In the last election republicans won the house and the senate and many had hopes that things would change, that we would turn back government overreach, solve the infrastructure problem, reduce the budget and get our country back on the right path. Our President has lost the respect of the world. The US is politically weaker now than we have ever been. Two years after the republicans took control we are no closer to getting things done and we continue to kick the can down the road. Therefore, I saw little hope in what any candidate could do to change things.
Our country needs leadership.
Our country needs to change complacency.
Our country needs a leader to inspire us.
Our country needs to bring back overseas jobs.
Our country needs to be the leader of the world again.
All of this leads to why Trump is popular today.
America has lost its edge much like when Reagan ran for the presidency. Our country is losing its traditional American pride and we need a leader that can bring that back.
Our country has lost its ability to negotiate. We no longer negotiate from a position of strength and even sadder, we don’t negotiate with each other. Reagan was effective because he knew what it meant to negotiate. When Bush Sr. negotiated a deal with a democratic congress, Clinton used his “read my lips, no new taxes” against him in the next election and we ceased negotiating with the other party. We need a strong negotiator and we need to negotiate with each other again.
Immigration is a national problem, not because we need more laws, but because we have refused to follow the laws we have. Yes, our country needs labor that few are willing to provide, but we are a republic based on laws. Instead of making new laws let’s follow the ones we already have. The issue in most immigration discussions gets tangled around which laws we are not going to follow.
This leads to our leaking borders. We either refuse to staff border security properly, or we lack effective solutions to protect it. Who has the best solution that will help stop the leaking border? Some may say a wall goes against who we are … in reality it’s not our fault that we have to build a wall. If we can’t work with Mexico to help us then there the idea of a wall seems like a great solution. If Mexico can’t help protect the border then they should have to help pay for the solution. Becoming an American is not easy nor should it be.
Who will lead our military back to the strength we need? Who will help us stand up to evil around the world? Who will help the world to respect and fear (the biblical fear) the USA)? Who will stand up to those powers that exist for destruction?
Who will support our right to bear arms? Are gun free zones the right answer? Why are schools the place that are being targeted for mass murder? Schools are one place guaranteed to be gun free. We need to make our campuses safer? Which candidate will help that cause?
When it comes to the economy, Washington doesn’t know what it means to run a business and make a profit, but they continue to make deals that cut out our own citizens. Our country has lost businesses and jobs to other countries. Its time to bring those jobs back. Products made in China are suffering as shortcuts result in poor quality. We know what it means to create a quality product and its up to us to ensure that products maintain their integrity and quality.
A great example of this is the GE plant in Minden, NV. The world class monitoring system that has been used for decades in the power generation industry as well as in oil and gas. This product is made in Minden and it can’t be made anywhere else any cheaper with higher quality than in Nevada. Other products can follow this same model.
Our government needs to change the perception that they can’t operate more efficiently with a fine tuned customer service. Look no farther than the VA hospital for supreme inefficiency. We should look to companies like GE, Apple, Microsoft, Tesla, Google and others who know how to build an effective customer service. Who can lead our government towards better customer service, which puts the people and especially the veterans of our country first?
When you look at the challenges facing the US and you compare candidates, people are looking to someone who brings the solutions. Politicians have already proven they can’t get it done. They want to create more laws when we don’t follow the ones we already have.
The answer to the challenge is leading people away from politics as usual. They are looking to someone new. That’s why people are following Trump. They don’t have to agree with everything he says, but they will tell you that he is strong, he knows who to turn for solutions and he can negotiate. No one else has that pedigree. No one else has the strength. The others follow polls to tell them what to think. People are looking for someone who can get things done. People are looking for someone who can choose the right leaders. The others have failed and are looking for another chance – people want America to be a winner again. They are looking to Trump.
Lee Bonner is a media professional, business leader, consummate volunteer, strategic thinker and former County Commissioner from Douglas County Nevada.