Well, there you have it. Donald J. Trump, in three short years, has performed a miracle with the State of the Economy.

His economic policies have sent the economy soaring, the stock market to new records, and righted the imbalance in trade agreements.

He took what was a country on the brink of disaster, one brought on by the policies of the previous administration, and saved the day.

But, like the line from my favorite movie, he would also warn you to “pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.” He doesn’t want you to look beyond the spectacle of his performance.

The issue is not whether the gains he claims are true—some are and he polished some to make them sound good—but whether his policies are responsible.

And therein lies the problem.

As anyone with a basic understanding of economics would know, the American economy is like a giant ship in the ocean.  Sometimes it is running at full speed with a following ocean and sometimes it is battered by storms.

No matter the speed at which it travels, turning this ship requires planning. One cannot just stop and head in a different direction. The economy can react and adjust course, but this all takes time. And there are other ships on this ocean—China, Europe, Southeast Asia—requiring course adjustments and communication.

Mr. Trump’s policies—the course corrections he has ordered—are just now turning the ship on its new course. Here is one example. His corporate tax cuts—which poured billions of dollars back into the profit margins of corporations—drove the stock market up, not the new course he set.

Where this course will take us is the issue. Mr. Trump is betting companies will pour their profits into new growth. Sounds hauntingly similar to another course correction set by a different President, Reagan’s “trickle-down” economics. The trickle never happened and the economy foundered on a rocky shoal.

Mr. Trump inherited an economy showing consistent growth in both employment and GDP. Instead of touting his “business” acumen and claiming to build on this, his megalomaniac ego demands he claim all the credit. Mr. Trump may be the captain of this ship, but if he doesn’t instill confidence and loyalty in the crew—even those who might disagree with him—the ship will founder.

This election will be decided by those who could not vote for Hillary, taking a risk on an untested entity, and by those who take the time to understand that the complexities of our nation require more than grandiose claims.

I fear we may steam at full speed toward another rocky shoal demanding it gets out of our way since this Captain cannot be wrong.

If you do nothing else significant this year, VOTE. Voting is the single most patriotic act within everyone’s power. Indeed it is a right paid for by great sacrifice worthy of being exercised.

Every vote matters!

Don’t take my word for it. Here’s an in-depth analysis of the real numbers. https://apnews.com/3750c39f92c817a6790098be323142df