The letter from Henry Scroggin published on July 26 extolling Trump’s accomplishments is poorly sourced and generally inaccurate. I assume most people do not have the time to fact check such letters, but here is what I found and where I found it:
The letter from Henry Scroggin published on July 26 extolling Trump’s accomplishments is poorly sourced and generally inaccurate. I assume most people do not have the time to fact check such letters, but here is what I found and where I found it:
Does Rasmussen polling say that Americans are feeling better about their own lives than they have in a decade? No. I could find no Rasmussen poll on this topic in recent months; however, Rasmussen does report in a July 16-20 poll that 61 percent of Americans feel that the country is on the “wrong track.”
Are new health care and Trump tax cuts coming soon? He promised they would be easy and be enacted within weeks of his inauguration. Still waiting. Such a dealmaker.
Are stock values up 18 percent and the stock market up 3,000 points since the election? No. According to macrotrends.net, which tracks stock market performance by president, at the end of the first six months in office the stock market rose 9.2 percent under Trump compared with 14.6 percent under Obama, 6.9 percent under Clinton, 0.5 percent under Reagan and minus 3.3 percent under Bush.
Has the number of folks on food stamps dropped to a five-year low? Yes, apparently so. According to the USDA, there were 48 million persons receiving them five years ago compared to 42 million in fiscal year 2017. Even so, the number of households receiving them has hovered between 23 and 21 million during the same period. The decline began long before Trump was elected but has continued since then.
Is economic optimism near all time highs now? No. The Investor’s Business Daily/TIPP Economic Optimism Index dropped 2.1 percent in July to a reading of 50.2 percent. Above 50 percent is optimistic, below 50 percent is pessimistic. The poll’s long-term average is just 49.2 percent. Further, all credible polls show that 60 percent to 65 percent of Americans disapprove of how Trump is handling the presidency.
Are illegal alien apprehensions down at a 17-year low because of law enforcement and plans to build a solar wall? No. While apprehensions are at a 17-year low, there is no indication that it has anything to do with the wall plans. According to US Customs and Border Protection statistics, the number has been plummeting since 2000 regardless of who was president. The latest published figures only cover fiscal year 2016. Trump did not take office until 2017.
Do trucks and trains transporting oil have higher rates of accidents than pipelines? Yes, but that is deceptive because oil pipeline breaks spill far more oil per accident.
Has Trump nullified unneeded regulations to unleash the American worker? None are specified. Was it the one permitting mining companies to dump wastes in nearby streams and lakes? Should commercial mining operations pay to clean up their own wastes or should the taxpayers or should we just drink the polluted water? What unleashes the worker?
Did Republican candidates win the last five special elections? Yes.
Has military spending skyrocketed especially in Honolulu? If so, it is not due to Trump. His new budget, whenever passed, will only affect fiscal year 2018. Current spending is under the previous administration’s budget.
Is Donald Trump systematically making America great? No. We are no greater now than we were before Trump. And what does “systematically” mean here? Generally, if one does something systematically, it means one does it in an orderly, methodical way. Trump is in no way orderly or methodical. He takes pride in being unpredictable and chaotic.
So, it is too bad that facts are so much less fun than slogans and calling sources fake news. But they are stubborn things.
John Sucke is a resident of Waimea