Dwight Eisenhower on Government Reform

1952: Who can clean up the mess in Washington? Ike can!

[The scandal] could cost Dwight Eisenhower the presidency. Not even a Nixon-ordered audit showing that none of the contributed money had gone to his private use could appease Eisenhower. "What was the use of campaigning against the business of what has being going on in Washington," he added with lethal candor, "if we ourselves aren't as clean as a hound's tooth?"

As the rumors of the "fund" spread, the outlook for Nixon grew dark. The New York Herald Tribune, an exuberant backer of Eisenhower, called for Nixon to resign his nomination.

Ike answered Nixon's desperate query with one of his own. "I'm having a tough time deciding this; it's about how people perceive it."

Assure minority right to vote, and all other rights follow

Incidentally, a few southerners in the Congress, some of them my personal friends, privately told me that in the matter of voting rights they agreed on the justice of and the need for my stand. But his declaration would be accompanied by the statement, "officially, publicly, I must be, in my state, against every kind of proposal on civil rights of whatever nature."

Term limits for House (16 years) and Senate (18 years)

I suspect that almost every member of the House of Representatives would favor the extension; more important, I believe it would be to the advantage of the country.

If the term of the House members were extended to 4 years with tenure limited to 3 elections with a maximum time of service of 16 years (to cover interim appointments), and that of senators to 2 terms of 6 years, with a maximum service time of 18 years, possibly each would spend less time in keeping his eyes on the next election and more in centering them on the good of the nation. A more rapid turnover of the membership in both Houses with its constant infusion of new blood would largely eliminate the "career" politician in Congress.

Line item veto could prevent pork barrel spending

Probably the framers of our Constitution contemplated that each bill introduced into the Congress would have one major purpose only and would be passed, amended, or rejected on the basis of the Congress's conviction as to its special need and desirability. However, in practice, Congress often passes a bill whose main provisions are generally desirable, but included also may be wasteful or needless expenditure authorizations. Thus, the President is often in the position of approving expenditures he feels are undesirable because they are appended to legislation which he deems in the best interests of the nation.

Lower the voting age to 18