Drain the real swamp: Washington

Ronald Reagan might have, but lacked the means.

Bill Clinton could have, but was busy with staffing issues.

Barack Obama, and especially George W. Bush, should have.

Donald Trump, the ultimate wild card, and perhaps the only president with the necessary boldness, could finally do it.

What is the pressing issue that our modern presidents have failed to address?

Draining the “swamp” – literally. But we’re not talking politics, such as ridding Washington of businessas-usual hacks. Infinitely more important, that which needs to be drained and dissipated is government itself. It’s no secret that within Washington, D.C. – which actually was a swamp – lies virtually every vital core asset of the United States’ government. The physical security of our capital has become untenable, so the risk of maintaining the status quo is far outweighed by the logistical challenges of spreading government across all 50 states.

Massive decentralization is the ultimate good-government policy. And while not political in nature, there would be massive political benefits to whomever makes it happen. And just because something scores political points doesn’t mean it’s not the right thing to do.

Here’s a look at why diversifying government is a win-win:

We have extensive continuity-of-government plans, to the point where, during the State of the Union, one cabinet official is whisked off to a faraway installation, in case the entirety of the American government gets vaporized. So if we know this, and make corny TV shows about it (“Designated Survivor”), then why haven’t we remedied the situation?

Stock portfolios are diversified to mitigate risk from being too heavily invested in one area. The same principle applies here. We don’t need the entire defense department located in one building. That’s insanity. The Pentagon was successfully targeted on 9/11, damaged extensively, and suffered significant disruptions – and that was just from a single plane.

Of disasters that could cripple Washington, the most obvious – nuclear, radiological, chemical, or biological attacks – come to mind for good reason: Each could render D.C. uninhabitable, and would decimate markets, government and lives. But there are numerous other threats: disease outbreak (natural or deliberate); power grid failure; natural disasters (climate change induced “100-year” storms are occurring annually); and an unpredictable “black swan” event. In every case, a government based outside Washington would mitigate catastrophic outcomes, sustain government and stave off anarchy and martial law.

Fact is, good public policies generate political gains for incumbents. Any president would reap rewards from decentralizing government, but since Donald Trump is in office, he would obviously benefit the most. To maximize credibility, Mr. Trump should form a commission, headed by Newt Gingrich, and give it six months to develop a plan determining which departments should be relocated, and to where. One hopes that disbursing governmental agencies would be done equitably and with common sense. But it would be naïve not to think that substantial infrastructure will be relocated to swing states crucial to a president’s re-election, where the influx of people and jobs would provide unprecedented economic vitality – and tremendous political goodwill.

The cost of living in D.C. is astronomical – a price tag largely shouldered by taxpayers who must fund vastly inflated government salaries and services. Decentralizing Washington would be good stewardship of the people’s money, as government buildings could be sold at a premium, and salaries in the heartland would be a fraction of what they are in the capital. Operations would be more efficient and exponentially cheaper.

In the face of disaster, private companies implement disaster recovery/business continuity plans by utilizing redundant facilities, thereby maintaining seamless operations. So why isn’t our government doing the same?

If the government extricates its head from its derriere and diversifies so that folks in Minnesota, Colorado and Mississippi can keep operations going, we will have given our future generations something invaluable: America’s survivability.

Mr. President, it’s time to drain the real swamp.