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Donald Trump addressed an enthusiastic crowd numbering in the thousands Saturday evening at the I-X Center in Cleveland. Dr. Michael M. Lederman lays out what he writes are the top nine bad reasons people cite for supporting Trump for president.

(Thomas Ondrey, The Plain Dealer)

Dr. Michael M. Lederman is a physician scientist at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center.

CLEVELAND -- Over the past few weeks, I've spoken to voters who are thinking about voting for Donald Trump for president. I wanted to learn what they were thinking about. Here's what they said:

1. Donald Trump calls it as he sees it.

Maybe Mr. Trump follows his instincts and doesn't mince words, but nonpartisan fact-checkers find that his statements are more often wrong than right. (See the Pulitzer-Prize-winning Politifact's "Truth-O-Meter" comparison of Trump and Hillary Clinton.) Imagine being led by a president who knows so very little, or is just lying most of the time. Neither possibility should give us comfort.

2. Donald Trump has a better plan for the U.S. economy than Hillary Clinton.

Mr. Trump has no plan other than his boast that he will "make things better." Secretary Clinton's economic plan is published.

3. Hillary Clinton is not personally trustworthy.

There are things in Secretary Clinton's past performance that give some Americans pause. And while they should be acknowledged, they are not nearly as serious and damaging as:

* Mr. Trump's four bankruptcies that left many American lenders without full return of their loans.

* The unaccredited Trump University, which allegedly charged students up to $35,000 each for useless get-rich quick schemes. Mr. Trump donated thousands of dollars (were they bribes?) to the attorneys general of both Florida and Texas and somehow these states elected not to investigate Trump University that is the target of lawsuits in other states.

* Mr. Trump still refuses to make his tax returns public. Why? It's possible that this billionaire paid less in taxes over the past 20 years than you did.

* Mr. Trump takes every possible opportunity to boast about himself. In your own life, do you trust men like that? Would you follow a man like that?

4. Donald Trump is a patriot.

He attended the New York Military Academy and, when asked to serve his country during the Vietnam War, he dodged the draft by claiming to have a bone spur in his heel. Yet both before and after this draft-dodging he has lived an athletic life and regularly boasts about his health. He was fit enough to be an athlete but not fit enough to serve his country.

When a military veteran gifted his own Purple Heart to Donald Trump during a campaign event in August, Mr. Trump said, "I always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier." What a tasteless joke from a man who received five draft deferments.

5. Donald Trump is a highly effective and successful businessman.

Mr. Trump inherited great wealth from his father, a real estate developer. Donald Trump has had multiple bankruptcies and has reported debts that, according to The New York Times, exceed $650 million. He also refuses to reveal his tax returns that would allow us to see how effective and successful he really is.

On a copy of his 1995 federal tax return that was reported by The Times and that neither he nor his campaign representatives dispute, he claimed a stunning $916 million loss that was attributed to his failed business ventures. Maybe he is a successful businessman, but we have no real proof of this. Even Michael Bloomberg, the former (Republican) mayor of New York, has labeled Mr. Trump as a "con" man.

6. Our political and economic systems are broken and we need an outsider to fix them.

There is no doubt that our systems need some fixing. Tax loopholes like the ones Mr. Trump uses unfairly tax the middle class. (Most Americans could not survive a $916 million loss that current tax laws allow business investors to deduct from future tax liabilities.) Corporations have undue influence on government policies, and financial institutions take risks and use illegal strategies that put us and our financial stability in danger. A Congress paralyzed by partisanship has lost the art of compromise. The globalization of the economy has had profound impact on our industries and our jobs.

These problems need thoughtful and effective approaches for their resolution. Mr. Trump's off-the-cuff answers to these problems reflect nothing more than the simplistic ideas of an amateur. I'm not opposed to engaging some outsiders in our national enterprise, but let's pick some who know what they are talking about.

7. Donald Trump will protect us from terrorism.

I don't know how Mr. Trump -- who has no experience in foreign affairs and regularly makes mistakes when talking about them -- will do this. In an open letter, 122 Republican members of the national security community wrote that Donald Trump is not fit to lead our country and that he is "fundamentally dishonest." Gen. Colin Powell called Mr. Trump "an international pariah." Would you want an angry man like Donald Trump to have control over America's nuclear arsenal?

8. I just don't like Hillary.

You don't need to like your leader but you do need to respect him or her. Can we possibly respect Mr. Trump? A man who brags about himself repeatedly? Who has escaped full payment of debts via bankruptcy at least four times? Who built an unaccredited university (Trump University) that charged its students thousands and thousands of dollars on get-rich-quick real estate schemes?

9. Times are bad for many of us; we need a change.

Selecting a president of our country is one of the most precious rights and duties we citizens have. When times are tough, these rights and duties are challenged the most. We must remember that it was during tough times that other democracies elected or empowered charismatic leaders who led their nations to ruin by appealing to their greatest fears. Let's not make that mistake now by voting for Mr. Trump.

Dr. Michael M. Lederman, a physician scientist, is the Scott R. Inkley Professor of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. His views are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of his employer.