WITH less than five weeks to go for America's presidential election on November 7 - 8, the 'do or die' poll campaign is at its peaks currently. The two major national political parties' contenders to capture White House beginning 21 January 2017, Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Republican Donald John Trump, have been crisscrossing the country, relentlessly trying to win over nearly 200 electorates enticing them with umpteen hefty promises to miraculously usher in heaven on earth, so to say.

While many politicians brand America as the wealthiest, mightiest and most powerful nation in the world,the fact of the matter is that 'there were 3.5 million fewer people living in poverty in 2015, according to a recent government report… and nearly 40% of Americans, between the ages of 25 and 60, will experience a year in poverty at some point.'

Therefore, the two parties' wily contestants, with a view to alluring gullible voters to vote and send them to the Oval Office, have been feverishly reeling out promises after promises as to how they will bring 'heaven on earth' for the common people the moment they are enthroned.

Both, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, have been throwing baits to people offering new social security entitlements and fresh benefits, cutting taxes, more high-paying jobs, lowering national debts, heralding climate change, voting reform, gun control laws, soft and pliable immigration procedures, push up America's declining global influence against meteorically rising China and Russia, expanding welfare schemes for Blacks, Hispanics and other minorities, etc., etc., etc.

Meanwhile, though both candidates have been cruising all the 50 states from time to time before and after party nomination in search of supporters, and delivering powerful speeches to win over the voters, they've rarely expounded or elaborated on their programmers, or expressly ventilated their view on America's fast shrinking economy, or the acute financial crunch that fiercely ails the country. US's current budget deficit is estimated to be around $22 billion, and increasing every year. Added to these pains are broken, outdated and fast-decaying infrastructure, manufacturing units moving to China, Mexico, Brazil and India.

While Democrat Hillary Clinton vows to prioritize plans for agile and brisk 'economic growth that's fair and lasting…make historic investment in good-paying jobs - jobs in infrastructure and manufacturing, technology and innovation, small businesses and clean energy. And we need to make sure that hard work is rewarded by raising the minimum wage and finally guaranteeing equal pay for woman,' as she wrote recently said in the influential daily, The New York Times.

However, America, the so-called richest nation on the planet, at present is weighed down by its halting economy tantalizingly wavers between hot and cold global trends. Among the economic reforms that the US urgently begs for are in its messy tax system. According to The Wall Street Journal, nearly 71% of Americans feel that the tax system needs major reforms and many drastic changes; only 5% think that the tax system is working fine, and about 75% believe 'taxes should be kept as low as possible to stimulate investment and growth.'

But the Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, on the other hand, has other ideas: he blames the Obama administration for shipping jobs overseas, entering into unfavorable trade pacts and commercial agreements with many nations at the cost of national interest. Looked at closely, Trump's own economic manifesto 'overwhelmingly benefits the wealthiest Americans.'

Also, paradoxically, Trump's proposed tax policies would prove to be an unprecedented blessing to millionaires and billionaires. It's being alleged that his contemplated estate and gift tax cuts alone would shower a $4-billion bounty on Trump's own family businesses and innumerable enterprises spread all over the globe, including India.

During many of his thoughtless discourses in the campaign trail in the recent weeks, Trump is on record having said he'll 'eliminate job-killing regulations', and 'have massive tax reform and simplification…I know people making tremendous amount of money and paying virtually no taxes, and I think it's unfair.'

Speaking on a Fox Business television channel show recently, he averred: “I'm talking about a tax increase. I'm talking about a tremendous tax decrease. OK?” He has also opined that tax proposals always change in negative in Congress (US national legislature), but he was committed to cutting taxes…immediately backtracking 'raising tax on the rich.' But, ironically, Trump has also conceded: “I try and pay as little tax as possible, because I hate what they do with my tax money. I hate the way they spend our money.”

Conversely, Democrat Hillary Clinton has said that the wealthiest pay too little in taxes while the middle class needs more relief. 'I am going to fix that. I'll close corporate tax loopholes and make sure millionaires and billionaires can't pay lower taxes than middle class families who are struggling with costs from college to health care…would raise tax revenue $498 billion over the next decade.' However, neither Clinton nor Trump have spelled out how they would enforce the much-talked tax reforms.

Meanwhile, Hillary has promised she would make estate tax 'apply to about twice as many people.' Actually, Clinton has 'proposed returning to the law in effect in 2009 when there was an estate tax exclusion of $3.5 million per wealthy person, a $1 million per person gift tax exemption, and 45% tax rate.' Though ironically, Hillary's proposed package also has been termed as 'impossible', by some tax experts.

Incidentally, a recent report in The Wall Street Journal states that in 2016, the US is likely to collect nearly $20 billion in estate and gift taxes - that are less than1% of the federal (national) revenue, as per the U.S. Congressional budget office.

Meanwhile, media reports suggest that Trump has so designed tax slabs that will extensively facilitate dodge the US Internal Revenue Service (IT) rules, and pay little tax on profits. Moreover, in order to flatter and appease the top business houses and multinationals, Trump, during primaries, and before winning Republican Party nomination, pledged to cut the top rate of income tax from 39% by 6% to 33%. He would still cut the corporate tax more, if he wins the White House race. But how much is unknown. As an eminent economist has predicted that, unfortunately, 'Trump's protectionism would wreck the economy, reduce wages and achieve little in return.'

Trump is blamed for his numerous economic offences, such as nearly half a dozen bankruptcies, his first ex-wife Ivana's charge of 'forced sex', by which she 'felt violated,' the 1989 - marital rape case; the Trump University fraud left nearly 35,000 student deprived of the heavy tuitions they paid without receiving any degrees. There have been cases galore against 2016 Republican presidential aspirant-unheard of in the past against any of the either party candidates.

But an avowed critic of Trump's candidacy has vigorously opined that he's 'unqualified to serve as president; his campaign of snarl and sneer… no substance; his views are wrong in diagnosing America's problems, and dangerous in his proposed solutions. His politics of degeneration, division, dangerous for a diverse nation as the US, dangerous for the US and the world. He's not shrewd, diligent, humble or thoughtful… He saved himself while harming others who trusted him… appears to believe he needs no advice, unbridled arrogance… spooled one lie after another… contemptuous of facts… that Muslims celebrated 9/11… He knows he's wrong, but doesn't care.'

Finally, as the campaign for White House crawls vociferously, it's hard to forecast as to who of the two hopefuls will be inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States on January 21, 2017, but as the popular polls abundantly indicate, Americans seems to be prodigiously in Hillary's favour. Meanwhile, we sit with our fingers crossed for the ballot box to announce the world's most awaited result as who'll be the commander-in-chief of the U.S. army, and world's most powerful person for the next four years.