Trump gives up on many challenges both sides would rather take on
Many of Trump’s actions amount to retreats from dealing with problems. Retreats as if we are not up to these things. That’s just not in keeping with the character of Americans, regardless of political position.
There’s no need to give another list of his many mistakes but note that in the following select ones there is that theme. They are all about abandoning some challenge or giving up on leadership in some area.
Some early actions had to do with cutting foreign aid and related programs. Yes, they are an expense but the good will and leadership position the U.S. gains from them would seem more valuable than the cost. Trump wants us to give up on building that good will and advantage, and, oh by the way, also the humanitarian work. More recently, at least in draft form, the administration is considering ending almost all State Department efforts in Africa. Efforts to have good relations there and to take a lead on doing what we can to encourage growth and change there to happen in ways that are constructive for the world and in turn for us. As if we’re not up to that and should instead hunker down and hope for the best.
Even where some cuts are partially restored it exhibits an intention to retreat from all these challenges.
Another is the dropping of Voice of America broadcasts into Russia and China and other places when it seems very worthwhile. Worthwhile in getting relatively more objective information to the people in places where our adversaries have a great deal of control over what information their citizens get.
There’s the withdrawal from the World Health Organization. Apparently we’re not up to being a major player in trying to deal with global health issues. Issues which reach here too, as Covid made clear.
Here at home many efforts at transitioning to renewable energy have been given up. While people of different political positions have varying ideas of how to transition or how fast and at what expense, still it has been consistent that even conservative people see that transition as important and inevitable. A recent poll by the University of Chicago and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research confirmed this anew. And a group of conservative Texans conducted a poll and found that among their fellow conservative Republican Texans there was overwhelming positive support for renewable energy. The cuts indicate an attitude that we aren’t up to making that transition and should settle for the easier route of relying on our old fossils fuels, indefinitely. The many homeowners who have either had big insurance cost increases or anticipate them soon because of increasing risks of natural disasters might not think that’s a good idea.
And while we are at this turning back to our fossil fuels, including coal, we are apparently incapable of doing that and protecting miners at the same time, judging by the administration’s decision to roll back safety efforts for those miners.
Then there are the many smaller scale things that help our communities and ultimately strengthen the nation. Recent cuts ended or reduced efforts at gun violence prevention and to reduce the opioid addiction epidemic. Another you probably didn’t know existed was a service by the CDC to track and make available the quality of invitro fertilization clinics. IVF is difficult to have success at and the CDC tracked success rates to encourage quality results and to let couples know where they’re most likely to have success. None of those items are needed but, are we a nation that’s incapable of running a pretty good economy while also doing a few things to help our neighbors in our communities? Things that ultimately lead to us being a better nation?
You can find your own list by following the news but this theme of retreating by Trump, of giving up on so many things, seem so at odds with the character of the people of this country. At odds with who we have been in the past and with how we got to be a rich, leading, powerful country.
It’s just not us. And that has nothing to do with political persuasion. It has to do with who we have been and who we are.
Many of these are important, significant, lasting changes that are happening.
This is just not us.
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