Ethics & Religion
Column #1,836
November 3, 2016
My Vote for President
By Mike McManus

In July I wrote two columns: "An Indictment of Donald Trump;" and a week later, "An Indictment of Hillary Clinton." Both candidates are distrusted. Today only 40% of respondents in an NBC-Wall Street Journal poll view Clinton favorably, and a mere 29% felt positively about Trump.

I slammed Trump after the third debate for refusing to agree to accept the outcome of the election if he loses. "I will keep you in suspense," he said. He also denied that he had assaulted women, when he was caught on tape bragging that he had done so. Eleven women have come forward saying they were groped or forcibly kissed by him. He calls them "liars."

More alarming, he said in the second debate that if he wins, he will put Hillary Clinton in jail, after appointing a special prosecutor to make it legal. When his crowds shout "Lock her up," he responds, "Lock her up is right."

The United States is not Russia where Putin jails his opponents. Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon, who could have been prosecuted for Watergate crimes. He spared the nation that turmoil, but in doing so, Ford lost his race for the Presidency.

Hillary Clinton is a flawed candidate. As Secretary of State she used her position to grant interviews to leaders willing to donate to the Clinton Foundation. Overnight the Foundation became worth $2 billion. She and Bill Clinton have been paid excessive sums for speeches. They earned $28 million in 2014 and $10.6 million in 2015. However, she did pay nearly a third of that sum in taxes, $3.24 million.

By contrast, Trump has refused to release his tax returns - the first Presidential candidate not to do so in decades. The New York Times reported that in 1995 he claimed a loss of $916 million - enough to perhaps avoid paying any federal taxes for 18 years! Trump shrugged and said Hillary should have closed those loopholes when she was a U.S. Senator.

Both candidates have been criticized by the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) for not making any proposals to reduce America's deficit and debt. Clinton said in the last debate she would "not add a penny to the debt." She claims her proposals, such as free tuition at public colleges would be paid for by higher taxes on the rich. However, CRFB estimated her proposals would add $200 billion to America's $19 trillion debt.

By contrast, Trump massive tax cuts, most of which would benefit the rich - "would cause the deficit to explode" by a staggering $5.3 trillion, charges CRFB.

Social Security is running a $150 billion annual deficit, and if not reformed by Congress, will result in a 23% cut in Social Security payments to all recipients in 2033. Yet neither candidate proposed any answers. Indeed, Clinton wants to increase Social Security payments.

The biggest difference in the candidates is in their character and personality. Trump is downright dangerous. He has threatened to curb freedom of the press and suggested that gun rights advocates might take the law into their own hands if Clinton won.

Trump as "been cited for lying about more things more times in more ways on most days than any presidential aspirant in history" charged columnist Thomas Friedman. Remember he claimed thousands of Muslims in New Jersey cheered the destruction of the World Trade Center? None did so.

He denigrates the physically handicapped, Muslims, Mexicans and offers simplistic solutions to make "America great again." How about his 45% tariff on Chinese goods coming here? That could spark a trade war and a recession.

He knows nothing about how government actually works and is uninterested in learning. By contrast, Clinton is extremely knowledgeable about a wide range of governmental issues, and advocates reasonable proposals, such as a raise in the minimum wage.

She lied about her use of a private email system and whether there were classified emails on it. FBI Director James Comey declared in July that 110 of 30,000 emails contained classified information. He called her practice "extremely careless," but said there was "no clear evidence she intended to violate laws." Therefore, no criminal charges were filed.

However, Comey recently announced that thousands of emails had been found on a computer owned by Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of Huma Abedin, Clinton's closest aide, forcing him to reopen the case.

I can't vote for either Clinton or Trump, and will write in Paul Ryan. He did propose how to cut $2 trillion from the debt. After Trump's groping incident, Ryan said he would no longer defend him. He has courage, and should run for President in 2020.

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Copyright (c) 2016 Michel J. McManus, a syndicated columnist and past president of Marriage Savers. For previous columns go to www.ethicsandreligion.org. Hit Search for any topic.