Cutting taxes, appointing an outstanding SecDef then getting out of the way and letting him take back in just one year all of the ground we lost in Iraq under Obama, a terrific supreme court appointment, the dramatic increase in consumer confidence, etc. If you don't see anything positive you are just covering your eyes and plugging your ears.
I'll get back to you on my view of the tax "cuts" a year from now. Oregon's legislature just passed a bill on February 13 that responds to the expected loss of revenue under Trump's tax plan. A second bill is in the works. The Oregon Senate could vote as soon as Tuesday on new state tax rules in response to the federal tax overhaul. Because the plan would reconfigure a controversial state business tax break, it could turn into the first major showdown between Democrats and Republicans in the short 35-day session. Altogether, the changes could bring in $220 million for the current budget, according to economists for the Legislature.
The Secretary of Defense is
appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, and is by custom a member of the Cabinet and by law a member of the National Security Council. Jim Mattis seems like a good choice, albeit a choice not in keeping with the law, Which is why Congress had to pass a waiver for his appointment.
Neil Gorsuch is well-educated. There are those who disagree with his appointment. "Judge Gorsuch has repeatedly sided with corporations over working people, demonstrated a hostility toward women's rights, and most troubling, hewed to an ideological approach to jurisprudence that makes me skeptical that he can be a strong, independent justice on the court," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said. Personally, I hope Schumer is wrong.
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® increased in January, following a decline in December. Consumer confidence has been steadily increasing since 2009. Although Trump claimed that it is at an all time high, it isn't. Consumer confidence was higher in 2000 during Clinton's presidency.