The Christian apologist C.S. Lewis says “Try to tell the truth as you see it.”  OK, here goes. 

I think that Donald Trump is an appalling human being.  I voted against him in 2016 because I believed him unfit to be president, even in comparison to the lamentable Hillary Clinton.  I voted against him in 2020 specifically because of his abuse of the Vindman brothers.  “Support the troops.”  I’m going to vote against him in 2024, if that becomes necessary, because of 6 January 2021.  

I think that Donald Trump was a far more consequential—even “better”—president than Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush,[1] or Bill Clinton.  More consequential–and even “better”–than would have been Hillary Clinton.[2] 

Trump recognized the reality of massive unrestricted immigration through the Southern border.  He recognized—and tried to act on—the failure of the North Korea policy of previous administrations.  He took real action to deal with the Chinese challenge.  He recognized the uselessness of the NATO allies.  He halted the flood of government by bureaucratic rule-writing and executive orders.  All Trump’s policies on these matters were good things.  Many of them have been maintained by the Biden administration. 

            I think that there is a good way to reduce poverty.[3] 

            Stay in school, even if it’s a lousy one.  Don’t disrupt class.  You can learn something even in a deficient school system.[4] 

            Graduate from high school, then get some more education.  The four-year college residential education is over-valued by American society.  Community colleges and trade schools are fine.  Students can live at home and commute, pay lower tuition, not pay for dorms and dining halls, and work part time.  Costs a lot less and it isn’t on a four-year schedule. 

            Get a job, any job.  Work is better than charity or crime.  Hundreds of millions of people—immigrant and native-born, black and white and read all over, knew this in the past and still know it today. 

            Work hard.  At some point, you may get a promotion or a pay raise. 

            Don’t get married until you have steady work. 

            Don’t have kids until you’re married.  Condoms are $1 each at CVS/Walgreens/RiteAid.  For many decades, they worked for most people who were determined to avoid an unwanted pregnancy.  “But men don’t like using rubbers.”  You never heard the expression “I got the pussy, so I make the rules”? 

            We should stop paying people to be poor.  It’s a capitalist economy. If you create a market for something, someone will fill it.

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[1] Trump may not be more “consequential” than George W. Bush.  The invasion of Iraq is the gift that just keeps on giving.  Kind of like an antibiotic-resistant flesh-eating infection.  Trump was certainly a better president than Bush.  Equally certainly not a better man.  Such are the paradoxes of life. 

[2] Never mind breaking the “glass ceiling.”  We’ve already had one woman president.  Her name was Edith Wilson.  We’re likely to have another.  Her name is Dr. Jill Biden. “Jill Biden and the Inner Circle.” Sounds like a band.

[3] Juan William’s prescription, lightly amended. 

[4] See Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969) for proof.