A friend asked me recently if I thought President Donald Trump’s first actions as president were appropriate.

I said I think they are because he is taking the necessary steps to undo the disastrous policies of his predecessor and the predecessor’s handlers.

It seems highly unlikely to me that Joe Biden was aware of the documents he signed, due to his dementia.

On the other hand, I feel confident that Trump not only knows what he’s signing but initiated the actions.

While the mainstream media is howling in anger at Trump’s executive orders like he is breaking laws, what he is actually doing is pulling the nation back to the center after former President Barack Obama, who initiated the deep division in the nation had come close to turning America into a dictator state. And the Democratic leaders of that action possibly believe they’re right – like it was a natural progression.

There is little doubt that Trump cannot satisfy the wishes of everyone in the broad coalition he brought together to win re-election.

The economy is in a shambles thanks to the wasteful spending of his predecessor.

Now the Hard Part Begins

Developing a budget will be a major problem in itself.

First comes SALT (The state and local tax deduction on federal income taxes).

Jim Geraghty, writing in National Review, refers to it as one of Republicans’ early tough calls.

Under current law, an individual’s deduction of state and local income, general sales and property taxes is limited to $10,000 – $5,000 if married and filing separately.

Trump changed that into law in 2017 and promised to restore it during the campaign.

Republicans are under pressure to raise Trump’second SALT plan. Economic advisers are reported considering doubling the SALT cap.

Geraghty says this is the sort of proposal that makes the Committee for Responsible Government tear their hair out.

Their calculations indicate that doubling the SALT deduction would reduce tax revenue over the next decade by $170 billion. Blue state representatives want to increase it even higher to $100,000 for single filers and $200,000 for married couples filing jointly. The CRFB projects that would reduce federal revenue by $920 billion over 10 years.

Republicans in Red states are wondering why they’re being asked to agree to a proposal that would primarily benefit households making over $200,000 annually, disproportionately in high-tax blue states like New York and California.

It boils down to how high a deficit Trump is willing to accept in the first year of his second term.

Perhaps he is counting on DOGE to cut out enough waste in government to overcome the lost revenue.

Balancing the budget to reduce the federal deficit is necessary to save America.

Laughingly kicking the can down the road has been the congressional budget plan for too long.

Another article in the same magazine by Dominic Pino refers to an article written by Matthew Dickerson, budget policy director at EPIC (Eliminate Property, Income (and Inheritance) and Corporate taxes) who suggests replacing pay-as-you-go rules, meaning that rather than being required to find revenue for new spending, lawmakers would have to eliminate other spending to pay the cost.

If Congress doesn’t begin to spend sensibly now while there is hope to save the nation, those proposals will have to be employed when the crisis arrives and the national debt can no longer be ignored.

Democratic Party Has a Problem

The Democrat Party is in shambles now because the leaders failed to read the signs that they were out of step with the normals in the nation.

They have learned nothing and will be back trying to regain control using the same tactics because they consider themselves right and the rest of us wrong. Besides being stupid, we are Nazi, racist, homophobic and maybe worst of all Christian, in their eyes.

The leftists think they need to be in total control. Their leftist beliefs are their religion.

Historian - columnist Mark Lewis who is writing a series of essays on the rise of modern Leftism says it like this: “Very, very few people show any ability at all to think for themselves, and this is actually true among Republicans as well. We absorb too deeply too much of the “zeitgeist” of our age, and it becomes unalterably entrenched in our minds. I’ve been trying, in my recent Townhall series on “The Rise of Modern Leftism” (one more article coming soon), to show where, historically, modern Leftism comes from so that readers can comprehend the roots of its evil. However, I’ve noticed, in certain comments, that much of the current American societal “zeitgeist” is so deeply embedded in even many strong conservatives that they cannot lift their thinking above this “zeitgeist,” see through it, and escape from it where necessary. This inability to think for ourselves is a major reason why America’s Founding Fathers were so opposed to democracy.” That causes me to think of a recent Imprimis article by Glenn Ellmers, Salvatori Research Fellow in the American Founding at the Claremont Institute. (Imprimis is a publication of Hillsdale College in Michigan) which begins with a letter that first President George Washington wrote to members of a Jewish congregation, indicative of the faith system of the Founders.

Imprimis tells it better than I can so I’ll just use their article:

Washington’s Letter

One of the most beautiful things written during the American Founding period is George Washington’s 1790 Letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island. Washington had visited Newport in August of that year, and shortly after his visit, one of the leaders of the Jewish community sent Washington a letter thanking him and congratulating him on his conduct as president.

Washington responded, in part: “The Citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy: a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people, that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights. For happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection, should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support. . . . May the Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid. May the father of all mercies scatter light and not darkness in our paths, and make us all in our several vocations useful here, and in his own due time and way everlastingly happy.

“Washington here magnifi cently summarizes the principle of religious liberty, a principle at the heart of the American Founding and one of the greatest accomplishments in human history,” Ellmers commented.

“Today, this principle has been under assault— think of the vicious antisemitism we have seen on many college campuses recently or the persecution of Christians by our federal government. The faith of American Christians and Jews has been mocked and increasingly threatened by an aggressively secular, even atheistic, ruling class.

“We are in danger of losing the precious gift of religious liberty, which took almost 2,000 years for the Christian West to put into practice.”

BIBLE VERSE

In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him.

— 1 John 4:17

Thoughts on Today’s Verse....

When we live lovingly toward others as Jesus did, we can have the same confidence in the face of death our Savior did. We can place our spirits in the hands of God. We can trust our future to his grace. We don’t have to worry about standing before God in judgment. However, our confidence is not in our personal achievements, religious efforts, or good deeds. Our confidence on the day of judgment is based on the work of our Savior and being joined to him and safeguarded with him in glory (Colossians 2:12-15; 3:1-4). His love has not only redeemed us from sin; it has changed us to trust him and live in his love. His love is not only a gift to us but also given through us. We can be confident because we know that Jesus’ life is present in us until we stand with him in the presence of our Father.

Prayer

Holy Father, thank you for the power to love others. Thank you for the confidence your love gives me. You have done so much to save me. Thank you for your loving grace and my confidence in Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.

The Thoughts and Prayer on Today’s Verse are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@verseoftheday. com.