After
my recent column suggested winning policies for President Trump’s second term,
a Republican friend wrote, “Donald Trump stole creative property of my
daughter’s and refused compensation even after he was caught. He’s a disaster
and a disgrace!”
No
one can blame my friend’s opinion.
Presidential
qualifications, however, are different from personal morality. The George
Bushes were both nice people but middling presidents. The socialism of Barack
Obama, an exceptionally pleasant gentleman, made him a dreadful president.
I
want a candidate who’s unafraid of the media and has the desire and capability to
cut tax rates, cut regulations, and reduce the government’s size. Doesn’t
matter if he’s an uncouth narcissist. He’d get my vote even if he’s a lying, cheating,
thieving Darth Vader.
Mr.
Trump has faltered on reducing government’s size. One hopes for improvement.
Soon
after Gerald Ford became president in 1974, I commented on a radio show, “Government
generally causes more harm than good. The press characterizes Mr. Ford as slow
and incompetent. If this is true, the government would cause harm more slowly
and less effectively, and that’s a net gain.”
Before
the Civil Service was created in 1883, America had the spoils system, whereby
the president could hire government workers at will. This brought in possibly
incompetent people for short-term employment. Civil Service brought in
competent people for long-term employment.
But
the more competent the government workers and the longer they remain, the more
damage they do. I prefer the spoils system, thank you.
