Changing of the Guard

A historical event took place in Washington, D.C., on January 5, 2011, when Representative John Boehner of Ohio took the oath for the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives. This is the first time in four years that Republicans have been in control of the House. The election of Boehner as Speaker of the House makes him the most powerful Republican in Washington because he is just behind the Vice President in the line of presidential succession. This fact alone should make Americans feel a little more comfortable.

Boehner promised that the House makeover, GOP-style, is just beginning: "We will dispense with the conventional wisdom that bigger bills are always better; that fast legislating is good legislating; that allowing additional amendments and open debate makes the legislative process `less efficient' than our forefathers intended." He also admitted that there is "a great deal of scar tissue" "built up on both sides of the aisle" that will need to be dealt with.

The House Republicans are embarking on a plan to undo major aspects of President Obama's agenda before the President presents his State of the Union address later in January. The first item of business for the House is to begin the process of dismantling the new health-care law as they introduce a two-page bill to repeal it. They will quickly begin the identification of proposed spending cuts amounting to billions of dollars as well as regulations that burden American businesses.

Even though their work will be mainly symbolic because Democrats control both the Senate and the White House, House Republicans want to establish a bulwark against a government that is out of control. The House controls the purse strings of the government; therefore, they can cease to give financial support to any program.

I hope that the incoming freshman class of Congress will remember that they represent the American people and that they were elected because they promised to do their part to return our nation to the Rule of Law. I hope they remember that they can be voted out of office as easily as they were elected if they fail to keep their promises.