In spite of Twitter, Trump has had an amazing year!

Weekly Opinion Editorial

TRUMP’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2017!

by Steve Fair

     2017 is coming to an end and politically it has been an interesting year to say the least.  Since January 20^th when President Trump was sworn into office, it has been a never ending series of hype and insults via Twitter.  Arguably the first POTUS to be a true outsider, President Trump immediately begin to push his agenda, running into opposition from not only Congressional Democrats, but Republicans as well.  But make no mistake, President Trump had some major accomplishments in 2017.  Here are just three:

     First, the appointment of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court was a clear victory for conservatives.  Gorsuch replaced the late Antonin Scalia and has been a very able replacement.  Senator Dianne Feinstein, (D-CA), said, “ We’ve got another Scalia.  There is no sign of moderation from conservative orthodoxy.  He votes right down the line.  Everything-everything,” she said.  “I’m surprised that it’s so comprehensive.”  

     Senator Mike Lee, (R-UT), said, “He's fantastic. He’s awesome. I'm a huge fan  It’s going as I expected and my expectations were high, and I’ve not been disappointed in the least."  "I think he is performing as a principled constitutionalist, which is exactly what we hoped for and expected," Senator Ted Cruz, (R-TX) said.

     Second, the Republican tax-cut bill passage was an amazing accomplishment.  It is the biggest tax legislation to be approved by Congress in thirty years.  It cuts corporate income tax from 35% to 21%, which will stimulate job growth.  It cuts taxes for most Americans in the middle class, but that’s not all. 

     It also eliminated the ObamaCare mandate that individuals buy insurance, which in and of itself was quite an accomplishment.  It also opened the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas exploration, something that even Ronald Reagan couldn’t get accomplished.  Rest assured, this tax bill was a big deal.

     Third, the POTUS pulled the U.S. out of the Paris climate agreement, signed an executive order granting a permit for the Keystone XL pipeline and started the process to repeal the Clean Power Plan, which is nothing more than an attack on fossil fuels- particularly coal.  The president appointed Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to head up the Environmental Protection Agency.  Pruitt has stated the Clean Power Plan lacks the legislative authority to be enforced and has vowed to stop the war of coal. 

     By removing the regulations off the back of business, the U.S. economy has been stimulated.  The stock market had its best growth year since 2013.  Unemployment is at its lowest level in seventeen years and consumer confidence is also at a seventeen year high.    

     Critics of Trump will point to his failures, but few presidents in modern history have accomplished what he has in their first year of office.  While President Trump’s unorthodox style of leadership often has politicos scratching their heads, he obviously has the confidence of job creators and investors- something that President Obama seriously lacked. If people vote with their pocketbooks, then Trump is likely headed to a second term.