Trump is president. Yes, this statement scares me. But not as much as the people who might be in his Cabinet. Pence is terrifying for his LGBT conversion therapy. (Not only to mention the increase of HIV cases in IN because of defunded Planned Parenthood. Extreme conservatives tend to forget that Planned Parenthood preforms other services besides abortions.) As for Cabinet members I will focus on those who have no competition for the position. (At least according to: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/us/politics/donald-trump-administration.html?_r=0)
Labor Secretary, the person who is in charge of protecting workers, keeping updates to U.S. employment rates and unemployment benefits. This position will be held by Victoria Lipnic from PA. She has been appointed to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in the past by Barack Obama. However she has worked there since 2002. Interestingly enough she has voted against LGBT workplace laws and against the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (aka favoring employers).
Secretary of Veteran Affairs, in charge of veterans care and memorials. Jeff Miller (R-FL) will hold this position. In the past he has been pro-veterans benefit, which is good considering the role chosen. He is also in favor of more defense spending, and the creation of mini-nukes (more commonly known as suitcase bombs). He also approves of drilling oil in the Alaska Arctic Refuge, and has said that he would vote against any tax increases that fund ANY Global Warming legislation. He is also pro-life, anti-gay, pro-NRA, and against the separation of church and state.
U.S. Trade Representative, responsible for trade policy and conducting negotiations. This will be held by Dan DiMicco. He has worked at Nucor Steel for his entire career; starting as a metallurgist and eventually becoming the CEO. Nucor Steel is the largest steel producer (and recycle) in the US. Since becoming CEO Nucor has acquired over 50 acquisitions and has a return growth of 720%. He was chosen because he supports free-trade, and wants to create more manufacturing jobs in the US. However he is against environmental regulations, and would prefer private companies conducting their own environmental studies.
And finally the last known position of National Security Adviser, the person who advises the President on, well, national security. Michael T. Flynn will hold this position and is a candidate for the C.I.A. director. He is a retired three star general, serving as director of intelligence for operations in both Afghanistan and Iraq. He is a former Democrat, however left Washington after deciding that Obama didn't do enough against Islamic militants. He has approved Russia cooperation with fighting ISIS, but does not approve of their attempts at influencing the election. I'll admit, fighting ISIS requires the help of most countries, it's impossible to tackle piecemeal. He is pro-life, anti-Islam, and has not commented on same sex marriage.
From these choices I am getting a theme from the Donald Trump Cabinet. The U.S will no longer support climate change, will most likely defund Planned Parenthood (despite the work it does with women's health, breast cancer, and STD's), remove many gay rights that we've gained, and become more militaristic. Now I do agree with the conservative view that the government should spend less and that there is too much red-tape. I also agree that there could be more stable/productive jobs to have a decent living. And yes, sometimes Obamacare can cost too much for someone to afford. But it just started, no one gets anything perfect on the first try. However the rest of these policies that may come into place with a Republican President, House, Senate, and Supreme Court is frightening.
But no matter how frightened we are we need to be civil and our viewpoints across peacefully. We need to be strong and also listen to the concerns of the other side. They are part of our country too. Let's remember what we all learned in kindergarten, to share and compromise. No one will get exactly what they want all the time, but we can compromise to move in a direction that will lead to a better future for all. The time for political extremism is over, let's work together.
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