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David L. Levy is a retired physician who practiced nephrology in Bangor for 38 years.
Now that a majority of Americans have decided to return Donald Trump to the White House, I am anxious to see how he proceeds to “make America great again.” Frankly, I thought America was already pretty great, but I guess there is always room for improvement.
Trump has made a variety of promises and threats, and it will be interesting to see how he follows through. One thing Trump and I have in common is that both of our paternal grandfathers were immigrants who came to America seeking a better life. Millions of foreign nationals now in our country have immigrated for the same reason. Unfortunately, Trump has demonized them, and has promised to subject them to the largest deportation in U.S. history. The human cost of this will be incalculable, and the actual financial cost to American taxpayers will be in the billions of dollars.
Another Trump promise is to populate the Justice Department with his own people and use it to prosecute his political enemies. It is unclear whether the armed forces would be asked to participate in this purge, as he did propose using the army to fight “the enemy within.”
Also on Trump‘s enemy list are many media networks and Trump has described journalists as “the enemy of people.” Does he plan to shut down the free press?
Another of Trump‘s stated goals in his first term was to overturn the Affordable Care Act. With majorities in Congress, he may now be able to accomplish this, leaving millions without healthcare.
During his last term in office, Trump packed the Supreme Court with justices opposed to abortion rights. Now he may well have the opportunity to sign a federal law allowing the government to override a woman’s right to choose what happens to her own body.
A promise not featured in his campaign ads, but one he is sure to keep, is to further decrease taxes for billionaires. Of course, this will add to the trillions by which he increased our national debt during his last term. But, not to worry, many of his supporters in Congress plan to cut entitlements (including Medicare and Social Security) to offset this.
Inflation is said to be a major reason that voters chose Trump. Ironically, a major feature of his economic plan is to implement high tariffs on many imported goods, which will most likely increase prices.
Internationally, Trump has promised to end the war in Ukraine before he is even inaugurated. As he has expressed deep respect for Vladimir Putin, one can imagine that his proposed solution will not be a happy one for the Ukrainian people.
I am not sure how Trump’s management of any of the above issues will increase America’s greatness, but surely a majority of our citizens knew what they were voting for. Right?
