Jobs and Opportunity

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.
I lift my lamp beside the Golden Door"
    -- Emma Lazarus, as inscribed on the Statue of Liberty

Build a wall and stop immigration.
    -- President Donald Trump

   Shut the Golden Door and build a wall is the Trump strategy to save American jobs and rescue the economy from disaster, according to the President's campaign pledges and recent announcements.
   But data gathered by independent government agencies show that the economy is growing, jobs are increasing, and wages are rising.
   The latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics said net employment rose by 307,000  in the second quarter of 2016 as increases in hiring outpaced reductions.
   The BLS report said gross job gains from opening and expanding private sector establishments were 7.5 million, while losses from closing and contracting firms were 7.2 million. And the net gain resulted from changes at all businesses in the economy.
   Nevertheless, the President continues to warn of a staggering economy and the dangers of immigrants entering the labor force. To stop the alleged flood of illegal immigrants, Trump today signed an executive order to start construction of a southern border wall, to be paid for initially with federal funds.
   This despite a report from the Congressional Budget Office that the federal budget deficit is likely to grow by $10 trillion over the next ten years. In addition, the unemployment rate will drop to 4.4 percent, the CBO said.
   Other data agencies have reported a slow but steady improvement in the nation's economy.
   However, if the President succeeds in his announced plan to increase spending and reduce tax revenue at the same time, even as he imposes tighter immigration restrictions -- which would reduce the labor supply -- in the face of a smaller labor force as the Boomer Generation of American workers reaches retirement age, all would contribute to a squeezing of basic economic input factors and result in strong downward pressure on the economy.
   Can you say "recession"?

   Now consider Trump's obsession with a doubting news media, where journalists ask tough questions about his plans and investigate and expose patently false and easily disproven claims.
   In addition, there are plans to either shut down the White House Press Briefing Room or to increase the number of credentials issued to media outlets with conservative agenda sympathetic to the President's views.
   Or the Administration could resort to publishing its own newspaper to combat what it calls a "dishonest" press. Trump already relies heavily on his personal Twitter account to air his views and to attack mainstream news media. Could he also try to bend government-run broadcast outlets such as the Voice of America to send favorable reports domestically as well as internationally? The VOA has long been forbidden to broadcast its programming within the United States and has been scrupulously neutral in its coverage. Might that change under pressure from a President obsessed with his own image and reputation?
   In addition, might the Administration start printing its own newspaper, which would follow the government line much as Pravda reflects what the Kremlin wants published?
   And would all these strategies and tactics put the First Amendment guarantee of a free press and free expression at risk?
   We live in interesting times. Stay tuned.