Now that it's pretty much a done deal, where do you think the Trump presidency will take us? If you are pro Trump or anti-Trump, I'd like to start this thread to archive what we we thinking in 2016. We can come back to it in 4 years and use it as an "I told you so" or an "oh shit, I was so wrong" weigh point.
For a start, let's look at foreign relations, 2nd ammendment laws, immigration laws, and the economy, and any other hot-button issues.
For economic comparisons, some of you should post the present numbers for the following, and your sources, so they can be compared in four years with stats from the same sources. Since even these numbers tend to be disputed for bias, if several of you list your sources we'll at least get a big general picture:
For 2016- Unemployment rate , Cost of a gallon of gas, Uninsured rate, Oil barrels imported, Teen pregnancy/K, GDP growth, Dow Jones
Please treat this as debate-free, (I can't find that button any more) until 2020. Then we'll go into debate mode with whatever comparisons we have between us in 2016 and us in 2020.
Maybe I 'll revisit this thread in the 1st quarter of 2017.
Trump is an unknown. Hillary was a WELL known.
I do not say this as a criticism of trump, but as a dose of reality of how much downward inertia there is in our government and society. Any gains he is able to make will be hard-won. The biggest difference he can make is reversing obama executive actions. If trump does not aggressively go after those, then his impact will be minimal.
Terry
The Rock
Yes, but that is what makes the CF what it is today. The TOT's are great.
A lot less intellectual and lacking in free and fair debate....
I think it has been nice to have them gone.
As far as the metrics I listed, no one else has posted, so I'll take the initiative- please post your own figures and sources if you disagree-
Unemployment rate in 2016 has been between 4.9% and 5% as per http://www.tradingeconomics.com/united-states/unemployment-rate
Average price of a gallon of gas in 2015 was $2.40 (cheapest since 2009), with 2016 looking to be cheaper still once the year is up and can be averaged as per http://gasprices.aaa.com/average-u-s-gas-prices-begin-2016-under-2-per-gallon/
Uninsured rate 11% as per http://www.gallup.com/poll/193556/uninsured-rate-remains-historical-low.aspx
Barrels of crude imported 2015 : 2,687,409 as per https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=pet&s=mcrimus1&f=a
adolescent fertility rate in 2014 was 24 per 1000 as per http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.ADO.TFRT?locations=US and http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/04/29/why-is-the-teen-birth-rate-falling/
GDP growth 2016: 3rd quarter 2016: 2.9 percent 2nd quarter 2016: 1.4 percent as per https://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/glance.htm
Dow Jones average for 2016 17,500 as per http://www.macrotrends.net/1358/dow-jones-industrial-average-last-10-years
Personally, I see dark times ahead.
My personal feeling is that foreign relations will deteriorate greatly under Trump, breeding global economic and political instability. This will be reflected in a lower GDP, higher gas prices, a Dow Jones that will deflate slowly over the next 4 years, and higher unemployment and uninsured rates.
Domestically, I see more, not less, fights breaking out between social groups, I see an increasing disparity between the retained (after tax) incomes of the middle and upper classes. I see education pushed towards privatization, which ultimately will lead to its own deleterious effects .
Going out on a limb, I'm even thinking there is a good chance Trump won't make it four years. Given his history of walking the edge of legality, there's a good chance of an impeachable offence that could actually stick will happen. The only bright spot I'm seeing is that I hope 2nd amendment rights will stay constant with greater enforcement of extant law.
I'm usually a pretty optimistic guy, but I don't think there was any right choice in the last election. I hope I am absolutely wrong about every one of these (except the 2nd amendment).
Alright. I've stuck my neck out. I promise I won't edit this ever. Anyone else willing to set down here what they're thinking now for later comparison?
Like it or not, oil is the new "gold standard".
The Rock
Bush helped drive the economy into the ditch. Obama drove it off the f*****g cliff!!!
If Hellary would have won my wife and I had discussed selling our home for what we could, and then living in the woods somewhere.
Woods Walker, I'm very sorry for your last eight years- and I have to agree- the last year in particular was very hard on me and I found myself in a similar situation. I'm afraid though, just as Buckiller said above, things are going to get worse. Please don't confuse this with a pro-Clinton thread. I would have generated this same thread regardless of how the election turned out. I saw no joy coming from either of the presidential candidates before the election, and I still don't.
I won't deny I started this thread to shake political and economic misconceptions (as I stated above, hopefully my own will be the most misconceived) but I'll ask everyone to save commentary on my or other's predictions for four years from now.
This thread is for setting down how you think this will play out- and then seeing how right or wrong we were back in 2016.
God bless, Steve
