From The Philadelphia Tribune

The News America Now article, published online and titled “Trump’s BiG Forget You to the Caribbean and Latin America,” has got a lot of people riled up because it just adds to the slew of things that the administration has so undiplomatically announced that America will not be doing anymore. Many feel that he is un-presidential.

Among the list of things that have been or proposed to be cut are:

$1.3 billion cuts to the Coast Guard and Maritime Safety and Security teams that are responsible for counteracting drug smuggling.

$22 million in cuts to the Inter-American Foundation that funds non-governmental organizations in the Caribbean region.

$60 million in cuts from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency that is responsible for promoting trade and U.S. exports throughout the world and also for assisting with improvement of infrastructure in developing countries.

The entire $83 million budget from the Overseas Private Investment Corporation that is responsible creating investment opportunities in the Americas.

The Global Climate Initiative created through the Paris Climate Agreement has been obliterated.

A 50 percent cut to the State Department’s Bureau of International Organization Affairs.

Cuts in humanitarian assistance that will curtail emergency aid to refugee and migration needs worldwide.

Now you might be saying, what does that matter to us? The United Sates shouldn’t be responsible for helping these countries. We need to just look out for ourselves. We lose out when we funnel millions of dollars out of the country into other countries’ economies.

The key answer, according to the New York Times, is that the U.S. alliance with more than 30 countries helps to stabilize some of the most important regions of the world. Being one of the superpowers keeps the U.S. in the driver’s seat in the world economy.

The United States exports many products to foreign countries and other countries export products to the United States. If this exchange of goods and products does not happen, then it will negatively impact our already fragile economy.

The fact that the Trump administration is determined to “make America great again” at the expense of its allies is mind-boggling.

No country should want to be a one-man show in this world. It does NOT provide any type of advantage. That is why many years ago the system of allied nations was developed. The United States realized that is better to have an alliance with other countries that would come to its aid when needed and vice versa.

With climate change affecting our food sources, we might want to rethink alienating other countries and cutting back on trade opportunities. We need President Donald Trump to be more presidential and we need him to exercise more diplomacy in these matters. Play good and make friends.

The word presidential means having a gracious demeanor or befitting a president. The word diplomatic means skilled in dealing with sensitive matters or people; tactful. Neither of these words describes our current president.

Throughout his campaign he has just blurted out whatever comes into his mind. Now he is president, he is tweeting all kinds of comments and accusations. Evidently as a child growing up his parents did not instill the phrase “Think before you speak,” and he is definitely not familiar with the phrase “Loose lips, sink ships.” Speaking before thinking is not the practice of being a good diplomat and it can get you into trouble and hurt you in the most important areas of your life.

He would probably say, “Why the hell should I when I have all these Republicans and my cabinet to clean up any mess that I make.”

Now that the United States is turning its back on previous treaties and commitments, one has to wonder if Caribbean leaders will be forced to work even more closely with China. Would that decision be better for our economies or will it open the door wider to more sanctions and cutbacks?

Most of us don’t want Caribbean leaders to take that route. We want to see a change of agenda with the Trump administration so that we can continue to have a close relationship with our neighbor and ally.

Don’t forget that when a reference is made to the Americas, it is defined as the land masses and islands of North America, including the Caribbean, Central America and South America.

For more on this story go to: http://www.phillytrib.com/news/trump-slashes-his-way-down-an-isolationist-path/article_74de16a0-e8d7-5581-967f-833cbcbe653e.html