What Does America First Mean to Me

With the election of President Trump, and the slogan Make America Great Again, it is also implied that we want to put America First. But, what does that really mean? Here is my interpretation.

- Nov. 2017

There are several elements to this concept. It is human nature to look out for yourself first and foremost. It is similar to going on an airplane and listening to the safety instructions. When the oxygen masks drops in case of an emergency, put your own mask on first before helping your children or others. It is common sense.

One element has to do with international trade. For many years, America has suffered in trading with foreign nations. Because of trade policies that favor some nations over others, we are at a disadvantage especially against countries with low wages. This has lead to jobs moving overseas in terms of outsourcing, and trade imbalance. Our products cost more to produce due to our higher wages and regulations. Because of various tax pilicies and trade agreements, it was beneficial for international companies to move their factories to China and India and Mexico... The American workers are getting the short end of the stick.

Another aspect has to do with our soverignty. When we allow illegal immigrants to come here at will, it undermines our nation's soverignty. We have a legal immigration process and it is there for a very good reason. It is in place to limit the number of immigrants per year and also match the skills that we may need. This process allows for proper vetting and keeps a record of who is entering our country and for what purpose. It is for our own safety and our security as well. It is also good for the immigrant, who is legally here and therefore cannot be exploited by criminal elements or employers. It is expected that these legal immigrants, over time, will assimilate to our culture and adopt our way of life.

Finally, the national security of our nation, including our military are funded and trained and equipped so that peace can be maintained in the world. Only a strong America can insure a peaceful world, both in times of conflict and in major natural disasters. Our military plays a vital role in keeping peace and saving lives.

How do we insure America is first? In each of the three areas mentioned, we can change our policies through legislation and agreements such that we are not being taken advantage of by foreign nationals.

In trade, we need to renegotiate NAFTA and other agreements where the American workers are represented and not only the international corporations that benefits from these deals at the expense of our workforce.

In immigration, we need to build the wall and stop the illegal influx of undocumented immigrants and also tighten our homeland security to monitor people that are here on travel and student visas. We can't allow people to overstay their visa as a matter of course. The illegal population is a burden for all of us in terms of our hospitals and schools and social welfare system. It makes no sense that we allow anyone just to walk across our borders. No other country in the world has this policy. In this case, it is making sure that American citizens and permanent residents are treated fairly by our government.

Our military has been decimated under the 8 years of the Obama Administration. The budget was reduced and our rediness is not what they should be. We cannot conduct two wars simultaneously. Not that we want to, but we need to be prepared to do so if situations arises. The world is a dangerous place. We have North Korean testing balistic missiles that may carry nuclear warheads. We have Iran working on a nuclear program that may have the capability of nuclear weapons in a few short years. We have ISIS terrorism on the rise in Europe and the homeland. In addition, we have natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunami... every few years. All these will require our military to be the strongest possible. We can only achieve peace through strength.

America needs to take care of Americans first. Not that we don't care about all humanity. When the time comes, we will take care of all in the world. We are the only super power capable to help. We are the shining light on the hill. Freedom and democracy are valued and defended here. We act to preserve and defend our Constitution from foreign and from domestic. That is what America first mean to me.