Boehner: What the Next Speaker Must Do

By John Boehner Texas Insider Report: WASHINTON D.C.  Accountability starts at the top in the office of the speaker.  Secrecy arrogance & the abuse of power have shattered the bonds of trust between the people and their elected leaders. Repairing that trust requires sweeping change beginning with an end to earmarks. I grew up in a small house on a hill in Cincinnati Ohio with 11 brothers and sisters. My dad ran a bar Andys Caf that my grandfather Andrew Boehner opened in 1938. We didnt have much but were thankful for what we had. And we didnt think much about Washington.

Read Ohio Republican John Boehners (R-OH) comments in their entirety and watch his emotional Election Night speech (here below) as he stands in line to replace Democrat Nancy Pelosi to become the next House speaker in January 2011.

That changed when I got involved with a small business which I eventually built into a successful enterprise. I saw firsthand how government throws obstacles in the way of job-creation and stifles our prosperity. It prompted me to get involved in my government and eventually took me to Congress. Millions of Americans have had a similar experience. They look at Washington and see an arrogance of power. They see a Congress that doesnt listen that is ruled by leaders who seem out of touch and dismissive even disdainful of the anger that Americans feel toward their government and the challenges they face in an economy struggling to create jobs. The political landscape has been permanently reshaped over the past two years. Overreaching by elected officials in the form of pork-laden stimulus spending permanent bailouts and policies that force responsible taxpayers to subsidize irresponsible behavior has awakened something deep in our national character. This has led to a surge of activism by citizens demanding smaller more accountable government and a repudiation of Washington in Tuesdays elections. Tired of politicians who refuse to listen Americans who previously were not involved or minimally involved in the political process are now helping to drive it. While their backgrounds are as diverse as the country itself their message to Washington is the same: Government leaders are servants of the people; the people are not servants of their government. The members of the 112th Congress must heed this message if there is to be any hope of repairing the shattered bonds of trust between the American people and their elected leaders.  And that begins with the speaker of the House who as leader of the institution must lead by example. Accordingly there are several steps I believe the next speaker should be prepared to take immediately. Among them:

• No earmarks. Earmarks have become a symbol of a broken Washington and an entire lobbying industry has been created around them. The speaker of the House shouldnt use the power of the office to raid the federal Treasury for pork-barrel projects. To the contrary the speaker should be an advocate for ending the current earmark process and should adhere to a personal no-earmarks policy that stands as an example for all members of Congress to follow.

I have maintained a no-earmarks policy throughout my time of service in Congress. I believe the House must adopt a moratorium on all earmarks as a signal of our commitment to ending business as usual in the spending process.

• Let Americans read bills before they are brought to a vote. The speaker of the House should not allow any bill to come to a vote that has not been posted publicly online for at least three days. Members of Congress and the American people must have the opportunity to read it.

Similarly the speaker should insist that every bill include a clause citing where in the Constitution Congress is given the power to pass it. Bills that cant pass this test shouldnt get a vote. House Republicans new governing agenda A Pledge to America calls for the speaker to implement such reforms immediately.

• No more comprehensive bills. The next speaker should put an end to so-called comprehensive bills with thousands of pages of legislative text that make it easy to hide spending projects and job-killing policies. President Obamas massive stimulus and health-care bills written behind closed doors with minimal public scrutiny were the last straw for many Americans. The American people are not well-served by comprehensive and they are rightly suspicious of the adjective.
• No more bills written behind closed doors in the speakers office. Bills should be written by legislators in committee in plain public view. Issues should be advanced one at a time and the speaker should place an emphasis on smaller more focused legislation that is properly scrutinized constitutionally sound and consistent with Americans demand for a less-costly less-intrusive government.

The speaker of the House like all members of Congress is a servant of the American people. The individual entrusted with that high honor and responsibility should act accordingly. A speakers mission should not be to consolidate power in the speakers office but rather to ensure that elected officials uphold their oath to defend the Constitution and the American people we serve. If a speaker carries out that mission successfully the result should be legislation that better reflects the considerable challenges we face as a nation. The American people deserve a majority in Congress that listens to the people focuses on their priorities and honors their demands for smaller more accountable government. Accountability starts at the top in the office of the speaker. Mr. Boehner a congressman representing Ohios Eighth District since 1991 is the House Republican leader.