It would be one thing if America were in a national emergency that necessitated actions that hurt vulnerable people. But there is no emergency. Under Trump the United States has suddenly taken a turn toward cruelty for no reason at all.
1. We're now banning all refugees from entering the country for 3 months, banning Syrian refugees indefinitely, and reducing the total number of refugees we'll admit this year to 50,000, down from last year's ceiling of 110,000. Why are we doing this? You have higher odds of getting hit by a train or lightening than by an immigrant terrorist attack.
This is particularly cruel because the world is currently in the midst of the worst refugee crisis since World War II, leaving more than 60 million people without homes or a safe place to return to. So far, Germany has taken in more than 1 million refugees (roughly 600,000 of whom are Syrians), and other nations have taken in even more as a proportion of their populations. America -- which was once the beacon of hope for the world's refugees -- has now practically shut its doors.
2. We're now rounding up undocumented immigrants helter-skelter -- including people who have been productive members of our society for decades. Also caught in the dragnet are young people who have been here since they were toddlers, and wives and mothers of young children. Immigration enforcers have been unleashed.
Why? The American economy is good. Unemployment is down. Crime is down. We have far fewer undocumented workers in the U.S. today than we did five years ago. There's no reason for this outburst of cruelty.
3. We're on the verge of expanding the nation's military budget by 10 percent -- $54 billion -- for no apparent reason at all. Our military spending already exceeds that of the next 7 largest military spenders put together.
This expenditure will require lopping off programs for the poor – food stamps, housing assistance, healthcare -- at a time when the number of Americans in poverty is growing, including more than 1 out of every 5 American children.
4. We're about to eliminate health insurance coverage for up to 20 million Americans who cannot otherwise afford it, including many who are near poverty or who have pre-existing health problems. No one knows exactly what will come out of Trumpcare, but we know for sure that it will cover far fewer people. For what reason are we doing this?
Trump is embarking on an orgy of cruelty for absolutely no reason at all. It is morally incumbent on all of us to stop it.
What do you think?
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