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A Timeless Principle: Restraint in Political Appointments for a More Perfect Union

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A Timeless Principle: Restraint in Political Appointments for a More Perfect Union

The scene is a powerful American tableau: On July 11, 1847, an aging Congressman John Quincy Adams, frail but resolute, marks his 80th birthday at his congressional desk. His final public battles are not for personal power, but for foundational principles—the defense of Habeas Corpus, the true meaning of “democracy,” and, poignantly, the critical need for territorial restraint. He argued against immoderate expansionism, warning that a constitution not adapted responsibly to new times risks becoming unconstitutional in practice. He died at that desk, a testament to the belief that limits and deliberate governance are essential to preserving the Republic’s core.

This historical moment offers a profound metaphor for a modern systemic challenge: the sprawling, often unchecked scale of political appointments within the federal government. While Adams contended with geographical boundaries, today we must confront the boundaries of executive patronage.

As we move deeper into the 21st century, a revealing contrast emerges. Nations renowned for stable and efficient governance—Switzerland, Sweden, France, Germany, Norway, and the United Kingdom—operate with striking restraint. Their systems typically allow the executive branch to appoint fewer than one hundred key political officials. The vast majority of their civil services are non-partisan, professional careers, ensuring continuity, expertise, and policy execution free from the whirlwinds of electoral politics. This is not an accident; it is a deliberate design to reduce competition for patronage, limit the machinery of faction, and prioritize governance over political machination.

The Founders, including Adams and Thomas Jefferson, deeply feared the corruption and inefficiency of a “spoils system.” They envisioned a republic led by a meritocratic cadre of public servants, answerable to the people and the law, not to partisan loyalty alone. One can compellingly argue that were they to witness the modern scale of thousands of “political appointees”—many layers deep across agencies—they would see a system ripe for the very patronage and faction they warned against.

It is in this spirit that The People Party of Connecticut advocates for a transformative, non-partisan reform: the Federal Appointments Restraint Act.

This proposed legislation would follow the precedent of history and the example of our allied democracies. It would statutorily limit the number of political appointees any incoming administration may name to a number commensurate with true leadership needs—a number measured in the low hundreds, not the thousands. Such a law would:

  1. Restore Merit and Expertise: Re-establish a bright line between temporary political leadership and permanent professional service, rebuilding institutional knowledge and competence.
  2. Curb Corruption and Patronage: Dramatically shrink the pool of positions traded for political support, thereby reducing the power of special interests and the relentless pressure of the appointment scramble.
  3. Ensure Government Continuity: Guarantee that the essential functions of government are managed by experienced officials, providing stability regardless of electoral outcomes.
  4. Re-focus Leadership: Allow Cabinet Secretaries and agency heads to lead effectively with a lean team of their own choosing, rather than managing a vast, politically tangled bureaucracy of appointees.

John Quincy Adams’s final plea for “territorial restraint” was, at its heart, a call for principled limits to preserve the whole. Applying that same wisdom to the architecture of our government is not a diminishment of executive power, but an elevation of national purpose. It is a necessary step to restrain the “immoderate expansionism” of patronage and return to a government of laws, not of men—or political machines.

The time has come for Congress to honor the foresight of our Founders and the lessons of global best practice. Let us pass the Federal Appointments Restraint Act. It is a vital measure to streamline governance, deter corruption, and truly Make America’s Government Great Again.

Sincerely, The People Party of Connecticut Mehdi LLC

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