A Canadian comments on Donald Trump

 

Sometimes you can get a more sober and unbiased view on the U.S. economy and politics from friends who live in Canada. I remember that about a year before the “great recession” began in the US, Quebec businessman and Hockey Hall of Famer, the late Dickie Moore told me when he thought a recession would begin. He missed by about 10 days.

A good friend of mine has been watching the U.S political scene very closely. You can’t say that it has not been entertaining for everyone whether in Canada or in the U.S. My friend’s family has been in Canada for many generations.  One of his children lives in the United States and is now  an American citizen. When the election primaries began, he seemed more entertained than interested, but with recent events and world news, he is now watching the race closely.

He has some very insightful and caustic opinions on what is transpiring. He lives near the border so he picks up all the major American news networks. He feels that the November election is in his interest as well as he knows that the Canadian economy is heavily influenced by the American economy. Whoever is elected will probably have as much impact on the Canadian economy as the on the American economy.

The following is what he now says and I am holding nothing back.  “The reason Donald Trump is getting so much attention from the public is that he is saying what many people are thinking.” What do you mean?  “Just look at the economy, it’s still weak and there seems to be no job growth which is what people are concerned about. I don’t believe the government’s employment numbers either, I drive in upstate New York, Vermont and Massachusetts and I see a recession in many places and high unemployment. Not long ago, I went into a sandwich shop in upstate New York and the five people on line in front of me paid with food stamps.”

“People have had bad experiences with the politicians in charge whether Republican or Democrat….the fact is that both parties have failed voters miserably for a very long time. The economy is not growing and there are just not enough jobs………. And all these politicians keep making promises that fail. But some of these career congressmen seem to be doing quite well. I read that they become lobbyists and make fortunes.“

But why Donald Trump? “In my opinion, all the others have failed miserably so why not give a successful businessman like Trump a chance, he can’t do any worse than the group that has been running the show for thirty years or so. Maybe he can create some job growth.” What about the Canadian economy? “I don’t even want to get into that.”