General Advice

I’m not an political expert and do not have answers to our nations problems. However, I will give you the same advice that I will give to my daugthers.

  1. Denounce hate, share love and kindness. And I appreciate that you have denounced the violence, but it isn’t enough. Why haven’t you gone on a twitter rant about that? Why have you not given a long rally speech against violence, that has been all over the news, Twitter and Facebook by now?
  2. Take responsibility, recognize that your actions effect others. Whether you directly encouraged violence or not, you let it happen and used it to your advantage during the campaign.
  3. Apologize, even when you did not intend harm. Genuinely apologize for all the hurtful and hateful things you have said and done about women, gays, Mexicans, Muslims, the disabled, liberals and more. Like I teach my daughters, you need to apologize and recognize why this was wrong if you want to repair a relationship. It doesn’t matter if it was 11 years ago or last week.
  4. Be forgiving, even when others do not forgive you. Even if you apologize and genuinely mean it, many people will not accept it. And that is their choice. Do not verbally attack them because of it, that will only make them hate you more. Instead, prove that you meant it by living it.
  5. Be brave, challenge your perspective. Surround yourself with people that think differently then you. Instead of appointing like-minded individuals to your cabinet, find people that will look out for the best interests of their departments. As a small example, we need an environmental advocate, not somebody that does not care or just refuses to look into the evidence of the long-standing effects we have on the environment.
  6. Learn from history, leave a legacy for a better future. I doubt your intentions are bad, but take a hard look at history and apply it to our current political climate. Once you’ve done that, I hope that you see why your proposed policies scare the populace majority.
  7. Do your research, and fight the spread of misinformation. Claiming ignorance is not acceptable. In my view, this is one of the biggest problems in our world today. We share and tweet soundbites and infographics without doing any research. Misinformation is worse then outright ignorance and it spreads like a disease. Don’t be a carrier, be a cure.

On Specifics

On the Border Wall

Sure, illegal immigration is a problem. But a wall will not solve that problem. Not only do I think it makes hispanic immigrants a false scapegoat, but how do you build a wall on a border that is primarily made up of the Colorado and Rio Grande rivers?

Also, do you realize how racially polarizing this is? Why haven’t you suggested the same for Canada? No matter, this has become an anthem for the racists in our country and has caused millions of Americans to live in fear daily of being harassed or beaten. I am lucky enough to not have to live in fear of harassment based on my race, and I can only imagine how that might feel. I will not tolerate it and neither should you.

On the Registration of Muslims

Yes, there are radicals that want nothing but to instill fear in the hearts of Americans. Stop helping them win by propagating the fear. This is true of every religion. We don’t have to look far because you know who the “Christian” radical terrorists are, they supported you.

Blocking all immigration from certain countries only makes people from those countries more embittered towards the U.S. And to be clear, forcing a religious group to register is extremely reminiscent of what Hitler did to the Jews or even more like what we did to the Japanese during World War II. We cannot make the same mistake again.

On Women’s Rights

Personally, I am pro-life. However, as a Libertarian, I believe it is none of my business. I also believe that the ~$1 million that lobbyists contributed last year to anti-abortion campaigns would be better spent on providing contraception and women’s health services.

On the Affordable Care Act

On this topic, I’m a bit torn. As a conservative Libertarian, I generally think the government is inefficient. However, economically, I believe the place of government is to provide services for the public that nobody would pay for on their own or that not everybody can afford. For example infrastructure, education, and the protection of the environment. People, including myself (even though I work hard at planning ahead), are horrible planners for the unknown. Because of this, I think basic health care is the right of every person. On the other hand, I’m also not convinced that the Affordable Care Act has succeeded at making care affordable. I’m fortunate enough to be covered through my work, but despite the Act, healthcare premiums go up every year by absurd amounts, and I’ve read about self-employed who are paying more every month for their premium then I do for my mortgage. Yet huge medical corporations are buying the naming rights of stadiums, while in financial trouble and doctors are in horrible debt. This clearly means something is broken, but it was broken before the Affordable Care Act, it’s just now people have a scapegoat.

I know the Affordable Care Act is needed to ensure people get the care they need, no matter their circumstance or preconditions. I just think the problem of making it affordable still remains. Instead of blaming the law itself though, I blame corporate greed. The Health Care industry is an industry that is in the business to make money. I think that is the problem, it should be a public service that pays its doctors well, but it should not be an investment that the rich can use to keep getting richer.

On Our Environment

We need to protect our environment, it is a limited resource and restoring it would be more costly. We need to move away from oil and coal dependency, not just because of climate change, but also because those are limited resources as well and those prices will continue to go up. We need to continue to invest in renewable sources for energy and avoid further destruction of our natural resources.

On Our Military and Foreign Policy

I’m glad you’ve voiced your support of our military. Our veterans deserve our infinite gratitude. I also think that we owe it to our veterans and their families to stop the endless wars. If the last 30 years are any indication, then our interference in foreign affairs has done nothing but cause us more problems. Again, I’m not an expert, but I think our military spending is out of control. We need a balanced budget. Reduce military spending and put a large portion of those funds to veterans benefits and job training programs.

Thank You for Listening

So there is my advice to you, based on what changed my mind about you during the election. I hope that you prove me wrong and that you can bring this country together and improve the lives of the poor and middle class.

Sincerely, Jonathan Jordan