I recently had the opportunity to attend a rally at the Las Cruces (New Mexico) International Airport for the Republican Presidential team of Donald Trump and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence. Gov. Pence was the featured speaker and arrived, albeit a bit late, in his Boeing 737-800 emblazoned with the Trump/Pence logo. The doors opened for the rally at noon which was to take place at 2 p.m., but a line had formed before that and we waited for about a half hour before we were allowed in the hangar where the rally was held.
In the two hours we waited for Gov. Pence’s airplane to land, I had the opportunity to talk to many people in the very diverse crowd. There were active duty military in attendance, as well as retirees, members of the University of Texas at El Paso College Republicans, women of all ages, minorities of all colors, and others who have a distinct interest in this presidential race for one reason or the other.
The common theme was one of disgust. There was a clear sentiment that the entrenched “establishment” or the “beltway insiders” of Washington, D.C. had to go away and that the country needs something new and invigorating, instead of the same old thing. There were concerns that regular Americans were being forgotten and that Washington, D.C. had turned its back on hard-working citizens who are struggling. There was talk of industry and jobs that have moved overseas and that there appears to be nothing happening to curtail the continuing trend. One retired Vietnam-era Air Force pilot voiced to me that the current number of Navy ships is at the level it was during World War I. He understands that current technology may not require many more ships, but he voiced that this was just an example of the depletion of our armed forces.
Trump and his “wall” was a topic. I would estimate that about a third of the rally goers were of Hispanic origin. The two I spoke with were adamantly opposed to any type of open borders and both wanted, at the very least, criminal illegal immigrants to be removed immediately. One was the 13th generation of a local Hispanic family, the other stated that his family came to the United States legally and thinks others who want to come to America should follow the same rules.
I don’t necessarily agree with “Make America Great Again,” as I think we are the greatest country. But there is certainly room for improvement, in a huge way. We currently have over 94 million people who are not in the labor force (aged 16 and over), yet President Obama only touts the unemployment rate (only when it drops, even slightly). The trade deficit is currently around $40 billion. The gross national debt is currently a little less than $20 billion. No president will substantially alleviate any of this in four years but we need to start doing something different — and now.
Our country is at a crossroads. We can stay the course and have open borders, deficit trade agreements, a depleted and thus demoralized military, generations of Americans who are “owed” something, continued cronyism and corruption in Washington, D.C., and more jobs moved overseas. Or, we can try something different and vote in someone who is not a career politician and who has the optimism for better things for our country.
Voting for the Democrat nominee will ensure years of questions, more discussions and hearings about emails, possibly even court actions given the nature of a private email server, passing classified information, and pay for play scandals, at the very least.
Can we, and do we, as a country really want to go through four years of inquiries and questions where our President is not entirely focused on the best interests of the United States? I don’t, and I don’t think most Americans do. I am positive most Americans want to get on the track of good paying jobs, a secure border, fair trade, less job killing regulations, and a strong military.
• Jeff Kemp was born and raised in Southeast Alaska and is a State of Alaska retiree who enjoys the winter warmth of the Southwest United States.
