Jan 14, 2017 4 min read

I, for one, am excited to hear about all of the dynamic changes President-elect Donald Trump has in store for America.

I agree with his choices for his Cabinet. They seem very intelligent, have proven records of success, and each one has a desire to serve. The military generals are first-rate warriors with keen insight and experience. Trump is, as I thought he would, surrounding himself with people of high levels of excellence. The petty nitpicking from the liberal left seems almost childish as they dismiss every choice and move he makes.

From what I have heard, small businesses are bursting at the seams in anticipation of a Trump presidency, and are enthused about him removing the regulatory restraints that do nothing but stall economic growth and prosperity. There is a palpable enthusiasm felt throughout the business world about his presidency. Already, we see his impact on business, as he urged the furnace manufacturers Carrier to keep jobs in Indiana, rather than relocating them to Mexico. The message is clear: There is a new sheriff in town and he is going to do business differently than the Obama administration.

I was not a fan of President Obama. I did have some early hope that he would be an effective president. He spoke wonderfully and said all the things I wanted to hear. But his liberal ideological heart took over, and he failed the American people. I don’t feel safer looking at the world around us, and I can barely afford health care from a plan that was to lower my expenses, and allow me to keep my doctor. I don’t feel the effects of a strong economy, as my friends and family struggle to find or keep their jobs. I don’t trust the numbers coming from Washington D.C., telling me that unemployment is down. I don’t like to be schooled by the president as how I should think and act in certain situations. It seems he never left the classroom and an audience of immature, captive students.

The American people need to be led by a strong leader with vison and compassion for everyone. The world reacts to the strength of the American president. They understand power and resolve and will measure their actions accordingly. The world sensed that President Obama was weak and could not lead an exceptional America, so they expanded their efforts and challenged our resolve and, indeed, we did not respond toward their actions, so we got more of them. Now, we need to demonstrate who our friends are and who are enemies are and defeat the threats facing America.

I also agree with President-elect Trump 100 percent that we should restrict the flow of refugees from hostile countries until we can properly screen them. America’s greatness was in the assimilation of immigrants from around the world wanting to be Americans. Now we have independent cultural communities within our country that contain people who do not want to assimilate into the broader American culture. Let’s learn from the disaster that is Europe and not go down this path.

People who are concerned about a Trump presidency are overreacting. Trump, if anything, will listen to the concerns of groups of Americans and uphold the rights of individuals.

Trump wants a strong economy, with jobs abundant for all. He wants the United States to have a strong presence in the world, and that we are respected and dealt with fairly by other nations. He wants to defeat ISIS and threats to America. He wants to stop illegal immigration and structure a legal process of immigration. And if that means building a wall to protect our borders, then let’s build it. We don’t leave the backdoor of our home open and allow strangers to come in and live with us. Why then should we leave the backdoor of America open?

Flickinger is the president of Tom Flickinger & Associates Inc., a management consulting firm.