A quick run-down of Donald Trump's positions

ConservativeReview.com, which is edited by conservative talk show host Mark Levin, has emerged as a great ranking service for politicians. Recently the site ranked the positions of Donald Trump based on his public comments. Since everyone knows that Trump has spent most of his adult life as a liberal but has since recanted nearly all of his former positions, I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt and exclude any quotations over one year old. Everything you read below has come from Trump's own plush lips in the past twelve months: Taxes: Trump wants to lower income taxes (though not as much as Ted Cruz), but he also wants to take a lot of voters off the tax rolls entirely, giving them incentive to vote for politicians who will vote to raise taxes and spending on the remaining people who do pay income taxes.

Free Trade: Trump will slap high tariffs on goods from China, Japan, and Mexico, which has the potential to create more jobs in America but also to radically raise the price of consumer goods here. Guns: Trump currently supports Second Amendment gun rights, in contrast to his past support for gun control. Abortion: Trump is against abortion. On August 3, he said he would defund Planned Parenthood, but on August 11, he changed his mind, saying he wants to continue funding Planned Parenthood, finding ways to finance the "good things" they do. Since all money is fungible, that would mean the continued indirect subsidy of abortions and sale of baby parts. Immigration: In contrast to his previous positions, Trump is now the best candidate on immigration, wanting to build a wall, deport illegals (and then let many back), and end birthright citizenship. Foreign Policy: Trump wants to bomb ISIS, keep the oil, and not give aid to rebels who may be affiliated with radical Islamists. He's pretty solid there. Health Care: Trump has promised to get rid of Obamacare and replace it with something "wonderful." No further details, but he refuses to cut benefits or raise the retirement age to save Social Security, and he refuses to consider changing Medicare to a voucher program. Eminent Domain: Trump supports the seizure of private land for a wide variety of purposes. Energy: Trump has called global warming "bull****" and wants more drilling for oil and gas on public lands. Privacy: Trump supports the former NSA program that allowed the government to collect phone, mail, and email data on all American citizens, not merely those suspected of being terrorists. Budget: Trump has said not a word about reining in government spending. Affirmative Action and Judges: Nothing on Conservativereview.com, but a simple web search shows that Trump supports affirmative action and attacked Justice Scalia for criticizing racial preferences. The next president may appoint up to four Supreme Court justices. The prospect of a Supreme Court shifted to the left on racial discrimination, eminent domain, and government power is troubling. Except for immigration, foreign policy, and energy, all of Trump's contemporary positions are more identifiable with liberal positions, which is not surprising, considering he has spent most of his life as a liberal Democrat. Now, if you're a conservative and immigration is your number-one issue, you can still justify a vote for Donald Trump. But Ted Cruz is almost as good – promising to build a wall, oppose amnesty, and enforce the law – and he's much better on just about every other issue. Let me close with a combined graphic from Conservativereview.com: This article was written by Ed Straker, senior writer of NewsMachete.com, the conservative news site.