PAYING FOR TRUMP’S ‘AMERICA FIRST' AGENDA

By Jonathan E.P. Moore, and Friends of America!
PAYING FOR TRUMP’S ‘AMERICA FIRST' AGENDA

Progressive lawmakers are betting that America's economic ills can be cured by an extraordinary expansion of government. This tired approach has already failed repeatedly in the past, and now appears to be the next narrative attack on Trump and his agenda.

I took the day off yesterday with this article pretty much finished and ready to go, but thought with what's going on with the 'Paid to Report' Media's talking points, and their narrative on the Russia influence, the Syria bombing, the Korean threat, the Chinese meeting with President Trump, and the 3 game winning streak of the New York Yankees to get back to .500, that taking a mental health day, Oh, and a good drinking buddy of 53 years, and Trump hater, visiting me here in Ohio until Sunday! I can say just this one thing though, we don't talk politics when we get together, never did, never will, he's never read my blog, and probably why after 53 years, we're still best friends.

Back to the business at hand! The Russian ties to Trump seem to be losing credibility, President Trump's 'Art of the deal' appears to be working with China by trading off some of future trade policy restrictions in exchange for helping out with the Korean situation, Russia is sinking into the sunset because the world, and the Trump administration's narrative,  is pointing the fingers at Russia, and putting them on the hook for the gassing of innocent people in Syria because Putin guaranteed the elimination of the stockpiles of gas, and monitoring the situation, but they didn't! Even after a senior US official claimed that military and intelligence operatives had intercepted communications between the Syrian military and chemical experts discussing preparations for last week's chemical-weapons attack in Syria, Russia  still defies all logical assumptions with the Assad connection on the world stage of the United Nations!

The world is now aware of what Obama's self-imposed 8-year of stepping back off the world stage has done, and not only to America's stance in the world, but to the world itself! Korea again is threatening a nuclear test to celebrate the Korean leader's grandfather's birthday this week, and I believe, like in the past, North Korean has been paid to not test weapons, but seems to be the 'blackmail' needed to support their feckless economy, and people in poverty. Would President Trump, like Obama, if still President, send money, gold, and bonds to North Korea like Obama he did with Iran to enhance his lackluster legacy, and is North Korea, Iran's best nuclear trading partner, going to expect the same? I think we all know the answer to that, and that's one of the major reasons the Now President Trump was elected to make America great again!

First of all you have to wonder where common sense takes part in the lefts version of ‘Robin Hoods’ 'take from the rich to give to the poor,' mentality, but when it comes to modern day Progressives of tax and regulate our job producing corporations and top 5% who already pay for about 80% of the total taxes collected!  Taxpayers dollars are mostly being used to pay for Obama’s open border policies and financially supporting America’s unvetted illegal immigrants and refugees, and then, help sponsor his Socialist Globalism agenda. When it comes to Social Security and Medicare, which are mandated contributions to our own future that we pay into, but the bipartisan 'Swamp' takes and uses as their personal slush fund for years, and then leaving  unpaid back IOU's for trillions of dollars, that would have financed and kept these services funded for generations! When is enough going to be enough, and after the last 8 years, Americans on both side of the aisle should start seeing that something has definitely run amuck!

The key to saving America is economic growth, and the opposite, like ex-President Obama did to make people be dependent on the government, is to stifle economic growth, and by doing so, drive people to the entitlement rolls so that they can be controlled and dictated to about what’s best for them! The proof of this are the true numbers of the record highest number of people on Welfare, the most record number of people now in Poverty, the record highest amount of people out of the workforce, and the most times on record that a President didn’t live up to his oath of Office (2X).

 Just to give you a little insight into the economic sabotage of the America Dream you have to go back to see what’s been going on intentionally, and with bipartisan support. For decades America companies had to deal with import and border taxes when dealing with exporting America’s products and services around the world, and every country we tried to do business with, but the opposite wasn’t true, as the new outsider Non-politician has told you, and the reason he got off his ‘insider’ position on the political ‘Swamp’ fence and jumped down on the side of the ‘Will’ of the American people. Other countries imports were not only not paying import or border taxes, but driving our job producing companies off shore so they too would not be subject now, to the same import and border taxes that foreign countries were never subjected to or forced to pay!

Did you understand that? So, let’s go a little further down that ‘Economic Growth’ road. With the pressure of Obama’s EPA Czars cracking down on America’s advanced technology and manufacturing dominance in the world for generations you might ask yourself why would some 70,000 manufacturing companies close its doors and surrender the skill sets of their labors of love careers to the likes of China, Mexico, South America, etc., and the reason is the over regulation and taxes and the willingness to give up and sell out before they were forced out of business by our very own government!

Progressive ideologies that were tied into the 1960’s Alinsky/Obama/Hillary agenda of Socialism and Globalism was peddling off American’s skill sets and technology to both our allies and enemy’s around the world, and to give them that extra boost of confidence, let them peddle their goods and services, free of any border or import taxes, now add to that the cost of labor and lack of labor unions, and you got that free ticket to ride and the right to undermine, not only our labor force, but this exceptional countries sovereignty!

The 'new' progressive narrative of “whose paying for all of this President Trump’s agenda,” is easy to understand, and as I’ve mentioned before, in part, will come from the Trillion dollars’ tax rebate that will be freed up with the Repeal of Socialist generated Obamacare, and the growing economy that will generate a lot of tax revenue. An increase of just one percentage point of GDP adds over a Trillion dollars to the economy, so, unlike the Progressives who would rather print and handout money, make people dependent on the government to exist, selling off America companies and corporation overseas, and then opening our borders so that the wages in America are driven down by unvetted and illegal immigrants and refugees, is not a winning formula or path America’s future should be on!

So, the repeal of Obamacare, economic growth, and import and border taxes, and tolls and fees to visit America will be how Mexico will truly pay for the ‘Wall,’ so, if you lack of common sense to understand how ‘business’ works, then you might finally realize why America went with the Billionaire businessman, President Donald Trump, and his cabinet of American Dreamers who actually accomplished, and now helping America to be economically great again, and standing strong and respected in the world, again! 

President Trump will deliver on the promises he made and the American people’s mandate during the upcoming budget negotiations. I hope I helped when hear a progressive ask, ‘Who’s paying for the ‘Wall,’ whose paying for the increase in military spending, and whose paying for ‘preexisting condition clause in the new ‘America First’ Healthcare plan?’

WHAT IS ECONOMIC GROWTH?

HOW IT’S MEASURED AND WHAT ARE THE CAUSES?

Definition: Economic growth is how much more the economy produces than it did before. If the economy is producing more, businesses are more profitable, and stock prices rise. That gives companies capital to invest and hire more employees. As more jobs are created, incomes rise. Consumers have more money to buy additional products and services, driving higher economic growth. For this reason, all countries want positive economic growth.

That makes economic growth the most watched economic indicator.

HOW IS ECONOMIC GROWTH MEASURED?

Economic growth is measured by changes in the gross domestic product (GDP). It measures a country's entire economic output for the past year. That takes into account all goods and services that are produced in this country for sale, whether they are sold domestically or sold overseas. It only measures final production, so that the parts manufactured to make a product are not counted. Exports are counted because they are produced in this country. Imports are subtracted from economic growth. Economic growth is measured quarterly measured using real GDP to compensate for the effects of inflation. Here's more on the GDP growth rate and how you can calculate it.

Measurements of economic growth do not include unpaid services. They include the care of one's children, unpaid volunteer work, or illegal black-market activities.

They also don't include the environmental costs. For example, the price of plastic is cheap because it doesn't include the cost of disposal.  As a result, GDP doesn't measure how these costs impact the well-being of society. The true standard of living will be raised when these components are measured.

That's how the measurement itself can lower growth. For example, Nordic countries rank high in the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report.  According to Riane Eisler's book, The Real Wealth of Nations, that's because their fiscal budget focuses on the actual drivers of economic growth: world-class education, social programs that provide real value, and a high standard of living. That results in a high-skilled and motivated workforce. Yes, these countries have a high tax rate. But, they use the revenues to invest in long-term economic growth.

That contrasts with the United States. It uses debt to finance short-term growth through boosting consumer and military spending. That's because these activities do show up in economic growth measurements.

THE PHASES OF ECONOMIC GROWTH.

Analysts watch economic growth to discover what stage of the business cycle the economy is in. The best phase is expansion, when the economy is growing sustainably. If growth is too far beyond a healthy growth rate, it overheats and creates an asset bubble. That's what happened in 2005-2006 with housing. As too much money chases too few goods and services, inflation kicks in.

At some point, confidence in economic growth dissipates. When more people sell than buy, the economy contracts. When that phase of the business cycle continues, it becomes a recession. An economic depression is a recession that lasts for a decade. The only time this happened was during the Great Depression of 1929.

WHAT DRIVES U.S. GROWTH?

The United States is blessed with an abundance of natural resources. It also has a large land mass, comparable only to Russia, Canada, and Australia. These resources include:

•Tillable soil in the Great Plains, known as the breadbasket of the world,

•A temperate climate,

•Large deposits of oil, coal and natural gas.

These natural resources attracted another of America's great resources -- its diverse population.

The United States has a large and diverse population. That provides a large test market. It gives domestic companies experience in knowing what consumers want. That's given the U.S. a comparative advantage in producing consumer products. As a result, over 70% of what the U.S. produces is for personal consumption.

This also gives U.S. companies an advantage in exporting. As a result, the United States is the world's fourth largest exporter.  The U.S. exports capital equipment, such as computers, semiconductors, and medical equipment. It also exports industrial machinery and equipment, such as plastics, chemicals, and petroleum products. Almost half of the economy depends on services. The most successful are financial services, healthcare and intellectual property, such as technical information.

WAYS TO SPUR ECONOMIC GROWTH!

Most governments try to manage economic growth. For one thing, when the economy is growing, businesses make more money, which increases tax revenue. They also hire more people, which increases income. When people feel prosperous, they reward political leaders by re-electing them.

The government can stimulate the economy through expansive fiscal policy. That's when it either spends more, cuts taxes, or both. Since politicians want to get re-elected, they use expansive fiscal policy to stimulate the economy.

Expansive fiscal policy is addictive. If the government keeps spending more and taxing less to spur economic growth, it leads to deficit spending. It works for a while, but eventually leads to higher debt levels.

In time, as the debt to GDP ratio approaches 100%, it can slow economic growth. Foreign investors may stop investing funds in a country with a high debt ratio. They worry they won't get repaid, or that the money will be worth less.

Therefore, governments should be careful with expansive fiscal policy. It should only use it when the economy is in contraction or recession. When the economy is growing, its leaders should cut back spending and raise taxes. This conservative fiscal policy will ensure that the economic growth will remain healthy.  By Kimberly Amadeo, a Friend of America!

WHY IS GDP SO IMPORTANT TO ECONSOMISTS AND INVESTORS?

The gross domestic product (GDP) is one of the primary indicators used to gauge the health of a country's economy. It represents the total dollar value of all goods and services produced over a specific time period; you can think of it as the size of the economy. Usually, GDP is expressed as a comparison to the previous quarter or year. For example, if the year-to-year GDP is up 3%, this is thought to mean that the economy has grown by 3% over the last year.

Measuring GDP is complicated (which is why we leave it to the economists), but at its most basic, the calculation can be done in one of two ways: either by adding up what everyone earned in a year (income approach), or by adding up what everyone spent (expenditure method). Logically, both measures should arrive at roughly the same total.

The income approach, which is sometimes referred to as GDP(I), is calculated by adding up total compensation to employees, gross profits for incorporated and non-incorporated firms, and taxes less any subsidies. The expenditure method is the more common approach and is calculated by adding total consumption, investment, government spending, and net exports.

As one can imagine, economic production and growth - what GDP represents - has a large impact on nearly everyone within that economy. For example, when the economy is healthy, you will typically see low unemployment and wage increases as businesses demand labor to meet the growing economy. A significant change in GDP, whether up or down, usually has a significant effect on the stock market. It's not hard to understand why; a bad economy usually means lower earnings for companies, which translates into lower stock prices. Investors really worry about negative GDP growth, which is one of the factors economists use to determine whether an economy is in a recession.

DOES HIGH GDP MEAN ECONOMIC PROSPERITY?

Economists traditionally use Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to measure economic progress. If GDP is rising, the economy is good and the nation is moving forward. If GDP is falling, the economy is in trouble and the nation is losing ground. From a strictly numerical perspective, GDP provides an easy-to-follow indicator of economic health. From the perspective of a citizen living with the day-to-day realities of life, GDP can be rather misleading.

This is why the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) was created in 1995 by a socially responsible think tank called Redefining Progress. It was developed as an alternative to the traditional GDP measure of a nation's economic and social health. Read on to find out what GDP fails to reveal about a country's economic prosperity and how the genuine progress indicator works to make up this gap.

GPI VARIABLES.    (GPI-type measures are in use in Canada and in some of Europe's small and more 'progressive' nations.)

Although GPI and GDP calculations are based on the same personal consumption data, GPI provides adjustment factors - variables designed to apply monetary values to non-monetary aspects of the economy. The variables fall into the following general categories:

Personal Consumption - As mentioned, this is the exact same data used to calculate GDP.

Income Distribution - GPI is adjusted upward when a greater percentage of the nation's income goes to the poor because an income increase provides a tangible benefit to the poor. GPI is adjusted downward when the majority of a nation's increased income goes to the rich.

Housework, Volunteering, Higher Education - GPI factors in the value of the labor that goes into housework and volunteering. It also factors in the benefit of an increasingly educated populace.

Service of Consumer Durables and Infrastructure - Money spent on durable goods is treated as a cost, while the value the purchases provide is treated as a benefit. Long-lasting goods that provide benefits without having to be frequently repurchased are viewed positively. Goods that wear out quickly and drain consumers' wallets when they must be replaced are viewed negatively. GDP, on the other hand, views all expenditures as good news. Infrastructure spending by the government is treated in a similar manner - if spending provides a long-lasting benefit, GPI views it as a positive; if spending drains the government's coffers, GPI views it as a negative. Again, GDP views all spending as positive.

Crime - Rising crime costs money in legal fees, medical bills, replacement costs, and other outlays. GDP views this spending as a positive development. GPI views it as a negative.

Resource Depletion - When wetlands or forests are destroyed by economic activity, GDP views the events as good news for the economy; GPI views these events as bad news for future generations.

Pollution - Pollution is good news for GDP. Industry gets paid once for the economic activity that creates pollution and again when money is spent to mitigate the pollution. GPI views pollution as a negative.

Long-Term Environmental Damage - Global warming, nuclear waste storage and other long-term consequences of economic activity are factored into GPI as negatives.

Changes in Leisure Time - Prosperity should lead to an increase in leisure time. Most modern workers would disagree with this theory. GPI views an increase in leisure as a positive and a decrease in leisure as a negative.

Defensive Expenditures - Defensive expenditures refer to medical insurance, auto insurance, healthcare bills and other expenses that are required to maintain quality of life. GPI views these as a negative. GDP views them positively.

Dependence on Foreign Assets - When a nation is forced to borrow from other nations in order to finance consumption, GPI factors in the result as a negative. If the borrowed money is used for investments and benefits the country, it is viewed as a positive.

THE CALCULATIONS.

GPI calculations take all of these variables into consideration, using economic statistics and mathematical formulas to place value on them. That value is then added to or deleted from the GDP figure. For example, expenditures on consumer durables are a negative adjustment. Data from the National Income and Products Accounts are used to estimate the cost of consumer durables and the figure is subtracted from GDP.

The amount of money that foreigners invest in the United States is subtracted from the amount Americans invest overseas. A five-year rolling average is used to determine whether the U.S. is becoming a lender or a borrower. If our economy is healthy enough that we are a net lender, the resulting number is added to GDP. If we are borrowing to sustain our economy, the resulting number is subtracted.

GPI IS NOT YET MAINSTREAM.

While GPI factors in many of the variables that have direct impact on peoples' quality of life, capitalist economies tend to focus strictly on making money. Because of this, GPI has not yet been widely adopted in such economies, although its proponents note that it has been reviewed by the scientific community and recognized for its validity. GPI-type measures are in use in Canada and in some of Europe's small and more progressive nations. Over time, other nations might slowly adopt the concept as environmental concerns move into the public's consciousness. ~~By Lisa Smith, a Friend of America!

WHAT GDP DOES NOT REVEAL!

It is also important to understand what GDP cannot tell us. GDP is not a measure of the overall standard of living or well-being of a country. Although changes in the output of goods and services per person (GDP per capita) are often used as a measure of whether the average citizen in a country is better or worse off, it does not capture things that may be deemed important to general well-being. So, for example, increased output may come at the cost of environmental damage or other external costs such as noise. Or it might involve the reduction of leisure time or the depletion of nonrenewable natural resources. The quality of life may also depend on the distribution of GDP among the residents of a country, not just the overall level. To try to account for such factors, the United Nations computes a Human Development Index, which ranks countries not only based on GDP per capita, but on other factors, such as life expectancy, literacy, and school enrollment. Other attempts have been made to account for some of the shortcomings of GDP, such as the Genuine Progress Indicator and the Gross National Happiness Index, but these too have their critics.

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