Part Two: The Fix

By Mark M. Bello

The most frustrating thing about 2025 wasn’t just the damage—it was how unnecessary the damage was. None of the problems described in yesterday’s Part One required radical ideology to fix. They required competence, balance, and honesty about tradeoffs.

What Better Policy Looks Like (Plain English)

Economic Stability

• A fairer tax policy that reduces deficits without starving demand.
• Targeted supply-side fixes (housing, ports, energy grids) instead of blanket (and cruel) cuts to programs that benefit our needier citizens.

Simple & Sensible Fixes:

Healthcare:

• Extend ACA premium subsidies permanently.
• Treat healthcare like infrastructure, not a culture-war pawn.

Energy & Environment:

• Invest in clean energy and grid resilience to lower long-term prices.
• Keep environmental review fast and meaningful—delay costs more.

Public Safety

• Fund programs proven to reduce crime: community policing, Mental Health response, and re-entry support.
• Concentrate on “effective” law enforcement rather than “aggressive” law enforcement. While current leadership talks and acts tough, it accomplishes little. Crime has fallen in cities across the country—most notably in cities where Trump has not instituted his draconian law enforcement policies. Why? Better policing and improved quality of life post-COVID.
• Stop politicizing law enforcement and crime prevention. Can we do better? Sure, but we can get there without the political theatrics of sending armed soldiers to Blue State cities.

Immigration

• Increase infrastructure spending on immigration judges and justice administration.
• Faster courts, smarter screening, real work authorization.
• Enforcement focused on violence and trafficking—not Family separation theater.
• Stop demonizing the immigrant community. A common misperception, caused mainly by “you-know-who” (“they’re bringing crime; they’re bringing drugs,” etc). The fact is that the immigrant community commits far less crime than people born in the United States. Why? Lots of reasons, but the main ones are obvious: 1. They came to this country seeking a better life, not a life of crime.2. They don’t want to be sent back to the country they fled.

  See? Sensible, no?

• Want a tighter border? Fine. But handle the influx of people humanely, not inhumanely. Increased immigration has not increased crime. In fact, while Chicago, Denver, and New York have had increased immigration over the past few years, murder rates in those cities, during that period, have dropped. Border counties in Texas have lower violent crime rates than other cities in the state and in the state itself. Over that same period, murder rates in those cities have fallen. Similarly, border counties in Texas have lower violent crime rates than the state and non-border counties overall. These statistics may sound crazy to my Trump-supporter friends, but look them up. I speak the truth.

Foreign Policy & Ethics:

I want a leader who is honest, decent, and has integrity. Is that too much to ask? That means:

• Clear firewalls between public office and private business.
• No foreign trips that double as brand-building tours.
• Military force only with congressional authorization.
• Respect the press, the process, and all branches of government.
• The Justice Department belongs to We, the People. It is not a presidential tool for a POTUS to retaliate against his political opponents.

The Key Insight

Better policy doesn’t require bigger government.
It requires a government aimed at service, common decency. and results, not tough-guy optics.

Next: Part Three: A practical vision for the country.

Mark M. Bello is an attorney and award-winning author of the Zachary Blake Legal Thriller Series, ripped-from-the-headlines, realistic fiction that speaks truth to power and champions the rights of citizens in our justice system. These novels are dedicated to the social justice movement. They educate, spark discussion, and inspire readers to action. One of these novels, Betrayal High, was written in response to school shootings. For more information, please visit www.markmbello.com.

Bob Gatty Author, Podcaster, Blogger

For many years, Bob Gatty worked as a writer, editor, and communications consultant, based on the Washington, DC area with a focus on government and politics. He began at The Pittsburgh Courier, an African American weekly, covering crime and the courts. His salary was $55 per week before moving on to two local Pennsylvania dailies. At age 24, he began reporting for United Press International covering state politics in Pennsylvania and then New Jersey, where he was UPI’s state capitol bureau in Trenton.

Tempted by the allure of Washington, DC and big-time politics, at age 29 Bob became press secretary and chief of staff for two Congressmen – first Republican Edwin B. Forsythe, and then Democrat James J. Florio, who later became governor of New Jersey and until his recent death was a frequent podcast guest and co-host of Bob’s NFN Radio News podcast (now called Lean to the Left).

After seven years on Capitol Hill, Bob opened a communications business in Washington, first providing political media consulting to candidates and then freelance Washington coverage for business and trade magazines, plus creative communications services for trade and professional associations, including social media. This work involved articles and analyses of key governmental developments affecting businesses, such as the food and Health industries, retailing, and the environment.

His work as a communications consultant to trade and professional associations included launching and editing association publications, providing website content and social media assistance, and covering conferences and conventions.

Bob retired from G-Net Strategic Communications in 2016 and moved to Myrtle Beach, SC, where he launched his blog site, first called Not Fake News, now known as Lean to the Left.

Hijacked Nation
In August, 2020, Bob and co-author Chris Waldron, one of Lean to the Left's most loyal and prolific contributor, published "Hijacked Nation-Donald Trump's Attack on America's Greatness," a two-volume compilation of blogs regarding Trump's presidency and the consequences for our nation. A followup volume was published by Luna Global Media in September 2024. It is available at https://amzn.to/4ePrTF7 .

In all three volumes, blogs from Not Fake News and Lean to the Left create a virtual play-by-play of key actions of the Trump administration and Congress. For more information, please visit https://leantotheleft.net/books/, and visit Bob's Author's Page on Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/stores/Bob-Gatty/author/B08C7HWXZ5?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=4e603563-7251-4074-b54d-40800c4ce40a.

The Lean to the Left Podcast
The Lean to the Left podcast provides commentary and interviews with newsmakers and others with interesting stories to tell. Video and audio podcasts stream twice weekly on major channels. More info at https://podcast.leantotheleft.net.

The Lean to the Left YouTube Channel
You'll find all of the audio tracks for the Lean to the Left Podcast here plus original videos, including complete video versions of each podcast.
https://www.youtube.com/@LeantotheLeft.