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  • Donald Trump is promising to make American great again, but his only policy pronouncements so far are the same old trickle-down economics that have enriched the wealthy and led to recessions and soaring deficits. (Photo: Getty)

    Donald Trump is promising to make American great again, but his only policy pronouncements so far are the same old trickle-down economics that have enriched the wealthy and led to recessions and soaring deficits. (Photo: Getty)

    Donald Trump is less than a month away from assuming the Presidency of the United States. He campaigned on a polyglot of slogans appealing to the nation’s baser instincts. But when it comes to real policy, he’s leaning toward extremist right-wing positions that will have disastrous repercussions.

    Citizens who voted for Trump were driven almost singly by a desire for “change.” Now they’re about to get it. Here are 17 predictions for the most profoundly unqualified president in the nation’s history.

    1. Austerity. The deficit will soar by $11 trillion; trade wars and high tariffs will trigger a worldwide recession. As trickle-down economics fail, expect to hear more talk about going back to the gold standard. Read More

    2. Police state mentality: His plans to impose stop-and-frisk policing, racial profiling and an anti-immigration force going door-to-door looking for illegals will turn American into a Gestapo-like police state. Read More

    3. Gut federal government: His promised government cutbacks will mean the loss of 500,000 to 1 million public sector jobs, cutting consumer demand even more and hiking unemployment. Red states will be hit hardest, since they received the most federal aid. Read More

    4. Tax Reform: Trump plans to eliminate most middle-class tax breaks like the deduction of state and local taxes, and the home-mortgage interest deduction, returning the U.S. to a nation of renters. Great for landlords and investors (read real estate speculators), bad for everyone else. Hello, slums. Read More

    5. Sellout workers: Trump plans to eliminate the federal minimum wage, leaving the issue up to states. States will race to the bottom to attract business. It will further disenfranchise the middle class, but a great way to compete with China. He also plans to curb employee rights, protections against sexual harassment and discrimination, curb union organizing and impose a draconian “right to work” law nationwide. Read More

    6. More Tax cuts for the rich: Just what we need, more mega-mansions, bigger yachts and private jets (tax deductible of course). Trump’s tax cuts are based on widely discredited “trickle-down” economics that have proven to be a failure in two previous Republican administrations. Read More

    7. Higher gas pump prices, dirtier air. Trump’s energy policy to drill for more domestic oil and mine coal is only feasible if oil prices remain above $90 a barrel. Otherwise it’s not economical to drill for hard-to-recover reserves or mine shale and Canada’s tar sands. Promoting coal production will hurt providers of cleaner-burning natural gas, with environmental consequences. Read More

    8. Repeal Obamacare: Great if you are under 30 and in good health. Bad for everyone else, especially those with pre-existing conditions. Will allow insurance companies to cherry-pick customers and raise rates. Get used to long waits in emergency rooms, less preventive care, or no insurance at all. Read More

    9. Repeal Roe v. Wade: Will criminalize women and doctors, lead to restrictions on contraception, end Planned Parenthood, AIDs screening, cancer screening and other services for women. Read More

    10. Unprecedented corruption: Trump has run one of the most secretive campaigns in the past 40 years by refusing to release his tax returns. He will hold few news conferences. He refuses to separate his business from his White House duties and will gut Wall Street reforms enacted after the 2008 financial meltdown. His cabinet picks are already cashing in on their positions. Read More

    11. Secret Ties to Russia: Trump’s ties to Russian businessmen and financiers with close ties to Vladimr Putin will undermine NATO and bolster Russian aggression in Eastern Europe. Read More

    12. Return to isolationism: Will impose a go-it-alone foreign policy that leaves our NATO allies hanging out to dry and sows the seeds for more regional conflicts. Will end coalition-building to fight groups like ISIS. Read More

    13. Goodbye to Social Safety Net: Despite his campaign promises, Trump’s cabinet picks and sentiment in the Republican Congress are clearly signaling an end to Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid, ending a social safety net that began with the Roosevelt administration. What emerges in their place is anyone’s guess, but privatized programs are likely that will enrich investors and big business.

    14. A rise in racism, sexism, misogyny: Donald Trump has a long history of sexual harassment, misogyny, sexism and marital cheating that sends the wrong signal on the treatment of women. Read More

    15. Embolden racist groups: White supremacists, neo-Nazis, far-right patriot groups and other alt-righters flocked to Trump’s campaign, while he has praised them with faint damnation. Now they want a seat at the table. Read More

    16. Assault on First Amendment: Trump has vowed to roll back First Amendment protections, exposing the media to more lawsuits by billionaires and corporations that don’t like press scrutiny. The move will also pave the way for more government secrecy. Goodbye to religious freedom. He’s demonized Muslims and Jews. Read More

    17. A History of Dirty Tactics: Donald Trump has left a trail of broken promises and bankruptcies in his wake as a business man. His tactics reveal some startling insights into his mindset, how he treats others and exactly what kind of president he’ll become. Read More

    Bottom Line: Hello Charles Dickens…