Ripon Forum


Vol. 52, No. 6

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In this edition

In this edition of the Forum, we reached out to GOP leaders around the country and asked them a simple question: “What would you like to see from Washington in the coming year?”

Profiles and Perspectives: President Bush Responds

To mark the President George H.W. Bush’s passing on November 30th at the age of 94, the Forum has decided to reprint our interview conducted with him in 1990.

Govern Within Your Means: A Unifying Goal in Divided Times

The greatest contribution President Trump and Congress could make in 2019 is to follow the lead of cities across America and balance their budget.

Diversity is Key to Election Security

As we look to modernize as a nation, Washington needs to ensure the administration of elections stays under state and local control as required by the 10th amendment of the Constitution.

With Divided Federal Government, a Silver Lining Could Emerge

At a time when our federal government continues to expand and the national debt continues to grow, there can be virtue in gridlock.

People Matter, and it’s Time for Washington to Lead

As the New Year begins, I urge Congress and the President to hit reset and begin giving their constituents the leadership America deserves.

It’s Time to Return Common Sense to Washington

We strive to give small businesses the service they need, when they need it. That is the way the federal government needs to work.

Forget Term Limits. How about Time Limits?

They say work expands to fill the time allotted. Maybe a deadline would help move work along.

The Party of Results in the Age of Rhetoric

Voters know that America is moving in the right direction with a booming economy, lower taxes for hardworking families and respect for our great nation around the globe.

Healthcare and Immigration: Our Most Salient Issues Are Longstanding Problems

As long as both Republicans and Democrats come to the table and agree not to dig in their heels, I am hopeful.

A Message from the States

The federal government has usurped power from the states and our individual liberties have eroded resulting in a bloated national bureaucracy.

Voters Deserve to Know Their Votes will Count

In a recent Gallup poll, a full one-third of Americans were not confident that their votes are accurately counted.

Empower, Don’t Impede, the Pioneering Spirit of the States

Nothing is given without strings attached, and the guidelines and regulations that come along with federal grants hinder progress.

Election Security: An Ongoing Responsibility

A core strength of American elections is the decentralized process. No one entity has oversight over all ballot counting, which means there’s no single point for a bad actor to attack.

Forget Term Limits. How about Time Limits?

When we look to Washington D.C., we look through the lens of what John Winthrop described as, “a city upon a hill.” We don’t expect partisan rancor or a bureaucracy mired in red tape. We expect to see the potential of a nation, the promise of a better tomorrow for every American.

In today’s political landscape, it can be so difficult to see how far we have come. On a recent visit to the President Ronald W. Reagan Presidential Library in California, I was reminded how much the tone and tenor of our discourse can affect the mood of the nation.

President Reagan, like leaders from both sides of the aisle, liked to rely on Winthrop’s words to describe his vision, his way of looking at America’s potential. It wasn’t until his farewell address to the nation in January 1989 that he fleshed out that vision.

President Reagan said, “…In my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity.”

The power that underlies Republican Party principles is one of endless opportunity.

When we contemplate what we want to see coming out of Washington, we must first think of what we want to see our nation be and what we want to see our nation become.

The power that underlies Republican Party principles is one of endless opportunity. Our party is rooted in a positive vision that anything you are willing to work for can be achieved.

That is why it is so critical that the ideas and policy proposals coming from Washington must embrace with enthusiasm empowerment through opportunity.

That’s why landmark legislation like the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act, which has created jobs, empowered families to save, and allowed businesses to reinvest, is so vital to our way forward.

That’s why proposals like the President’s Infrastructure Initiative, which would create partnerships between government and private business, are so necessary.

These ideas and initiatives are forward-thinking, positive ways to make our nation better by expanding economic opportunity and stimulating economic activity.

If we can focus on where we want our nation to go, we can tackle significant public policy challenges and find new ways to keep America that bright, shining city upon a hill.

But how do we ensure these proposals become policy? How do we move forward in a time when Washington D.C. seems stalled on bringing any “big ideas” into reality?

Some will tell you that we must make fundamental changes to our political structure to ensure continued progress. I don’t wholly disagree with this way of thinking, but I do think you have to be careful in tinkering with the framework of our system of government.

I know concepts like Congressional term-limits are nothing new. They offer a convenient elixir for those looking to cure the ills of “the swamp.”

I appreciate every member of Congress and am grateful for their service. I can only imagine how frustrating it must be for them to be stymied by gridlock.

But I’d offer another idea. In Georgia, our General Assembly is limited by our state constitution to meeting for just 40 legislative days per year. Now with weekends and committee-work days, those 40 legislative days usually stretch out to about three months, so there is a way to allow for extra time if needed.

But we do not have the luxury (or curse) of an endless calendar like Congress does. If you want to make Congress, and the federal government as a whole, more responsive and more accountable to the will and needs of the nation, perhaps limiting the amount of time it can be in session per year would serve to apply some gentle pressure.

They say work expands to fill the time allotted. Maybe a deadline would help move work along.

For example, if you limited Congress to meeting for only six months of the year, you’d not only have the benefit of saving money on security and other expenses, but you’d allow members to spend more time in their home states.

They’d get to see firsthand the challenges and opportunities at home and design more thoughtful legislation on how to tackle those issues.

I appreciate every member of Congress and am grateful for their service. I can only imagine how frustrating it must be for them to be stymied by gridlock.

We all want our nation to be better. As Republicans, we have some very positive ideas on how to achieve long-term goals.

Perhaps, at the end of the day, all we need is a deadline to help us get there.

It may not cure every ill, but if it gets us one step closer to President Reagan’s vision of us as that “city on a hill,” it is worth a shot.

David Ralston is the 73rd Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives.