Our Endorsement: Trump For President

Donald Trump for president. That is the consensus of the authors of this blog.

We also agree this election is important enough to Dorchester and all of Nebraska that we are endorsing candidate Trump well before the the Nebraska primary election next Tuesday.  (We have read that Trump is currently leading in the Nebraska polls.)

Is Trump the perfect candidate? Far from it. But he brings a certain brand of pragmatic populism that has not been attached to America's conservative politics since Ronald Reagan was in the Oval Office.

We could write a lengthy thesis on why Trump is the right person for president in 2016, but we will let real-world numbers make the case:

• America's debt now stands at $19.3 trillion.

• At last check, the U.S. was running a trade deficit of $539 billion in goods and services.  For the politicians reading this, that is $539,000,000,000 -- in the red. How long can a nation and an economy survive this much bleeding?

• From 2000 to 2014, the U.S. lost more than 5 million well-paying manufacturing jobs.  From the politicians, nary a word.  All we get are proposals for "free college tuition" or another free trade deal to benefit a select few.

• Meanwhile, as real jobs disappear and wages are stagnant, our nation now has a permanent welfare class, from free school lunches to food stamps, from cell phones to housing vouchers.  This year, the U.S. government (we the taxpayers) will spend an estimated $1.1 trillion on welfare -- federal, state and local.  

• Since 2005, the most conservative estimates say there have been around 11 million illegal immigrants roaming inside our nation.  Other estimates put the number near 18-20 million.  This despite the disappearing blue-collar jobs that once blessed America with a surging middle class.  Sadly, neither political party has had the guts to do anything about the illegal immigration crisis.

• From 2009 to 2014, under the Obama administration, more than 7.4 million work permits were issued to aliens, far exceeding the immigration limits set by Congress. The huge number of work permits has severely limited job opportunities for American citizens.

• While immigrants generally help our economy, many today send their paychecks back home to Mexico or other Latin America countries -- up to $70 billion in 2008.  That export of dollars is crippling Nebraska communities, which must still pay to educate the children of immigrants whether they're legal or not.  In generations past, that money was recycled many times over at local businesses to improve homes and neighborhoods, which in turn created more property taxes for schools and infrastructure.

• We particularly like candidate Trump's "America First" theme.  Why is the U.S. the only nation contributing significant resources and lives in the fight against radical Islam?  Why, 70 years after the end of WWII, is the U.S. is still footing the bill to defend Japan and other nations?

• From 2003-2010, the U.S. spent more than $1.1 trillion on the Iraq War, a blunder that was supported by both parties. Today, the Middle East -- the Iraqi region specifically -- is a complete mess, fueling the flames of Islamic fanaticism more than ever before.

• Last presidential cycle, in 2012, more than $2 billion went to the political parties.  Is it any wonder that the average Joe or Jane no longer has a voice at the federal level, where the most important decisions are made?

Something has to change.  

Over the last two decades, America's political class -- the "establishment" -- has ignored some of America's toughest challenges, like our disappearing industries and jobs.  They've side-stepped issues like illegal immigration, and made many matters worse than ever, like radical Islam in the Middle East and America's growing welfare state.

Trump has noted he will lead the charge to reverse all of the trends mentioned above.

Moreover, Trump has proved he's good at running multi-billion dollar companies; the other candidates have proved they're good only at running their mouths.

It is time for a new boss, one who is not beholden to contributions or crazy activist groups; one who isn't worried about offending a small segment in order to achieve the greater good over the long term.

It's time for President Trump.