My Turn: The choice is yours in November

During World War II, news journalists, like Edward R. Morrow and Walter Cronkite, adhered to the ethical standards published by the Society of Professional Journalists. They sought out and reported the truth and did not report opinions as news. They believed opinions belonged on the editorial page, not the front page. Unfortunately, today, opinions often appear as news and political correctness often takes precedence over the truth.

Since the 1950s, many of the mainstream media, like the New York Times, Washington Post and TV news networks, have favored liberal (progressive) values. As a result, their news stories are often distorted (spun) to reflect this bias. This distortion makes it difficult for the American people to know the real facts and the truth, especially about candidates who do not share the same values. This undercuts the democratic process on which our country is based.

It is worth noting that over the past 50 years or so, the Democratic Party and the mainstream media in Washington D.C. have come together as a cabal. They use their political and media power to promote laws, policies and regulations that best serve their political values, private interests and pocketbooks, often at the expense of the country and the average American.

Bill and Hillary Clinton are good examples of this. In 2000, they claimed they were broke. Today, they have an estimated net worth of over $150 million. Wealth earned primarily from private speaking engagements (often at $250,000 for a 20-minute speech), book deals, etc. They have used their political position, power, influence and connections to gain this wealth and to obtain donations for their $2 billion foundation (read Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich by Peter Schweizer).

Hillary wants to be president so she can continue to use her political position to amass even more wealth while the average American worker continues to suffer from stagnant job growth and low wages. Her economic policies, like Obama’s which is only growing the economy at less than 2 percent a year, will not be sufficient to create more higher paying jobs. She is a smooth talker, always saying the politically correct thing at the right moment, but with little action and often little truth behind her words. This deception and political correctness is killing America and the American Dream.

Donald Trump is different. He does not need to be president to gain wealth, prestige and power. For the most part, he has funded his presidential campaign directly from his own bank account and solicited donations from small donors rather than from large donors (like Clinton’s donors) who will demand special favors. His primary focus is to put America and American workers first by implementing economic polices that will stimulate economic growth that will provide more higher-paying jobs. Eliminating illegal immigration, reducing America’s high tax rates, renegotiating unfavorable trade deals and addressing the National Debt, which costs over $400 billion a year in interest payments alone, are all part of his plan.

Trump is smart a leader and a straight talker. He speaks the truth as he sees it with little regard for whether his words are politically correct. He is brash and calls out members of the press and others when they attack him. He is a man of action and has created thousands of jobs, many for women and minorities. He does what he says he will do and has a proven track record of getting things done on time and under budget. He is deeply concerned about the fate of America and wants to put our country back on the right track. He wants to make America great again.

The choice is yours in November. For the sake of our nation, think about these factors and vote wisely.

Bryan is a resident of Waikoloa.