One
of the most lopsided exit poll results from the presidential election is that
voters who wanted change voted overwhelmingly for Trump. His clarion call
to “Drain the Swamp” reverberated across America’s great hinterlands last
night. In addition to lobbyists, let’s be sure to purge some burrowing
civil service political appointees.
Political
appointees converting to career civil servants is a process called burrowing,
and helps ensure that our politicized institutions largely remain intact even
though a majority of voters would rather change course. Even Bill Clinton
tacitly acknowledged that change was in the air with his twisted assertion that
Hillary is the candidate of change.
Obama’s
legacy was shredded by this stark referendum on his failed presidency, but he’s
a stubborn, petulant man who will try to salvage some semblance of a legacy by
surreptitious means. He has already tried to change the demographic face
of America through illegal executive orders on immigration, and he has been
able to shape the judiciary in his image with leftist judges. Another way
to preserve his meager contributions to posterity will be to entrench his
political appointees in the bureaucracy.
The
majority of our civil servants are dedicated professionals; nevertheless, at
the top, the civil service is highly politicized, and Americans have little faith
in our institutions. A recent Gallup
survey found that the federal government ranked last in positive
views. We shouldn’t be surprised, since corruption is rampant in federal
agencies, where uncivil dogmatists masquerade as civil servants.
As
part of his 7-point “Drain the Swamp” platform, Donald Trump has promised to
impose a freeze on federal hiring. They may be dismayed this morning, so
let’s enhance their morale by limiting political-to-civil servant conversions
so qualified career applicants don’t lose promotions to agenda-driven
appointees. Let’s protect the integrity of the feds by blocking the
burrowing swamp rats who ravage our otherwise devoted civil service.
Even
if conversion rates fluctuate, burrowing is still poorly
managed and subject to political shenanigans. Office of
Personnel Management press secretary Samuel Schumach said his office
does not have a way to determine how many Obama political appointees have
applied or will apply for civil service employment. That’s disconcerting!
We
need comprehensive civil service reform, but let’s start by restoring
confidence in our institutions by implementing a waiting period after a
political appointee leaves office before being eligible for a civil service
job.
Drain the swamp, then fumigate it from the stench of burrowing
political rats.
