Political changes you should watch for in 2017

Because politics matter, people!

It’s inevitable that a new year will bring change. This year, however, the world will see a series of transformations related to global politics. While some of these changes are good, others are clearly detrimental to the global community.

The election of Donald J. Trump and Mike Pence brought a lot of fear to the United States and disappointment to the world. Many continue to be upset about his comments regarding women, his outrageous Twitter feed, and his inability to stick to his word. A Trump presidency could eradicate some of President Barack Obama’s most significant accomplishments such as Obamacare, climate change agreements, and immigration reform.

The most uncomfortable meeting of 2016 tbh

Worldwide, many countries are being to see the election of or support for more conservative leaders. While this is not always a bad thing, it seems as though the world will be taken by to the 1940s, led by none other than the United States. Let’s take a look at three of the most significant changes that could come about in the United States this year.

Health-related change

Healthcare continues to be a buzzword for politicians and civilians alike, but what does Trump’s election really mean for healthcare? Let’s start with a brief history of the current healthcare system in the United States.

The current law in place for healthcare is the Affordable Care Act (nicknamed Obamacare), which was signed into law in March 2010 and went into effect on 1 January 2014. The core principal of the Act is that every American citizen should have access to affordable basis healthcare. It intended to provide health insurance to 30 million uninsured Americans by expanding Medicaid and providing government subsidies to lower- and middle-class Americans to buy private health insurance.

Obama signs Obamacare into law

Trump has claimed that he will “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act but he currently has no plan for replacement in place. Instead, he insists that he will encourage competition for low prices between private insurance companies. While this method often works with the economy, it may not be best to leave people’s healthcare up to competition between private companies, as privatization is often the least effective method. There must be some form of government-provided health insurance as Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights says that everyone is guaranteed the right to medical care and social services that provide “a standard of adequate living.”

Additionally, Trump and many of his supporters have spoken up about their support to defund Planned Parenthood, an act that would be extremely detrimental to women and families everywhere. Planned Parenthood provides services other than abortions (which are not funded by public tax dollars and are a matter that concerns only the people involved) such as mammograms, PAP smears, pregnancy testing, and family planning. They also provide affordable access to birth control and emergency contraception as well as pre-natal and post-miscarriage care. What could be better than PP?

Economic change

For the first time in history, the people of the U.S. have elected an non-politician to office. Trump, a wealthy businessman and former reality TV star, claims to have economic policies that will transform the United States economy for the better. His plan is to boost the economy rapidly using massive tax cuts. However, these huge tax cuts will cost the government more money and contribute to the national deficit. He also wants to raise interest rates and while this may help the deficit initially, it will also make business cautious when investing and therefore, harm the economic standing of the U.S.

On the global front, Trump has stated that he will raise tariffs (import taxes) to avoid some of the consequences of the stronger dollar. While increase tariffs would help American manufacturers, it hits consumers where it counts: their wallets. Import taxes on goods from stores that rely on foreign manufacturers (no matter how unethical those manufacturers are) hike up the price on products that are intended to be cheap for consumers and companies alike.

However, The Tab is staying positive and hoping that his inner-businessman will help the economy.

Social changes

There’s no confusion about how this election cycle ‘forced’ people around the world to be pitted against each other. It seems that the words “liberal” and “conservative” can be thrown around as insults in petty Facebook fights instead of used to describe political ideas as they were intended to.

With a slogan like “Make American Great Again” comes plenty of questions. What time period are Trump and Pence referring to? What social or political aspect isn’t great? When was American great? Is America not great right now? Was America great when it was segregated or when it ran on slavery? What will make America great?

Doubtful…but okay.

The mission to make American great again must not divide the nation any more than 2016 already has. It simply cannot be afforded.

Make your new year resolution to read the news and stay educated. The Tab will be here all year to remind you that politics are important.

@kaitlynmenegio

More
Syracuse University Hide Images