An Open Letter to President Donald J. Trump
Thoughts from a political junkie, patriot, and observer of the folks. (Part I)
Dear President Trump,
Like you, I am by trade a real estate developer though on a scale far smaller (cozier?) than the enterprises you have built up. In our trade we are required to become problem solvers, salesmen, politicians, diplomats, and bean counters – the skills which you used extraordinarily well in your first term. I also teach real estate at the graduate school level and thus feel I may have some insights worthy of your time due to extended exposure to younger (voting!) adults.
Let me first congratulate you on the success of your campaign to become #47 – Iowa and New Hampshire have gone very well, and I suspect you will be rolling through to the nomination of the Republican Party with ease. I share the view of many, many Americans who are appalled at the efforts of the Democratic (nay, Uniparty) machine to disqualify you from the election, destroy you financially through lawfare and fraudulent legal claims. As a real estate guy, the case in Manhattan with Judge Engeron and the magic appraisals is particularly galling; the E. Jean Carroll insanity is out of a dystopian novel. If they can do that to you, they can do that to anybody that takes a loan out to build a business or dares to refute a false claim made about them. I don’t like your odds in the tainted courtrooms of the Empire State but am confident that the appeals process will vindicate you.
Now to the subject at hand – some thoughts and advice about where you stand and can advance from. My intent here is to address the several large pachyderms in the room. I want to stress that swift action is needed on these elephants, but I would ask that you convey that you will do it in a Constitutional fashion. Executive Orders are great, but there is a large portion of the electorate that would love to see a return to how the Constitution was designed – make the Legislative Body do its job – EO’s are simply too easily overturned.
First, immigration. You don’t need me to tell you that the American people are sick of the open borders disaster that had been wrought by the current regime. You have gained traction and votes among legal immigrant communities and the decayed safety of our cities and suburbs will help you with the treasured “suburban mom” vote. Continue to hammer home the risks that are growing daily by the unfettered access to the heartland by the so-called “asylum seekers.” However, sir, stop looking backward. We know what you accomplished in your first term – you don’t need to reiterate it. You and your policy chieftains should formulate a simple, easily understood plan of how you are going to solve this catastrophe. No one expects a “day one” solution, though we know the power of Executive Orders (and the removal thereof). I would keep it simple: 1. Secure the border by any means necessary in conjunction with state authorities. 2. Massive deportation. You will be called a “racist” and all the rest, but the only way we can restore our societal fabric is to restore the rule of law…and that’s the pillar you should lean on. They are here illegally, period. 3. Establish limits to legal immigration. The “Fake News” will never admit it, but we know you are in favor of LEGAL IMMIGRATION. Work with Congress to bring back the Bracero Program – do it not just for agriculture, but for critical industries like tech and construction. An innovative solution such as this would provide the labor our industries need, relief to migrants and a humane alternative to the utterly barbarous situation playing out along the Rio Grande every day. Stress to the American people that you are trying to help the unfortunate and rip them away from the awful talons of the Mexican drug cartels and child traffickers.
Second elephant – COVID and the jab. You were justifiably proud of all you did when COVID first blew up in the US. The ventilator program, Operation Warp Speed, sending the Liberty ships etc. You also followed a true Federalist approach by allowing the State Governors to make decisions for their own people. And you pushed great alternatives like hydroxychloroquine though you were mocked by the press for doing so. Now four years later, we have learned a lot and there is growing anger, particularly among the young, that the jab and all the boosters have caused irreparable damage. Dr. Peter McCullough has noted that there is a large potential voting bloc to be had with the right message:
“25% of us didn’t take (the jab) it for a reason. The vaccine is kind of an important voter issue for us in health freedom. Another 15% are screwed by them. That’s 40% ... Whoever is running for president better figure this out pretty quick because only 60% of people vote.”
As in so many areas from COVID to Afghanistan, the American public is sick of the lack of accountability. On this issue, here’s your opening. Acknowledge that mistakes were made – fog of war, heat of battle – we had a perceived crisis on our hands. But by God, we should be able to have a special commission formed to get to the bottom of what happened and to formulate a policy so that it never happens again. The American people will forgive you for the failure of the vaccine – you followed the advice of the career bureaucrats who were supposed to have our best interests at heart. Now let’s hold some folks accountable and fight for medical freedom.
Third elephant – abortion. I am Roman Catholic and as staunchly pro-life as they come. But I am also a pragmatist and believe there is a greater good to be had than going down in defeat for attempting to push a Federal abortion ban. Senator Lyndsay Graham’s proposal for just that prior to the 2022 Mid-Terms had no small effect in turning the “red wave” into a ripple. Did I mention suburban moms? This is the issue that Joe Biden and his mignons want to bludgeon conservatives with in ’24…you know the usual: they hate women, “reproductive rights,” “my body my choice,” etc. etc. The Dodd decision emboldened this faction like nothing else could short of an Executive Order banning abortion. From what I have seen of your recent talks on this matter, I believe you are on the right path. First, keep it with the states (long live Federalism and the Constitution!) But encourage the adoption of broad guidelines that are reasonable and sane – encourage a vote by the legislatures so we can get this issue out of politics! The guidelines would include: 1. Exceptions for rape, incest, life of the mother (if you stopped there 97% of abortions would end). 2. A reasonable time limit – the European standard is 12-weeks – you really should know at 3-months what you plan to do. 3. A provision for non-viability of the baby after the 12-weeks. They will do everything they can to twist the words of these proposals and hint that there is some dark Papal cabal ready to put all women back in chains, but the American people are fundamentally good and will see through that. Abortion and the choice of life is a moral struggle that will have to be fought face to face, mother and child. We on the pro-life side have a long way to go for our part in engaging the pro-abortion industry and educating our young on what pregnancy really is – the wondrous creation of new life, a life that needs a motherly host long enough so that it can survive on its own, not a burden that needs to be flushed so you can return to your cubicle at Citibank.
Fourth pachyderm – global war. America is sick of war, period. We want accountability for the disasters that we have witnessed over the last twenty years. You promise to “rebuild our great military,” and I don’t doubt that you will make great strides in that effort. However, what is needed needs to be badly re-envisioned and re-imagined. In the age of drone swarms, satellite and cyber warfare, an Abrams tank column or carrier battle group are massive casualty events waiting to happen. First, (as you already have) is tell the globalists to pipe down. We have over 750 bases and outposts overseas in places that most Americans couldn’t find on a map. The Bretton Woods accords no longer hold water and we, the American taxpayer, have more than enough to do inside our own borders without having to be the policeman to the world. This is not the same as surrendering the globe and pulling our horns in entirely. It is about taking a more serious cost-effective approach to protecting ourselves and assisting in the protection of our friends. “No better friend, no worse enemy” should be the hallmark of our foreign policy and military posture. Second, stand up another commission. This one to look at the performance of our military since the failure of Vietnam…it’s not a pretty picture, but no one has been held accountable. The career bureaucrats at the Pentagon have dragged a once undefeated fighting force through hell and back in every means possible. And the current crop of “Flag Officers,” is a disgrace – they have reached those heights because they have said the right things, been “politically correct,” and never dared challenge the assumptions they were operating under. Speaking as a retired Naval Officer, in World War II there were 256 Admirals of various rank – this for a Fleet of 6,764 ships. Today, there are 223 Admirals for a Fleet of less than 300 vessels. The story repeats in every one of the services. We can do much better – your message needs to be that we are going to focus on peace and rebuilding our strength.
There are plenty of other elephants in the herd and I will follow up with you on those as time warrants. For now, I felt pressed to get this message to you and those of us that still love this nation. Issues concerning family and population, culture and history and of course, perhaps the biggest tusked elephant ripping through our national jungle, the frightening unsustainability of our national debt will be discussed anon.
For now, I wish you good cheer, bonne chance, and continued success.
Sincerely,
Marty Heflin
“The Carnivorous Mind”