Whether we like Donald Trump's actions as president of our nation, or would have preferred someone else in the White House, he is going to be making decisions like the bombing of the Syrian air base without asking for a popular vote of us the voters. We will be free to question his decision but that will be after the fact because unlike Obama he will not warn the "enemy" and certainly not check with us before hand. His staff probably talked to our primary allies so they were aware of the impending attack because they seemed to quickly give their support, except for Russia, of course, which supports the Syrian president.
As Americans, we need to prepare for a "man of action" as a leader. That is not to say we might support radical misdirected decisions in the future but when I heard a CNN television personality give his tentative approval to Trump's decision, it sounded like we are on the right foot with this action. What impresses me about Donald Trump is not his style, his flamboyant nature or even his wealth. I am impressed that he takes responsibility for his actions and he does get things done.
This action is not unlike the New York City ice skating rink decision which I have mentioned previously. After years of typical government political procrastination and corruption, Trump offered to help and gave the city a proposal. He completed building the project in less time than required (a matter of months on the project instead of years) and was even under under his proposed budget. That story alone speaks volumes about his ability to lead and gather other leaders to join him in seeking a solution. No matter how we view his previous personal life or business affairs he does understand the "system." How much he and his family will gain in personal wealth as a result of his time in the Oval Office is yet to be determined. So far, no one in the news media has reported that the Secret Service has spent millions of dollars in protection renovations at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla. I'm going to assume that if elaborate changes were made, someone would know and it would be on the front page of every newspaper which opposes Trump. Reports over the years have included reports of very expensive modifications to private estates being used by presidents as retreats, or temporary residences. Presidential security comes at a cost to us taxpayers.
What we allow in, or by, our government officials, sets a precedence for future office holders. Whether it is a new Air Force One, or renovation of the White House to satisfy the tastes of the First Lady, the costs of government frequently go unreported, or worse yet, unnoticed or accepted without comment by us tax payers. A recent article in the Northwest Arkansas edition of the Democrat Gazette (Saturday, April 8, 2017, Pg. 9A) reported that the Education Department's leader, the billionaire Secretary Betsy DeVos, receives protection (or security) provided by federal marshals at a cost approaching $1 million per month. So much of this is unclear to us normal people, but it was reported that the Marshal's service is hiring 20 people just to guard her. The salaries range from $95,000 to $146,000 annually depending on GS level and experience. The question begs us to ask, how many people do we actually hire between the U.S. Marshal's service, the Secret Service and individual departments' security staff? Previously security was handled by employees of the Department of Education.
It is troubling to me, as a voter, to watch government payrolls increase in what seems to be a disproportionate rate to private sources of jobs. Coming from an industrial background where hiring new people came with growth in sales of our existing or new products, adding more people to government payrolls seems to put pressure on our sources of national revenue. All this at a time when they are talking about tax cuts.
Whether Donald Trump will be successful in controlling growth of our government expenses and still cut taxes remains to be seen. If he successfully stopped the bottomless pit of funds to a new Air Force One as the news reports have indicated, I'm truly impressed. High level politics are way past my pay grade. Even the benefits allowed at my level of achievement in industry seemed excessive at the time but we, who pay every conceivable type of tax to city, county, state and federal governments need to watch these spending patterns so someday we can again "dream of a balanced budget."
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Editor's note: Leo Lynch, an award-winning columnist, is a native of Benton County has deep roots in northwest Arkansas. He is a retired industrial engineer and former Justice of the Peace. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Editorial on 04/12/2017