood half the reason Trump was elected in the first place. This alone is worth the Presidency for me. But I shan’t stop there. After all, we’re only two months into the administration at that point.
Let’s back up a couple months, when, right out of the chute, Trump fulfilled a campaign promise to end U.S. involvement in the Trans-Pacific Partnership International Trade Agreement (TPPITAXYZ).
Did you read that? FULFILLED A CAMPAIGN PROMISE. Love him or hate him, if you don’t think that’s BIG news in Washington, then you need someone to check your pulse.
At this point I could close up shop and say I got my money’s worth from this Presidency. But Wait. There’s more:
In February, Illegal Immigration went down 40% from the previous month (before the Inauguration), and continued to decline for many months. Experts agree that Trump’s rhetoric has played a role in deterring illegal immigration. In that case, who needs a wall? Just keep talking Mr. Trump. Your words alone are saving the USA Billions of Dollars.
Fact-check it folks; in March 2017, Illegal Immigration WAS the lowest it had been in 17 years.
From day one, President Trump has taken a completely new and bold stand against a very young and reckless North Korean Despot and his Nuclear Threat to Modern Civilization; a threat that has been greatly enhanced and financed by two previous Democrat Administrations , and completely ignored by one Republican Admin. That threat has grown, as has the capability of the Little Dictator from North Korea to deliver on it.
Fact is, the policy of diplomacy has NOT worked to detour the Cruel and Heartless Ruinator of N. K. from threatening all of mankind with his newly developed, American financed toy of death, or in any way changed the horrible way he treats his people.
We have nothing to lose by getting tough on this North Korean Hitler, and everything to lose by conducting business as usual. What will happen next? We don’t know, but one thing no one will argue about; we have a President who has the will and determination to protect us at all cost. Where I come from, that’s a good thing.
And the economy? WOW!!!
Need I say more? If I do, then you aren’t feeling the love.
Other campaign promises kept:
The President has drastically cut burdensome regulations on businesses and the EPA, and reversed an Obama ban on drilling for oil in the Arctic.
He has signed the papers necessary to move forward with the Dakota Pipeline, a plan which was being stalled into distinction by the previous Admin., and a handful of protesters.
He’s reversed the so-called “Obama Land Grab” for Federal control.
He repealed the Water of The United States Rule. This rule expanded the definition of water bodies that were protected by the Environmental Protection Agency. I don’t want the puddle in my backyard regulated by the Feds. any more than you do. And I bet some of you think I’m exaggerating. The funny thing is, I’m not.
He withdrew us from the Paris Climate Agreement; not because he or anyone else, for that matter, doesn’t believe in climate change, or want people to better manage the planet, but because it’s a bad deal based on spurious conclusions. As for me, this is another in a long list of reasons why I DID vote for Trump, why he won, and why I and millions of Americans will, if given the chance, vote for him again, or someone with like sentiments and Chutzpah.
And although this was not a campaign promise, he even removed a bike-sharing station from the White House. Oh, Lord! I can hear the snowflakes falling now.
I know that those on the Right are cheering about these accomplishments, while those on the Left are appalled by them, and those in the middle aren’t sure what to think, but they’re exactly why he was elected. If folks don’t get that, it may explain why so many were shocked on election night.
Like I said in the beginning, there’s an awful lot you can do with shrimp, but I’m going to stop here, as it’s not my intention to sound like I’m bragging on the President. He’s got his faults, and he wears most of them on his lapel like a rose, but hey, that’s just another shrimp on the Barbie for me.
Sure, many people wish that President Trump would keep his thoughts to himself at times, but, for me, the best thing about this new President is that Donald Trump has proven to be completely incapable of becoming a Politician.
(Mark D. Pendergrass is a contributor to Patriot Gaines. He is a freelance artist residing in Wichita, KS, along with his wife, Rhandi. If you like to know more about Mark and his many talents, check out his bio page. You can also sample some of his beautiful murals, which you will find in many locales in the Greater Wichita Area, on his Facebook page.)
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