Fact VS Freakout: A Sanity Checklist

An old friend of mine just told me of the issues driving voters in this presidential election. And by “voters,” he means, the dudes in his golf foursome. 

Steve is a smart guy. He keeps up pretty well. But frankly, very few of us can really keep on top of everything, weeding out the facts from the relentless BS. Because I’m a freak for this stuff, I can. So, for Steve and his golf buddies, here's a short breakdown of their key issues.

I hope they see that the facts are very different than what's been fed to them.

IMMIGRATION/THE BORDER

“We’re being invaded! The border is wide open!  Caravans of murderers, rapists, and drug dealers are moving into our neighborhoods! Gah!!! Run for your lives!”

Here's the truth:

• The number of border encounters with illegal migrants has plummeted. From Dec. 2023 to Aug. 2024, illegal crossings have dropped by 77%.  Part of this is the result of policies set in Mexico, part of it is the Biden administration making it harder to seek asylum if you don’t enter the country legally.
• A bipartisan border bill was painstakingly crafted over months, one of the most comprehensive in years. Conservatives got almost everything they wanted. At the last minute, Donald Trump pressured his minions in Congress to tank it because he didn't want a solution.

By contrast, Trump plans mass deportations. Not only is it wrong on so many levels, it would be costly. Besides decimating the economy due to a lack of labor, it would cost about $11, 000 per immigrant to apprehend, detain, and deport them. Do the math.

THE ECONOMY/INFLATION

To hear right-wing media tell it, we’re all living on Skid Row, warming our hands over an open fire as we pass around a bottle of hootch. However…

• Inflation has dropped. In June 2022, inflation was over 9%; in August 2024, it was 2.2%. The Biden/Harris administration has rightly called out big companies for price gouging under the guise of “inflation” and are putting measures in place to prevent it.
• In the 4th quarter of 2023, America’s GDP grew by 3.3%, higher than expected. Our GDP per capita is higher than other countries and literally helping restore their economies. 
• Interest rates are dropping and stock market performance has been steadily rising. I would suggest Steve’s golf dudes check their portfolios from 2016-2020 and 2020-2024.

By contrast, Trump’s plan would impose high tariffs on everything coming from outside the US, making everything from avocados to automobiles more costly, and starting a reciprocal trade war. He’d give further tax cuts to billionaires and big corporations which gave us an exploded deficit the last time. He wants to influence the Federal Reserve; considering his personal history of six bankruptcies, that would be…not good.

ABORTION

You may not agree with the premise, but the knock-on effect of not having access to safe, reproductive care impacts a woman’s ability to plan a family, go to school, get or keep a job, and control her own health.  

• Miscarriage occurs in about 10-20% of pregnancies, although it’s probably higher since it often happens before a woman knows she’s pregnant. If the products of conception aren’t fully expelled, sepsis can set in. Amber Thurman died because she couldn’t get access to abortion care and suffered fatal septic shock. She was a 28-year-old mother who left behind a 6-year-old son; it didn’t have to happen. Thurman is just one of many women who have suffered similar fates for lack of this basic reproductive care.
• Since the overturn of Roe in 2022, there have been 64,000 rape-related pregnancies in states that ban abortion. That causes physical trauma to an 11-year-old forced to give birth when her body can’t handle it, and general trauma in every other regard.
• Unlike Trump’s scaremongering, nobody is doing “post-birth” abortions; that’s called “infanticide.” A medical emergency can occur late in pregnancy, where either the mother will die, or the baby becomes unviable in the womb, and an abortion is needed. But no woman decides at the last minute to terminate it because she’s changed her mind. Doesn’t happen.

By contrast, if Trump returns to office, it’s a certainty that he will sign a draconian, nationwide abortion ban. Plus, they’d come for IVF and birth control.

TRANSGENDER RIGHTS

The actual number of transgender individuals in America is about 0.6%; that’s just a tad over a million people. But the way the Trump campaign talks, you’d think they were everywhere. Very few play in women’s sports. And if you’re freaking out over gender-neutral bathrooms, how do you manage on airplanes or in a family home?

• Kids are not getting gender reassignment surgery in schools; they can’t even get an Advil from the school nurse without a note from their parents. 
• Prisoners who identify as transgender do have the right to receive gender-affirming care behind bars (mostly counseling and medication). But that policy was set…during the Trump administration.

By contrast, Trump’s plan would further isolate and discriminate against LGBTQ people. Over the last 10 years, Trump’s rhetoric led to an astonishing jump in hate crimes against this group; another term would make it exponentially worse.

Yes, there are a lot of practical issues to consider in this election. But it ultimately boils down to decency and competency. Trump has neither. And we’ve seen firsthand that those qualities do indeed matter. With that in mind, what key issues are most important to you?

Cindy Grogan is a writer, lover of history and "Star Trek" (TOS), and hardcore politics junkie. There was that one time she campaigned for Gerald Ford (yikes), but ever since, she's been devoted to Democratic and progressive policies.