By Will Collins

Every time we turn on the television, we see a story about how President Donald Trump has said something he shouldn’t have and has yet again offended someone else.

You have to give him credit for one thing, he certainly is consistent. A wise man once told me, “Never miss an opportunity to keep your mouth shut.”

I have certainly seen a few opportunities our president could have used this sage advice, as he often speaks before he thinks. I say this not to condemn the leader of our nation, but to point out that his brash statements overshadow the good he is doing for our county.

Take the economy for example. The stock market is setting record-high numbers and has resulted in gain in many areas. The unemployment rate is at a 16-year low coming in at 4.3 percent with more than 1 million jobs added since he took office. The growth in wages has been slow to mature but we are on the right path.

As CNN reported, the housing market is “red hot.” Even with interest rate hikes over the past several months, the average mortgage rate is around 3.9 percent, making it more affordable for people to buy homes and that is happening right now.

It’s not just housing either, lending is shooting up as people are able to borrow for other amenities too, especially for automobiles.

Earnings for the S&P 500 are up from a year ago and the trade deficit is narrowing as more people are buying American-made products resulting in less loss in importing of goods.

We are producing more oil than in the past and our trade in oil with the two other North American countries has improved.

President Trump’s campaign was built on making America better and putting America first. Like it or not, that’s what he is doing.

If you are Republican, Democrat or independent, he is putting you first whether you like to admit to it or not. Some say he puts his mouth and ego first. I’ll give you that, as I too am not a big fan of his antics, but I am a fan of the gains we are seeing.

My biggest hope from this administration is that America continues to be first and more people will join in on the concept. We still have areas that need to be fixed to keep this idea intact.

In no way do we need to be selfish, but we have to take care of our own people before we can take care of others. Unfortunately, its difficult to do both at the same time.

I wish I had one of those money trees many think we have, but I don’t, and neither does our government. So we have to spend what we have and spend it wisely.

Right now, most liberals and a few conservatives are laughing with an “I told you so” attitude, picking and choosing what is worth comical relief towards the administration.

Most are not looking at the positives however, and many promises are being met.

I see many members of the Republican-controlled Congress and Senate butting heads with the president and throwing insults, but hey, they still want your votes too.

Our country is not in a “It will get worse before it gets better” situation so we all need to stand fast and settle down before it gets to that point. That advice goes to you, me and our leadership.

As John Ruskin once said, “It is better to lose your pride with someone you love rather than to lose that someone you love with your useless pride.”

Political enthusiast Will Collins is a lifelong resident of Kentucky and has called Winchester his home for the past 20 years. He can be reached at wrcollins70@gmail.com.