2017 Predictions

Everyone, regardless of their political position, expects 2017 to bring many changes to our country.  Whether they will or will not be good for the country remains to be seen, and depends on your point of view.  When we listen to our president-elect talk about what he plans to do, I have noticed that many of the ideas he talked about in the campaign, are not being talked about any more.  Also, his position seems to have changed on a variety of topics.  Although he doesn't want to call himself a typical politician, he is in fact a politician, which means that he will flip flop on many issues, and promise things that he has no possibility of delivering.

During the campaign he promised to lock up Hillary, build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico and have them pay for it, round up and send back 11 million illegal immigrants, and repeal and replace Obamacare.  None of these things are going to happen.  Hillary is not being locked up, the wall may at most be a fence on part of the border, some illegals that have been convicted of crimes will be sent back to their country of origin, and now Trump is talking about the many areas of Obamacare that he likes.  His plan is to change some of the things he doesn't like.

One area that I worry about is education, as that is where are future leaders, scientists, and inventors lie.  Our education system is in need of a complete overhaul.  Trump has appointed a woman to head education that is not a friend of public education.  States are going to have to pay more to keep programs going, as money will surely be moved from public to private schools.  I worry about Planned Parenthood, something all women should be concerned with.  Abortion is such a small part of what this great organization does, that to talk about Planned Parenthood and abortion together is ridiculous.  For many women, especially those without insurance, a doctor at a Planned Parenthood clinic may be the only doctor she sees all year.  Pap smears and mammograms are critical preventive tests all women should have access to.  We must keep these clinics open.  Remember, no federal funds are used to pay for abortions.
Finally, let's talk about climate change.  95% of  recognized scientists say that climate change is real, and that we can do something to prevent it from destroying our planet.  For Trump to say that it doesn't exist makes him sound ignorant.  Again, it seems like individual states are going to have to lead on issues of climate change.  Luckily we live in California, where many climate change issues have been addressed and dealt with.  We are going in the right direction.

So, what do I predict for next year?  For the most part, gridlock will continue in Washington as usual, although with the Republicans controlling all branches of government, they may have an easier time getting bills pass that they favor.  Things will change, but slowly.  I am concerned about the international scene, and whether or not the leaders we have in charge of such things will keep us safe and out of war.  We must all hope that our leader will keep a cool head and get good advice in this respect.  We'll see.