What Will America Look Like After The Election?

By the time West Of hits the racks, we may know which Presidential candidate will be sworn in Jan. 20, 2017 or we may have several contested states, such as Florida in 2000. As of this writing, there were six states that were dead-even in the polls. There are even scenarios under which both major-party candidates would receive 269 electoral votes, which would mean the U.S. House of Representatives would determine the next President.
Our next President will have a large impact on our nation’s future. Here are some areas in which the President will have the greatest impact:
The Supreme Court and federal judiciary. There is already a vacancy on the Supreme Court after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. There are several justices who are aging or in bad health. The next President may nominate three or more justices in the first term. Secretary Hillary Clinton would likely appoint justices like Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who often cites international law in her decisions, while Donald Trump has indicated that he will nominate justices like Scalia, a strict constitutional constructionist.
National debt. America is approaching $20 Trillion in debt. We closed the 2016 fiscal year with a $600 Billion budget deficit. Clinton has not addressed the debt or balancing the budget during the campaign. Her husband, President Bill Clinton, was the last President to sign a balanced budget in 2000. Trump supports the Penny Plan to balance the budget in 5 years through 1% annual spending reductions. His election could launch Rep. Mark Sanford to national prominence. Sanford is the lead sponsor of the Penny Plan in the House.
Jobs and the economy. While the unemployment rate is listed at 4.9 percent, there are 95 million Americans under the age of 65 who are not in the workforce. Many are choosing to draw Social Security benefits early (age 62-64), and the program is in bad financial footing. Economic growth has been anemic since 2007. Clinton wants to raise taxes on high-income Americans, many of whom run small businesses, and corporations. Trump has called for across-the-board tax cuts and lowering the business tax rate to 15 percent. Trump also wants to reduce federal regulations, which impact production costs for businesses.
Trade. President Bill Clinton promoted and signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Trump has cited NAFTA and the World Trade Organization, which admitted China during in 2000, as causing the shutdown of 70,000 American factories. Hillary Clinton now says she opposes the pending Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Trump has made nixing the TPP and renegotiating existing trade deals a cornerstone of his campaign.
Immigration and border security. Clinton supports an immigration policy advocated by Sen. Lindsey Graham. She wants to give those here illegally a pathway to citizenship. Trump wants to build a border wall and immediately deport illegal aliens who have committed felonies. He also cites the impact that drugs smuggled across our southern border have on society. Trump also talks about the need to speed up our legal immigration process.
Medical care. The effect of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been higher health insurance premiums and deductibles. In South Carolina, consumers in the healthcare insurance exchange market will pay an average of 29% more in premiums in 2017 from the previous years. My family doctor left his practice because the system forced him to see more patients for lower pay. Clinton has pledged to tweek the ACA. Trump want to repeal it and replace it with a free-market system featuring more competition in the insurance market and up-front pricing.
Law and order. We have seen unrest in our inner cities in recent years, including riots in places like Ferguson, Missouri and Baltimore. Trump has made improving the plight of the inner cities a major campaign platform. He will promote economic growth in our cities and improved education through expanded school choice opportunities. Trump has also showed steadfast support for law enforcement officers at all levels and has been endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police. Clinton has not addressed the issue in her campaign.
No matter who we voted for and how the election turns out, America needs to come together. We need to love our neighbors!
Please state below the column that I am the editor-in-chief of LowcountrySource.com and that my e-mail address is John@LowcountrySource.com.