Various and Likely Incoherent Thoughts As 2017 Comes to an End...

Obviously, it was the year of Trump...and it seems to me to have gone much better than many of the pessimistic prognosticators predicted. No new wars. In fact the opposite: the destruction of ISIS. The stock market went gangbusters. And the meritocratic elite with their PC-corporatist values got put on notice that their power and hold over the American culture knows limits. Cleary, with Trump, things could go wrong in the future and the increasing of the national debt is worrisome - but it's not like Bush, Obama, or any electable national politician would've been doing something about the debt, either. I didn't vote for Trump, nor would go back and vote for him again. My basic assessment that he's too "risky" a figure stands. But that's not to say I don't think his presidency could end up being a rather good thing. How I hold these two seemingly contradictory beliefs, I hope, is evidence that I hold a first rate intelligence.

On another note: Trump seems to have been quite productive in a number of areas. He satisfied conservatives with his judicial appointments. He reset the negotiating terms on a number of foreign policy issues (which may be good or bad, it is way to soon to tell). He passed a sneaky good tax reform, that as a competitive poker, board, and fantasy game player, I sort of admire. He did five things with his tax plan:

1) Political - Positive Action: Passed legislation that will give tax cuts to 80% of Americans and therefore be welcome. For better or worse, this is the best thing Republicans represent to Americans (myself included) -- being the party of tax cuts. We can go 'round and 'round whether this is a good thing or not, but this is one of the few "winner" political issues for Republicans.

2) Political - Negative Action: Screws his political enemies in NYC and CA (which include me) via the mortgage interest deduction limitation and other disincentives to itemizing. As a strategy board game player, one must admire the cleverness of such a move.

3) Policy Action: Undermined Obamacare through the backdoor when he couldn't get rid of it. Also, very clever, using Obamacare's poorly constructed design against itself.

4) Policy Action: Making a move towards a simplification of the tax code.

5) Policy Action: Encouraging the value of business vs. the value of property. Probably a good thing.