Making A Difference
Blind support is just as bad as blind opposition.
Scott Atlas, M.D.
By Dr. Jim Ferguson
No sane person would deny that our country is in a mess. We are polarized like no time since the Civil War, and we are $36 trillion in debt. Jesus said a house divided will not stand (Matthew 12:25). And institutional corruption, wasteful spending and ruinous trade imbalances are non-sustainable and will lead to certain collapse.
There are powerful people in Washington, and there are people with common sense in the Capitol. However, no one has shown the political courage, common sense and power to address the fundamental problems facing our nation until President Trump.
We are all imperfect beings. And as the apostle Paul wrote, we have different gifts. In ancient times, leaders of a country projected the image and zeitgeist (spirit, mood) of the people. Examples are the biblical kings of Israel. With good kings the people prospered. When kings were bad, the people suffered. This is true even today because Americans suffered with Dark Brandon as leader.
In my book club, we just finished reading “Freedom’s Force” by Arthur Herman. The subtitle reads “How American business produced victory in World War II.” What impressed me was how America’s industrial base revved up to produce more planes, ships, trucks, tanks, bombs, guns and bullets than the Axis powers of Germany, Japan and Italy combined. Additionally, American industry supplied England and Russia with armaments, food, clothing, etc., and at the same time supplied the needs of the American civilian population.
We no longer have that industrial base. It was shipped away in search of cheap foreign labor. As a result, jobs were lost as American factories closed, trade imbalances developed, other countries became richer as our national debt increased exponentially, and critical raw materials became increasingly subject to chancy foreign supply lines. Furthermore, pollution became even more of an issue because other countries have less stringent regulations on pollution than America. China is building scores of coal-fired power plants resulting in terrible air pollution.
Tariffs imposed by President Trump continue to be the raging issue. I don’t know the right answer to our problems, but neither does anyone else. President Harry Truman once quipped that he would like a one-armed economist, because after rendering an opinion his expert with two arms would always say, “on the other hand…”
I was a pretty good internist and geriatrician, so rendering a medical opinion or finding a solution for a patient’s ailment was usually not a problem. But on non-medical issues, I often need help.
I have a good friend who maintains, “None of us is as smart as all of us together.” Therefore, I reached out to an economist, two businessmen, an investment banker, and an international shipping manager for their opinions on tariffs and a thought-provoking article by Tanvi Ratna, which appeared April 5, 2025, at FOX News online. The article was entitled “Trump’s Tariff Gambit: Debt, Power and the Art of Strategic Disruption.”
Ms. Ratna concludes that “Trump’s Gambit” is more than tariffs or trade imbalances. It is a move to “build up leverage and resources to manage America’s debt, reset its industrial base and renegotiate its standing in the global order.” To translate the techno verbiage, Trump is trying to lower the interest on our debt by creating uncertainty in the markets and driving investor money to long-term U.S. Treasury Bonds. Yes, this is very complicated. Some have described the necessity of “detox for the overheated financial system.” One of my consultants said this strategy “has too many moving parts.”
The machinations are certainly above my pay grade.
But there is more. A few weeks ago, I wrote about mercantilism, a policy which promotes a country’s industries and protects its farmers. There are 180 countries that use protectionist tariffs. As examples, Australia exports billions of dollars of beef to the U.S., but refuses our beef exports. Germany exports luxury cars to the U.S., but through tariffs and VATS (value-added taxes), Cadillacs are unattractive to purchase in Germany. And China uses currency manipulation and subsidies to support its producers, limiting American competition. The bottom line is free trade does not exist, and Trump has the courage to demand that if you want access to U.S. markets, you are going to treat us fairly.
But of greatest importance, the Trump strategy aims to reestablish our industrial base and produce what we need in the United States. It’s called reshoring, the opposite of offshoring. This has become a national security issue. We can’t be dependent on foreign nations for antibiotics. Nor can we confront “China on the battlefield if they make our parts.”
Trump is also distancing us from Europe and NATO. He’s insisting NATO countries pay their dues and take more responsibility for their defense. Trump is also fostering relationships with countries in this hemisphere, such as Panama and El Salvador, and also the Pacific Rim.
Lastly, Trump’s DOGE is auditing the government and Washington, D.C. The DOGE team is finding and publishing their discoveries of fraud, waste and abusive spending in government. DOGE is also making recommendations for much-needed modernization and efficiency. If you haven’t watched the YouTube “Bret Baier interview of DOGE,” you have no business complaining about Elon Musk, DOGE or marching in the streets and chanting like a fool.
President Trump has a unique blend of common sense, presidential power, love of country, courage and political resolve to make a difference. He wants to make America great again. You may disagree with Trump’s policies, but a rational person cannot argue with his objective.
But Trump is also a gambler of sorts because in his past life, he was a developer in New York, and succeeding demanded a certain mindset of risk-taking. I don’t know Trump, but I’ve had close relationships with three developers, and they succeeded by being willing to take risks. Ms. Ratna says Trump’s policies are “the most ambitious fiscal and industrial resets in a generation.”
I agree. But what are our options? If we do nothing and continue as we have for the last 50 years, we are doomed. Maybe it’s time to bet on the gambler who is developing a new world order. He usually seems to be right.
