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Dear Middle America, Why Did You Elect Trump?

From my Trump-free perch up here in Canada, I'm tired of watching you Middle Americans repeatedly vote against your own self-interest. You've been doing it for decades and now you've taken it to the most ludicrous and dangerous level: the election of Donald Trump as your next president.
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Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump pauses as he speaks at his New York presidential primary night rally in Manhattan, New York, U.S., April 19, 2016. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
Shannon Stapleton / Reuters
Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump pauses as he speaks at his New York presidential primary night rally in Manhattan, New York, U.S., April 19, 2016. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

From my Trump-free perch up here in Canada, I'm tired of watching you Middle Americans repeatedly vote against your own self-interest. You've been doing it for decades and now you've taken it to the most ludicrous and dangerous level: the election of Donald Trump as your next president.

I understand that there is anger among the white working class. I appreciate that you're hurting because many of the good-paying manufacturing jobs you once had are gone. You are frustrated with Washington legislators who seem tone deaf to your needs. You are furious at Wall Street bankers who brought the economy to the brink of disaster with impunity.

It's understandable that you want to lash out at those who have caused this situation and punish them for their uncaring arrogance. But why, in God's name, would you choose Donald Trump as your vehicle for doing so?

Don't you understand that the Republican Party is the primary institution that has caused your suffering? They claim to be looking out for the interests of average Americans but instead dedicate themselves to helping mostly the rich. Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush handed out giant tax cuts to the wealthy at the expense of everyone else. Moreover, they deregulated the financial industry which almost bankrupted the country and forced you folks to bail them out.

Despite all the experience and all the evidence to the contrary, you chose once again to elect a pseudo-populist as president. Trump says he's going to make America great again but, as usual, the only ones who will benefit are the rich.

Why would you think that a man who hasn't paid federal income tax for two decades would do anything to help you, the average citizen?

If you're suffering, wouldn't a significant increase in the minimum wage be helpful? That's what Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton proposed. At best, Donald Trump has waffled on this issue.

Wouldn't it help the bottom line if the rich paid a little more in taxes? That's what the Democrats proposed but not Donald Trump. In fact, he has promised even more giant tax cuts for the wealthy and a resuscitation of the failed Reagan/Bush policy prescription of trickle-down economics. Why would you think that a man who hasn't paid federal income tax for two decades would do anything to help you, the average citizen?

Trump rails against Obamacare but proposes nothing substantial to replace it. Don't you want to have guaranteed affordable healthcare, ideally a government-run system like Medicare unencumbered by the greed and inefficiency of the private insurance companies? The Democrats want to help you get it; Donald Trump does not.

The Donald is no friend of the working man.

Democrats want to protect the rights of the weak and powerless. They believe in unions and workplace protections. Don't look to Donald Trump to help you there. As an anti-union employer who has stiffed countless employees, contractors and suppliers, The Donald is no friend of the working man.

You can rail all you want against different free trade agreements and the fact that some jobs were lost. But overall these agreements have benefited the country and, if you're looking for someone to blame, Republicans were the primary supporters of such agreements.

Trump says he'll bring the jobs back. But they're not coming back. What's needed instead is more financial support for education to help today's students prepare for this century's new high tech jobs.

Democrats want to provide more financial support for university students and help them stay out of debt. Don't look to Donald Trump for any such assistance.

Your country needs immigration to help meet the workforce needs of the future. Not the illegal immigrants that the Republicans have countenanced for years to benefit wealthy employers who exploit them. What's Donald Trump's solution? Build a wall and round up all the illegals at a cost of billions and billions of dollars with little chance of success. Believe me; there are better, more practical solutions.

Don't come whining to me in four years when you discover that you've been sold a bill of goods and been fleeced once again.

So Trump voters, you can continue to be willfully ignorant and vote against your self-interest. You can continue to shoot yourself in the foot and unwittingly subsidize more benefits for the wealthy. That's your choice.

But don't come whining to me in four years when you discover that you've been sold a bill of goods and been fleeced once again. I just hope, for your sake, that you still have a country left to save. Maybe then you will have finally learned your lesson and will have no choice but to do the hard work necessary to make America great again.

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