Columnist’s note: Please consider this an open letter to President Donald Trump and Steve Bannon, his intrepid special adviser.
May 20 will mark the four-month period for the still new Trump administration, which should provide the team with the time necessary to have performed the proper “environmental impact study” necessary to achieving the goal of draining the swamp by 2020.
So here are some honest and forthright questions to consider (if anyone from the administration cares to address them – publicly or privately). First, here are the two big over-arching questions, followed by more specific and narrow followups:
- How big is the swamp?
- And who’s blocking the drain?
The rest of the questions are designed to get down to the important details:
- Has a step-by-step drainage plan been developed?
- Is there a swamp-draining czar?
- Who are the members of the swamp-draining A-Team?
- Is it possible today to itemize what needs to go down the drain with the swamp goo?
- Is it time to name and identify the powerful interests and specific enemies of the swamp-draining initiative?
- Who are the allies of the Trump administration’s swamp SEAL squad?
- How can your supporters around the country help you meet these objectives?
- Has a checklist been developed?
- If so, what, if anything has been checked off the list in the first 120 days?
- Is it realistic that the mission could be accomplished before the election of 2020?
- How will the swamp-draining mission affect the 2018 midterm election?
- Can anyone be specific, at this point, about how draining the swamp in Washington will fundamentally change the culture of the federal government?
- Swamps breed mosquitoes and other pests. What are some of the plagues that will be addressed by the elimination of this standing bog?
- Some people love swamps. They are often referred to euphemistically by those trying to preserve the status quo as “wetlands.” Who is among the “wetlands preservation” forces?
- Will draining the swamp reduce the size of government?
- Is a return to constitutionally limited government one of the goals of draining the swamp?
- Is draining the swamp a prerequisite to reducing the $20 trillion national debt?
- Will draining the swamp make the government accountable to living within its means the way every business and individual and family in America must do?
- How was the swamp created in the first place?
- How can we assure it is never re-created after the swamp is drained?
- Is draining the swamp dangerous work?
- Have you faced threats from the swamp creatures who like their habitat?
- What are the major obstacles to finding the drain and pulling the plug?
- Has the swamp ever been drained before in the history of Washington?
- Is there a timetable?
- What will be the evidence average Americans can be looking for that will show that the work of draining the swamp is on schedule?
- Are you as confident today as you were during the campaign that draining the swamp is not a mission impossible?
- Who on the executive team has previous experience draining big muddies like this one?
- Can you point to any specific achievements yet?
- Is the swamp defined by your team just “everything that is wrong in Washington that needs correction”?
- Or is it something more definable like “the corrupt system that perverts constitutionally limited government in the best interests of the people”?
- How will we know when the job is done?
- Is anyone keeping score?
- Is a report card being developed?
- Which will be accomplished first – the swamp drained or the wall built?
I have other pertinent questions, but this should keep everyone busy for the time being.
Color me eager for answers, but patiently optimistic.
Media wishing to interview Joseph Farah, please contact [email protected].
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