November elections

As the November elections approach we all need to carefully consider the morality, ethics and policy positions of all candidates. This item seeks to aid readers regarding the two major candidates for the office of the President.

Neither candidate is appealing.  But we must  make the best of the choices we have. 

Although Hillary Clinton seems to have the edge at this point she carries a huge amount of negative baggage.  Her tenure as Secretary of State was a disaster.  The FBI established that she was extremely careless and irresponsible in handling classified information over her unauthorized private email system.  During Congressional testimony FBI Director Comey affirmed that she has repeatedly lied regarding the facts uncovered.  For this and a number of other reasons her honesty and ethics are highly suspect.  Regarding her politics, there is no doubt that she is a radical leftist. Her political positions are so compatible with the Communist Manifesto that the US  Communist Party, rather than running their own candidate, has endorsed her for the office of president. She intends to raise taxes by an estimated $1.3 trillion over the next decade.  That will be devastating for the economy and struggling families. She intends to sustain the so called "recovering" Obama economy which is the worst since the 1940's. The numbers of Americans out of the workforce and dependency on government are at historic highs. Ms. Clinton's policies are unlikely to change that devastating reality.  She intends to import one million Muslim refugees during her term in office and continue President Obama's failing foreign policies which she help formulate.  Obama's immigration policies. Increasingly concerns with her health make her a poor candidate.   Her politics, dishonesty and unethical practices are incompatible with our Constitution and American values.  She is, therefore, in my judgment unqualified.

Donald Trump splashed on the scene with his Make America Great Again mantra and push to vet Muslim refugees before entering the country and build a wall along our southern border to stem the tide of illegal immigration. He has, however, been prone to making outlandish comments that detract from his message.  His message appeals to many while his erratic behavior raises concerns. His economic plans are far more likely to improve the state of our economy than those offered by Ms. Clinton. He intends to lower taxes on all Americans as well as business taxes which are the highest in the world.  This will both improve the business environment and contribute to job creation.   He intends to renegotiate international trade deals that have damaged our manufacturing base and are disadvantageous to American interests, business opportunities and job creation.  His obvious business acumen and management skills far exceed those of his opponent. He will reverse or significantly modify Obama's illegal immigration and Muslim refugee policies. His morals and ethics can be questioned but they seem to be much better than those of  his opponent.  He intends to improve the cultural debasement, heightened racial tensions and societal discord that have been signature aspects of the Obama administration. He will seek to minimize the destructive impacts on cultural and political life imposed by political correctness mandates of the political left.  He pledges to reverse the lawlessness characterized by the Obama presidency.  He intends to restore our international relationships with allies and improve dialogue with our adversaries.  While his sometimes bombastic comments detract from his appeal his overall qualifications and political plans are more practical and coherent than Ms. Clinton's.  Mr. Trump is a reluctant choice but qualifies as a much better alternative than Hillary Clinton.

This was published in last week's paper.