Let’s start with the promises that President Trump made during his campaign.  Among them are mass deportations, lower grocery prices, reduce the corporate tax rate, and institute a reciprocal tariff policy.  Although I could go on and on, I must limit what I discuss in this type of format.  For more information, or the list of the top 100, view the Politifact article at www.politifact.com/article/2024/sep/30/donald-trumps-2024-campaign-promises-heres-his-vis/

We know, or should know, that mass deportations will disrupt daily activities, friendships, families and much more.  The cost will be quite large depending on how many are targeted.  It may require INS, the military, maybe local law enforcement, and everything in between to accomplish.  It will probably depend on how fast the process goes, what forces are willing to be used, and what we want this round-up to look like.

At the same time, President Trump now has a favorable look at the H-1B visa program to hire foreign skilled workers to work in the Tech industry.  Nandita Bose of Reuters wrote in USA Today at ‘www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2024/12/28/trump-sides-with-elon-musk-in-h-1b-visa-debate/77292762007/’  that Elon Musk “has posted regularly this week about the lack of homegrown talent to fill all the needed positions within American tech companies.”

So, instead of making sure that Americans get the appropriate education and training for these jobs to fill them with our citizens, we will expand the H 1B visa program instead?  Fair?  Ms. Bose also writes, “The visa issue highlights how tech leaders like Musk ‒ who has taken an important role in the presidential transition, advising on key personnel and policy areas ‒ are now drawing scrutiny from his base”.

“The U.S. tech industry relies on the government's H-1B visa program to hire foreign skilled workers to help run its companies, a labor force that critics say undercuts wages for American citizens.”

As far as any costs are associated with the immigration issue, keep in mind that the tariffs proposed by President Elect Trump will help fill that need.  Of course, this will also help with the reduced corporate tax rate that he wants to see for billionaire companies in these United States.  And how will the tariffs fill the coffers of our country?  We pay more for the tariffed goods that then get paid to the companies importing them and they, in turn, pay the tariffs.  So, in layman’s terms, when a tariff of 20% is placed on a good or service, we, in effect, pay a 20% tax to our government when we purchase them.

I personally don’t think any illegal immigrants will be deported from within the food industry.  Large farming operations, food transportation, and food processors would be furious at the removal of their illegal work force.  They would either lose money by having to replace them with higher-paid workers, or, more likely, couldn’t get the workers from the local area due to some jobs being way too physically challenging for the money they would offer.  Therefore, some in this industry may go out of business.  Either way, the food we are buying today would be much more expensive.  Remember also that tariffs on Mexico and Canada could also affect food prices unless that industry were left alone.

As far as the reciprocal tariff policy, why would we put the cost burden on our own citizens just for the sake of doing to a particular country what they are doing to us?  It seems very petty to me.  But, of course, I don’t know the big picture, nor do I know whether the other country’s citizens are paying the price on their tariffs.  I only know what it would do for you and me.  I’m not a fan.

Let’s go back once more to reducing the corporate tax rates.  Does anyone feel that this is necessary?  Why is it that many politicians always feel that corporations and billionaires require more money in their pockets?  What good has that ever done for you and me?  If you ask any of these politicians why, they will probably give you the response they’ve been giving for 40 years now.  The more money they have, the more jobs they will create.

To those that have been alive during any of the last 40 years, how many jobs have you seen created when our government hands more money to these corporations and billionaires?  If you said zero, you are correct.  This excuse first hit the news during the Reagan presidency.  It has been the first order of business for most every Presidency since.  It has influenced us, however.  Higher taxes, flat wages, fewer unions, and a stagnant middle class.

And so, we sit here not doing much about it.  Yes, some of us complain.  Yes, some of us demonstrate.  Yes, some of us even vote for those that tell us what they are about to do.  Why is that?  Do we not listen?  Do we believe some of the tall tales they tell us?  The lies?  Is it even possible to forget the past that quickly, even if it wasn’t that long ago?

I believe we’ve had oligarchs for a long time.  They have influenced our politics for many, many years.  They’ve done it through more subtle means, over dinners and vacations.  Through lobbyists.  Now they are in our faces.  They will most likely end up in the many branches of government even in the President’s Cabinet.  Some of us had once thought that we could ease them back out of government by repealing the Citizens United campaign law.  Maybe even restructuring rules for lobbying congress.  And creating a true watchdog committee concerning government influence.  With the new administration, however, this will no longer be plausible.  But maybe we’ll get another chance in the future.  Maybe.