President Trump is failing to "Make America Great Again"

I would really enjoy writing a post about my Sevilla Trip. Sevilla is an incredibly underrated city, and I would highly suggest visiting it if you have the opportunity. The people are genuinely nice to tourists, the weather is beautiful (it's sunny there 300 days a year), and it has a great marriage between the old city and modern advances. I would really, really enjoy writing about that- but unfortunately I cannot do that.

Everyone that knows me knows that I do not have a problem letting my opinion be heard. While that might rub some people the wrong way, I have always been that way and always will be. With that said in wake of our election last November I decided to hold my tongue. It wasn't that I was afraid of disagreement with those who voted for our now-President, I couldn't find the appropriate topic or discourse to voice my displeasure with the election of President Trump. It was disappointing for me to see that our country elected someone who was so openly xenophobic, who bragged about sexually assaulting women, and seemed to lack just general decency to his competitors throughout the campaign. President's Trump's words and actions weren't the only thing that concerned me during his campaign. I just genuinely disagreed on a majority of policies and, regardless of his temperament, I thought he would move the United States in the wrong direction. After his election I felt like it was best to move on from my disappointment, and hope that as he entered the office President Trump would become less radicalized and put the country first. Many people pointed to his Election Night speech where President Trump said "... it is time for us to come together as one united people. It's time," as the example that he would set for himself as he moved into the highest office in the land. While I was extremely dubious, I had hope that this would be the case.

Quickly into his term as President, President Trump has proved my doubts to be correct. I'm going to focus on two of his "landmark" actions in his term, and explain why I think that our President has already veered off of his course to "Make America Great Again".

The first topic I'd like to address is NAFTA, TPP, and Trade as a whole. As a relatively free market economy, competition and trade are two things that are absolutely necessary to help our economy survive and thrive. I am going to reference a study by the Congressional Budget Office entitled How Preferential Trade Agreements Affect the US Economy. I will include what I have found is particularly relevant in the study, and if you want to read it yourself I will link to it at bottom of the post.

We can start with why is trade good. According to the CBO, Trade, "Trade increases competition between foreign and domestic producers....... As a result, trade encourages a more efficient allocation of resources in the economy and raises the average productivity of businesses and industries in the United States. Through that increase in productivity, trade can boost economic output and workers’ average real (inflationadjusted) wage". Wow, we don't even need to go an entire page til we see that trade benefits not only the companies in our country, but also the real wages of workers. Many people would question this, and say that they don't see these increases and that trade actually moves their jobs away from the United States and to countries abroad. This is a completely valid point, but one where people are putting their own wants and needs ahead of the country's. People love to say that those on welfare should just get a job and stop relying on social programs to help provide for them. Why don't these people do the same? If it is so easy to break into the workforce, why don't these people learn new skills and change career paths to help meet the needs of the 21st century consumer? It's obviously not that simple to develop the requisite skills to be a competitive candidate in the job market, but that doesn't stop people from trying to make it seem as if it is.

Here are some more findings from the CBO study that help support the idea behind Preferential Trade Agreements (PTO) "...relatively small positive effects on total U.S. trade (exports plus imports) and, primarily through that channel, on the U.S. economy". And "As a result, the indirect effects of PTAs on productivity, output, and employment in the United States have also been small and positive". Specifically on NAFTA, CBO states "The likely increases in overall trade from NAFTA are significant but still small". There is a slight variety in the estimations of how much trade growth has resulted from NAFTA, but the range is 2.9-7.9% growth. In an economy the size of the United States, even 2.9% growth is significant, and while it isn't ideal that these agreements have cost people their jobs I would argue that sacrificing some jobs to help the consumer and economy as a whole are worth that price. Other studies have found similar results like United States International Trade Commission's study entitled Economic Impact of Trade Agreements Implemented Under Trade Authorities Procedures, 2016 Report which I will also link at the bottom. Trade is good, NAFTA is good, and a United States Economy that is protectionist is bad for consumers, bad for jobs, and bad for the US Government.

I would also like to address President Trump's Executive Order that banned travel from 7 countries and completely halts all refugee admission for 120 days. While it might be easy to call the EO un-American, a rejection of the ideals of the Constitution, or just plan wrong, I am not going to do that. What many people fail to understand is the already extreme vetting that the Department of Homeland Security already completes as part of the refugee admission process, and the same goes for getting a green card. The United States of America does not have open borders where people can flood in by the droves, and if you believe that you either A) are completely mistaken or B) have Breitbart as one of your bookmarks on your computer. For those that still believe this EO was necessary, I'd like to ask you a question. How many people have died via acts of terrorism by people that are affected by this EO in the United States? A grand total of 0. Even if you choose to ignore this information, just know that this EO is the exact propaganda that terrorists organizations like ISIS use daily to radicalize impressionable, young men and women abroad. Terrorism thrives when people are angry, skeptical, and scared, and this EO is a reflection of a segment of our society that feels that way.

You want to know the best way to combat terrorism? Invite those that want to come to America with open arms. Show them what it is like to be proud of your country. Sing the Star Spangled Banner with pride and feel the hair on the back of your neck stand up as your fellow citizens, refugees, and green card holders join you doing the same. Show these people that the answer to hate is not closing our borders and saying it's not our problem, but to come together and show enemies at home and abroad that we are better and stronger than they are.

I am not naive enough to believe that everybody that reads this will agree with 100% of what I said. The beautiful thing about this country is that we can have a open, amicable dialogue about what we believe in and don't have to fear any repercussions. If you think I am wrong tell me. What I ask you not to do is come to me with talk of emails, corruption charges, or Hillary Clinton would've been worse. The President of the United States is Donald J. Trump, and we must now focus on his actions as our leader. I wanted, and hoped that President Trump would help improve the lives of every day Americans throughout the country, but so far I, and the rest of America, are being let down.

Duncan Hensley
Indiana University
Kelley School of Business '18

Sources:

Congressional Budget Office: https://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/114th-congress-2015-2016/reports/51924-tradeagreements.pdf

United States International Trade Commission: https://www.usitc.gov/publications/332/pub4614.pdf

CNN: http://edition.cnn.com/2017/01/28/politics/donald-trump-travel-ban/

New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/29/us/trump-refugee-ban-muslim-executive-order.html?_r=0

Politifact: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2017/jan/29/jerrold-nadler/have-there-been-terrorist-attacks-post-911-countri/

Porto Trip!

For the first time during my time abroad, I left Barcelona with a group of friends to visit Porto, Portugal. While it might not have the cache of London, Paris, or Barcelona, Porto married a small town feel along the river with a large European Vacation destination and it did not disappoint. The architecture was beautiful and people were incredibly friendly, even if the only word we truly spoke of Portuguese was thank you. The proximity to the Atlantic Ocean allows Porto to have access to an incredible wealth of seafood, and I particularly enjoyed octopus and codfish- which seemed to be everywhere and very prominent on every restaurant menu. Sunday we took a tour via Tuk Tuk, a small taxi-type vehicle that we bounced around on as we passed through the narrow streets along the cobblestone streets. As a city that was owned by the Catholic church for a long time and remains very religious today - a large number of restaurants and shops weren't even open on Sunday - there are around 50 churches of different sizes, architectural influences, and colors strewn throughout the city. On Saturday afternoon we took a tour of a couple of different Port Wineries, which in fact aren't grown or even held in Porto as the grapes are grown in the Douro Valley and held in the city of Gaya which is just across the river from Porto. After the tour I think it is safe to say my wine knowledge and snobbishness now can equal my Dad's! In all seriousness Porto is a great city and if you want to get a different experience from the big European metropolises I would highly suggest Porto.

This upcoming week will be filled with more actual educational time rather than spending half of the classes reviewing the syllabus and getting to know the professor and classmates, but the nice thing is that with each day that I become more comfortable in the city the more willing I am to explore new areas and try new restaurants. I think my love of Sangria and Croquetes knows no bounds, so I am attempting to try them at as many different restaurants as possible- I will get back to you once I have found the best. Next weekend will be another adventure as we head down to Sevilla to explore more of Spain.

Duncan Hensley
Indiana University
Kelley School of Business '18

European Adventures

Two weeks in to my semester abroad and thus far I have to say it has been everything I was expecting and more. This is my first time in Europe so I was really looking forward to immersing myself not only the people, but the culture as a whole. Even though Barcelona is a large, cosmopolitan city a la a New York, Chicago, or Atlanta, there is still a big transition in terms of moving from the US to European- and specifically Spanish lifestyle. The biggest transition has had to be just the general structure of the day here. Obviously I am used to the three big meals that is common in the US, but here the meals are structured more with five smaller meals spread throughout the day. While this is a transition, you don't have to tell me twice to eat, and I've loved trying all kinds of new meals that are native to Spain - plus the seafood has been delicious! As part of my program I was really looking forward to practicing and furthering my Spanish skills, and I can already tell that my conversational Spanish continues to grow. And this isn't a knock on my Spanish education in the States, but there is just a certain flow and jargon that can't be emulated in the classroom. My Business Spanish class has definitely helped, but the biggest aid has simply been living in a homestay and having conversations with my family about the past day and what I am looking to do in the near future. Each night I can tell that I am more comfortable and willing to push my abilities.

This past week I had my first European Soccer experience, and I can say it did not disappoint. For "El Día de los Reyes", my homestay family got me a ticket for the Copa del Rey match between Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao. Knowing that Barca lost the first leg 1-2, I knew that they would come out looking to force the issue early and Messi, Neymar, and Suarez et al would not relent until the job was done. The match atmosphere was unmatched to anything I've ever been to in the States, and the performance on the pitch equaled the atmosphere. Barca went up 2-0 early in the 2nd half thanks to goals from Suarez and Neymar, but Bilbao came back with a header to make it 2-1 and tying up the aggregate at 3-3. Barca had to kick it back into high gear, but Bilbao proved to be a tough outfit. It wasn't until late on that some Messi Magic on a free kick put Barca up for good. I was lucky enough when I was younger to see the greatest of all time Michael Jordan play a game, and even though it was past his prime it was steal incredible to see the GOAT play at all. That's how it was with Messi as well, there was just something about him that even when he was not on the ball he seemed to be calculating the perfect run to stretch the defense- even if the run would set up a teammate rather than himself. Messi wasn't the only Barca play that impressed me. There is a certain amount of the game that I think you have to be in the stadium to see, and the way that Pique and Iniesta play lends itself perfectly to this sentiment. Every step they took, every pass they played, their communication throughout the match, it all seemed perfect. They controlled the match from their respective positions, and if they were ever put under any pressure they calmly dealt with it. It was really a sight to behold, and it is clear why those two are consistently among the best in the world for their respective positions.

The last thing that has amazed me, and I'm not sure why in 2017, but the relative ease at which I can follow everything else that is happening around the world. I joked with Will one day that I was in a cafe in Spain, drinking an Italian coffee, listening to a podcast about American Politics, and texting my brother in Tennessee. It was really cool for me to realize the ease at which people around the world can communicate and stay informed about things that seem so far away. Hell- I can FaceTime anyone I want with a touch of the button. And maybe it was my ignorance, but I don't think I will ever get over how cool that it. Plus all this technology lets me follow along with my Falcons who are just 60 minutes away from the Super Bowl, if you aren't on the Falcons Bandwagon by now I'm not sure what's going to get you on- granted I've been optimistic about Atlanta teams who have fallen short, but this team feels different (I also say this a lot, but in this case I actually believe it).

With that being said, I'll sign off for now. The next two weekends I will be Porto, Portugal and Sevilla, Spain so look out for more stories and pictures to come.

Adios,

Duncan Hensley
Indiana University
Kelley School of Business '18