Trump's Appointees For His Cabinet And Why They Should Matter To You

Ford Watkins, Staff WriterWherever the man goes, and whatever the man does, Donald Trump seems to do two things: 1) Creates astronomical controversy, or 2) Creates attention for himself.  Often he does both.From the day he announced his campaign for the 2016 presidency to the day of the election, he has been in the news every day.  He still is, and most likely will be until the end of his presidency.  One major way the president-elect has put himself in the news is because of his decisions for his cabinet.  Since there are so many appointees, I am going to list and analyze a select few, and by that, I mean the ones that either matter to you or the ones that have sparked the most controversy.Secretary of Defense: James MattisJames "Mad Dog" Mattis is a retired marine corps general.  He led troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.  In today's world, Mattis is considered one of the most prominent military leaders.  He is well-known in the news for his combating attitude against Iraq, putting him in significant disagreement with the Obama Administration.  Mad Dog Mattis is arguably the most "Trump-like" of Trump's choices.Treasurer: Steven MnuchinSteve Mnuchin is a campaign finance chairman.  He is a former Goldman Sachs banker, and is known as "the foreclosure king."  He was also a wealthy hedge fund manager. He is a prominent director, directing movies like Sully, and Rules Don't Apply. He graduated from Yale University with a BA.Attorney General: Jeff SessionsJeff Sessions is a senator from Alabama serving his fourth term.  He is known as one of Trump's earliest backers, and strongly agreed with his immigration policies.  He also emphasizes "law and order" strongly.  He also once joked that the KKK was: "Okay until I found out they smoked pot."Energy Secretary: Rick PerryRick Perry is the governor for Texas, and the longest serving one in the state's history.  Rick Perry is skeptic to climate change, and he is not the only one denying the phenomenon in Trump's cabinet.  Perry once called Trump a "cancer on conservatism."Head of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Scott PruittScott Pruitt is the Attorney General for Oklahoma.  He is a full-on climate change denier, and a blatant enemy of the EPA.  To many environmental groups, Pruitt is considered a "puppet" for fossil fuels.U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations:  Nikki HaleyNikki Haley is the governor of South Carolina.  She is famous for removing the Confederate Flag from the flag of South Carolina, and is seen to be a bridge-builder, not a divider.  She also lead the State of South Carolina and mourned with them after the church shooting in Charleston.Chief of Staff: Reince PriebusPriebus is the Chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC).  He is a steady conservative, and was seen to not stand up to Trump during the election.Chief Strategist: Steve BannonBannon is the CEO of the Trump Campaign, and former head of alt-right news outlet and think-tank Breitbart News. Breitbart is known for having white nationalist, anti-semitic content multiple times on its website.  He has criticized establishment Republicans like Speaker Paul Ryan before.  He is a Harvard graduate.Head of Homeland Security: John Kelly (Not the freshman History Teacher)Kelly served 45 years in the military and is a retired Marine corps general.  He stepped down last year from the position of U.S. Southern Command.  He was responsible for military activity in Guantanamo Bay.  He also agrees with Trump's border policies and immigration policies.CIA Director: Mike PompeoMike Pompeo is a congressman from Kansas.  He called the CIA agents that participated in torture "heroes, not some pawns in a liberal game..."  He doesn't want to close Guantanamo Bay.  He is a critic of the Iran Nuclear Deal and has called for Edward Snowden's execution.Whether you like these choices or not, one of them, if not more, will probably affect your life in one way or another.  Most of these people have been given more power than they've ever known, and that could worry you a little bit, considering some of these people's past resumés.  That said, these people's past resumés can also be an asset.  There are a lot of very well educated people.  There are a lot of people with vast military experience.  There are a lot of people with vast political experience.  It's your choice to decide what you think about these people.*Opinion/Editorial articles are the opinion of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Crier as a staff.