Drain The Swamp

The Obama presidency is ending and in just under two months the Trump presidency will assume power.  According to the Real Clear Politics average of polls (as of November 23), an astounding 61.8% of the Americans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction.  Not surprisingly, the average disapproval of Congress now sits at 74.9%.  The country is hungry for change and fed up with Washington’s business as usual.  Perhaps this more than anything drove the Trump victory.  It’s time for an outsider to take on the political establishment.

In a speech delivered in October at Gettysburg, President-elect Trump outlined a series of proposed reforms aimed at “draining the swamp” of Washington DC.  They include the following:

1) A Constitutional Amendment to impose term limits on members of Congress

2) A hiring freeze on all federal employees (exempting military, public safety, and public health) to reduce the workforce through attrition

3) A requirement that for every new federal regulation enacted two must be repealed

4) A 5-year ban on White House and Congressional officials from becoming lobbyists after they leave government

5) A lifetime ban on White House officials from ever lobbying on behalf or a foreign government

6) A ban on foreign lobbyists from raising money for American elections

All of these proposals deserve serious consideration by elected officials and the American people.  Some, like the Constitutional Amendment for congressional term limits, will require the unrelenting outcry of the American people.  With a new President, Congress, and Supreme Court America appears poised for a renewal based on limited constitutional governance, free markets and individual liberty.  But the swamp of DC is a fickle place, and the reforms put forward by President-elect Trump are needed to guarantee campaign promises turn into governing achievements.  America is ready for change.