5 Reasons Why Voting For Trump is a Bad Idea | The Odyssey Online
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Politics and Activism

5 Reasons Why Voting For Trump is a Bad Idea

...there is no way that voting for Trump can be deemed a moral decision.

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5 Reasons Why Voting For Trump is a Bad Idea
Gage Skidmore
  1. The Economy - Understanding why Trump is bad for the economy requires some prior knowledge about the way the economy actually works. Trump's policies are the epitome of everything trickle-down economists believe to be good and right. There are a number of problems with the trickle-down economic theory, but before I get into that, let me objectively define what that sort of an economy supposedly looks like. In a nutshell, having a low income tax on the rich is supposed to encourage them to expand their businesses so that they provide more jobs to the working class families and therefore trickle-down the wealth that they have. Sounds great, right? Too bad it doesn't work and has never worked in the history of this country or any other country for that matter. Let’s talk about why that might be. In the real world of economics it is understood that when the wealthy get large sums of money they do use a portion of the money to expand their business, that’s to be expected, but where they expand is always in direct relation to cost. Makes sense, right? The point of a business is to maximize profits after all, but wait. Regardless of big tax breaks, which trump wants to give to the wealthy business owners NOT THE MIDDLE CLASS. Big businesses are going to hire the cheapest labor available. Reducing their taxes isn't going to make the working class more marketable against cheap foreign labor. It's simply going to increase the amount of money that is going into the pockets of these insanely rich guys, which benefits this country absolutely none, because, again, trickle down economics doesn't work. Instead of investing in this countries people, the wealthy frequently outsource to the cheapest option, so unless you want to work sweatshop wages to be employed, then it’s kind of pointless to buy into the idea that Trump will be a good leader in the economy, but there is more. On top of the fact that reducing taxes for wealthy people will not create jobs for our middle class, Trump has expressed no interest in disrupting the current imbalance that exists in wealth distribution. If you are a U.S citizen then you most likely pay taxes. If you don't, then good luck to you, but if you are from middle class family you probably have felt a bit of pressure trying to make the numbers click, right? Trump actually doesn't really want to change your taxes all that much. You are going to be paying about the same amount in taxes under his plan while the wealthy get massive tax breaks and can send their money over seas to sit in tax havens or to be turned into cheap labor. Oh wait, what was that thing about tax havens? The thing is that the wealthy don't pay taxes (*that’s probably why trump hasn't released his taxes), what they do is they put their money in foreign banks that take away the governments ability to tax those profits. So not only do they trickle-down their wealth into foreign markets but they don't even pay a comparative amount of their wealth to the government as the middle and lower classes. It’s rather ironic that someone who seemingly has enough economic savvy to run a successful and profitable business would actually be such a detriment to the economy, but perhaps its not that ironic. Trump has benefited from the trickle down economic system that has been prevalent in this country’s politics and capital for many decades. He doesn't see the negative effects that his principles have on the economy because he's never had to face them himself. If you are voting because you want to see an improvement to the economy then Trump is not your man.
  2. The Lies - Frequently trump supporters will congratulate him on his separation from politics and seem to be in some sort of elysian trance about his honesty and willingness to vocalize his opinions. Before I address Trumps lack of decorum I want to point out the fact that if politicians are known for being untrustworthy, then regardless of his political background, Trump would seem to be pretty keen on the whole politician aesthetic. Trump has a tendency to deny statements that proof shows he has made and he tends to exaggerate his points with bombast or misused or misquoted facts. There is something to be said about Hillary’s honesty as well but the idea that Trump is a person of fact, and of clear thought and altruism is simply just another lie that he has convinced people of. Trump is playing the game just as much as any politician would. It’s gone so far that Hillary’s campaign has used this against him by setting up a “fact checker” that scrutinizes his statements. What is particularly bad about this situation is Trump has a legion of blind followers. Hillary is known as a politician who doesn't reveal all of the truth and her opponents and supporters scrutinize her because of it. Trump isn't scrutinized to the same degree. He’s not a politician, he speaks his mind, he will make America great again, but why would you trust a man who so frequently lies? He refutes statements that he has made, if a man can’t commit to the words he says then why would you expect him to uphold the agreements he makes? Following someone blindly and buying into his messages without scrutiny makes you a participant in demagoguery. Trump is not a leader that will bring us a better tomorrow. That is a fallacy. If you truly scrutinize Trump then you will see him to be just as if not more untrustworthy as his opponent. Don't let him sell you something before you are properly aware of what it is he stands for.
  3. The division - Trump, in his political game, has used something terrible to garner support. He has gathered a massive following of “silent majority” voters who want to stop the progression of our society to a more inclusive and safe community for all of it’s participants. I obviously can’t tell anyone what virtues you are supposed to live by but one of the virtues that most seem to hold onto is the one that reminds us to love our neighbors. Instead of looking at what makes us different and passing judgments on entire groups of people we should be looking for ways to work together with one another. Being an American is about being whatever you are and participating in this wonderful experiment. Tear down walls, don't build them, that goes for the walls in our own society and the walls that exist between our society and others. Whether we like it or not we exist in this world with other countries, with other people, and we should be focusing on what makes us similar and what we can do to make life better for everyone instead of ways of secluding ourselves. Trumps foreign policy would shatter the ties we have with the world, they would forge bonds of hatred that should be bonds of love. Who would want to live in a world like that, a world where we only see what makes us different and respond with fear? Not me, I want to live in a world where differences are celebrated and where the world gets along fine and violence and hate-speech don't have a place at the center of the world stage. What’s particularly scary about Trump isn't the fact that he holds these divisive ideas or that he screams them in carnival fashion, but rather that there is such a large group of people who seemingly hold the same attitudes. It’s bad enough that even if I did agree with Trump on the economy and even if I didn't mind the lies or the demagoguery then I simply would not be able to to vote for him out of moral judgment. We need a leader that can go out into the world and show the world whats good about America, not whats ugly and exclusionary.
  4. The Controversy - Again, I want to address the fact that Hilary has her fair share of controversy. This article isn't about convincing people to vote for her its about opening the eyes of those who aren't aware of the volatile mistake of voting for Trump. Trump wants to be the champion of the middle class but his entire career is full of real life middle-class workers who testify against his ability to look out for the little guy. Work completed and men left unpaid, elaborate scams like Trump University, his track record is far from spotless and he shouldn't have the middle class’s support because of the the crimes he has committed against the hard working people of this country. It’s sickening to see someone who believes in his empty promises to be the savior of the working American. The evidence and his track record just don't align with him fulfilling that sort of a role in the country, not to mention his misguided way of working the economy. If there is any take-away from this article it should be that Trump doesn't represent the people who subscribe to his platform. The middle-class working people of America that are keeping him afloat are going to be extremely disadvantaged if he makes it into office and gets any of his platforms stances into effect. Be smart about your interests and what he would actually do for you and for this country before you go out and vote for him.
  5. The Deplorability - Bringing up the moral aspect of voting for Trump again- simply put, there is no way that voting for Trump can be deemed a moral decision. Undeniable injustice exists in this country and Trump puts forth no plan to bring about the justice that is due. The way that Trump degrades those around him and those that oppose him is inexcusable. Something can be said for not wanting political correctness to interfere with the truth but nothing can be said for the derogative ways Trump addresses women, muslims, immigrants, foreign leaders, the current president, POC, and most every minority group in this country. Celebrating the way Trump speaks his mind is one thing, but celebrating his hate speech is an immoral act in itself. It is not okay to hate groups of people like that. Every religious person I know holds themselves to some sort of standard when it comes to laying down morals for themselves, and I can tell you that Trump is not a moral man by most religious standards. He has played America’s moral compass against itself and has somehow snaked himself in the hearts of America's right-wing christian coalition, but how? Many of the reasons that they oppose the the democratic party, Trump could also be held liable. The tale of Trump’s success in this election is a strange one. He is a greedy immoral man, who disrespects Christianity’s moral code but has a huge christian following, who disregards the middle class in his policies and business dealings but hold a crazy flock of middle-class voters, and who demoralizes women and minorities but also seems to hold some odd number of women and minority voters somehow. It’s truly baffling to see people support a man as vile and treacherous to this countries viability as he is when the only thing that they would have to gain from his presidency is increased bureaucracy and a worse tomorrow. In the end, if you are reading this, just please take a second look at the candidates in this election objectively. Both major party candidates have so many problems and Gary Johnson is a joke, let's be honest. It’s been rather disheartening as a young voter to be handed the responsibility of determining what type of evil I wanted in office come November. Hopefully if Trump does become president, democracy and I will survive the nuclear wars he is bound to start, and hopefully the next candidates aren't as racist and deplorable and orange as the ones we have today.
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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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