Trump-Biden Side By Side Tabulation Of Policy Choice Differences

Thanks to a charter member of RTE for passing along the following term paper from a friend who took a college level course via Zoom last semester.

The term paper lays out twelve issues, side by side, presenting the positions of both Trump & Biden that voters will find very useful.

	IF TRUMP REELECTED	IF BIDEN ELECTED
US Industry	·     Trump will continue to advocate for return of currently off-shore US manufacturing to CONUS and will continue bargaining for trade deals that favor US domestic production and jobs ·     Trump administration will incentivize weaning the acquisition of some critical materials (e.g., medical, military, computers/networks, certain strategic metals, etc.)  from off-shore in favor of US domestic production ·     Trump administration will continue in-force the 2017-18 cancellation of regulations on manufacturing/ commerce and will cancel other regulations seen by the Administration as restricting/restraining growth ·     Trump administration will continue and possibly lower corporate tax rates	·        As he has promised, Biden will reimpose regulations cancelled in 2017-18 by Trump, causing new business formation and manufacturing slowdowns, exodus of manufacturing and jobs from the US ·        Biden administration will discontinue and, as promised, raise corporate tax rates incentivizing  relocations of US firms overseas
US Energy Sector	·     Trump administration will continue policies encouraging vigorous growth in oil/gas/coal drilling and mining as well as pipeline deliveries, continuing US energy independence, strong exports, and low consumer prices	·          As Biden has promised and, as will be advocated by the Bernie Sanders/AOC faction, federal policies, regulations, and lawsuits alleging climate-change imperatives will force oil/gas/coal companies out of business together with widespread job loss and reversion of US as a net importer of energy ·          The price of gasoline and fuel oil will greatly increase, driving up costs across the business spectrum (manufacturing, agriculture, retail, delivery, etc.) ·          As did Obama and as Biden has promised and, as will be advocated by the Bernie Sanders/AOC faction, "Green" energy sources will be favored and large federal sums will be spent on hopeful but unproven wind/solar/hydro programs (recall the Obama "Solyndra" solar scandal and the $500 million "green jobs" training boondoggle that led to nearly no permanent jobs)

 

US Military	·     Will be maintained at world-leading strength levels ­  US Navy will continue checking Chinese naval expansion, even as China enlarges its navy ·     US Army will continue being withdrawn from mid-east	·        As did Obama and, as will be advocated by Bernie Sanders faction, military troop numbers and funding will be deeply cut resulting in rapid loss of US military dominance/parity ·        China will be tempted to expansion and adventurism in Far East ·        Russia will be tempted to expansion and adventurism in former Soviet "republics": Belorussia/Ukraine/Baltics/"the Stans"
North Korea will	·     be increasingly squeezed by economic and trade sanctions resulting in continuously-declining GDP ·     continue its moratorium on ICBM launches over Japanese airspace and in direction of North America, although it will keep "sabre-rattling" about ICBMs and nukes ·     continue its moratorium on nuclear weapon tests ·     meet with Trump although whatever concessions may result remain to be seen	·        obtain relaxation of economic and trade sanctions via international pressures expressing sympathy for plight of people of North Korea ·        aggressively flex military muscle: ­   resumption of nuke tests ­   provocative missile launches ­   instigate border skirmishes with South Korea ­   begin laying groundwork for invasion of South Korea to "reunify" country (which may or may not occur) ­   repeatedly denounce US-South Korea alliance and threaten South Korea
China will	·     be increasingly squeezed by economic and trade sanctions and tariffs resulting in declining GDP ·     be checked in previous commodity dumping as repatriation of US manufacturing continues and grows ·     without better alternatives, continue to buy US agriculture products in huge quantities ·     be challenged in South China Sea by US Navy, checking expansionist moves ·     be strongly and continuously criticized by the US for military and commercial trade secret spying by accredited students/workers/academicians in the US, leading to strained relations and – maybe – some but not all cessation of the spying	·          Increase naval expansion eastward, pressuring Philippines and Malaysia ·          instigate navigation/fishing skirmishes with Formosa ·          begin openly discussing invasion of Formosa to "liberate" and "reunify" country (which may or may not occur) ·          continue and increase military and commercial trade secret spying by accredited students/workers/academicians in the US ·          continue and increase commodity dumping in US, resulting in inability of US manufacturers to compete and decline with great loss of US jobs
NATO member states will	·     face continuing Trump pressure to pay agreed contributions; pressure will be partially successful ·     strengthen East European buffer of Russia with defense modernization/permanent troop deployments (mostly US) in Poland, Baltic States, Hungary, and Romania	·          slack off agreed payments and will not be pressed by Biden resulting in general weakening of NATO as protector against Russia

 

Iran will	·     be increasingly squeezed by economic and trade sanctions and tariffs resulting in declining GDP and population unrest demanding regime change ·     continue nuisance-level aggressive naval maneuvers in Straits of Hormuz and measured nuisance-level missile and artillery attacks against US and Coalition forces in Iraq/Syria/Afghanistan but will be checked by US air forces in the region ·     continue masterminding/supporting limited terrorism in US and homelands of Coalition partners, carefully measured to fall below provoking feared powerful punitive responses  ·     continue clandestine development of nuclear weapons but will not risk a detectable test	·          Step up clandestine support for a broad spectrum of terrorist groups throughout the Middle East, homelands of the Western Democracies, and Russia.  Orchestrate and control frequent spectacular terrorist strikes, resulting in many deaths and Western adoption of cumbersome but futile preventive measures ·          Take advantage of a US/Coalition absence to restart, fund, and control a new "caliphate" in a TBD Middle East state, complete with customary bestial atrocities.  Will not be effectively challenged by a Biden Administration
US Space Program	·     will be continued at current and planned levels, including Moon, Mars, Space Station, and scientific/ satellite communications missions	·        As did Obama and, as will be advocated by Bernie Sanders faction, Moon, Mars, Space Station funding will be deeply cut or terminated, resulting in loss of US space dominance/parity ·        Will revert to paying Russia (or other emerging capable state) to transport US astronauts to the Space Station
US Supreme Court	·     President Trump will appoint 2 more Conservatives between 2021 and 2024.	·          Biden will appoint 2 liberals between 2021 and 2024 ·          Democrats will try legislatively to increase the number of Supreme Court justices to more than 9.  This would require passage in both Houses of Congress.  Unless Republicans continue to hold a majority in the Senate, modern-day Democrats will pass such a bill.

 

Felons, Perjurers, Leakers, and other miscreants involved in spying on Trump 2016 campaign that continued into his term of office	·     A few prosecutions, guilty pleas, suspended sentences	·          All investigations will be discontinued and will disappear, forgotten
US Healthcare	·     Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) will be fully repealed ·     A new federal program will be enacted, however Congressional Democrats will demand inclusion of many provisions strongly opposed by Republicans	·          Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) will be retained and expanded both in services covered and eligible persons covered, including illegal aliens.  Will be "paid for" via increases in federal income taxes and Social Security contributions ·          Private and employment-related health care coverage will be outlawed ·          The quality and availability of US healthcare will decline substantially.  Wealthy foreigners will stop coming to the US for quality healthcare either unavailable in their home countries or available only after long waits
2nd Amendment	·     No change	·          Despite strong White House support, both houses of Congress will fail to pass a draft amendment to repeal ·          Biden will sign a bill(s) restricting: ­  gun ownership ­  both open carry/concealed carry and guns in vehicles ­  ammo magazine capacities ­  prohibited ownership of selected firearm categories