By David Weinman ’11, Staff Writer

On January 2nd John Boehner was sworn in as the 61^st Speaker of the House, thus ushering an end to the Democratic supermajority of the past two years. He takes office on the heels of a historic victory for the Republican Party that gained sixty-three seats in the fall midterm election, the largest margin of victory for any party since 1938.  With such large gains, it is clear the Republicans have a large mandate, but the substance of that mandate can be easily misinterpreted as a return of the Republican rule that characterized the previous decade. It is not. Voters rejected the out-of-control spending and corruption of the previous Republican Congress in 2006, and they still reject it today. Those who have been elected intend to satisfy the voters’ wishes.

In order to clear the path for a worthy challenger to President Obama in 2012 and to set the country back on track, the Republican Congress should stop and repeal much of the Obama administration’s liberal agenda, cut spending, simplify the tax code and change the way Washington works.  Many conservatives in the Newark Academy community have also stressed the importance of returning to the values set forth in the American Constitution and of limiting the scope and size of the government. Mr. Bitler, for example, argues that the Republicans “should restructure and diminish government so that it conforms with what the Constitution of the United States of American actually says, and so that our inalienable rights are preserved and respected.”

John Boehner and the Republicans have already indicated that abiding by the Constitution will be a top priority.  They read the document aloud on the first day and passed new House rules requiring each newly-proposed bill to explain where it is justified in the Constitution. These are merely symbolic gestures, but it is a positive sign that Republicans will adhere to a Constitutionally-moderated government.

In order to fulfill this agenda, the GOP will have to maintain the political courage to say “no” to the Democrats, while wisely choosing their battles and, yes, working with the President to find common ground.  Their first move should be to pass a repeal of the health care law; doing so would fulfill an important campaign promise to skeptical Tea Party supporters. Obviously President Obama will quickly veto the bill, but the act may push him towards considering repealing some aspects of the law and considering a few Republican ideas, since he would have to defend his unpopular legislation once again.

After the veto, Republicans should propose a few clear and popular ideas, such as tort reform, buying health care across state lines, expanding Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), and eliminating the disastrous provision which forces small businesses to report all expenditures over 600 dollars. Even President Obama has called the provision too onerous, and its repeal would be important for the growth of small businesses and their ability to create jobs.

Until a Republican president is elected, current GOP Congressional representatives should wait to propose anything more controversial. Yet, one must not forget that these controversial measures, like the elimination of employer health insurance exemption and the creation of a competitive market for Medicare, will have to be addressed eventually.

The second most important goal for this Congress is to reduce spending. During his campaign, Boehner pledged to cut one hundred billon dollars from the budget in the first year, and he should accept no less. Although many Republicans have suggested he reduce that number by half, such a measure would show the public that the Republicans are not serious about spending cuts and that they are falling back on their old ways. Every department and agency of the government should be considered for cuts, including the military and defense organizations. If we cannot determine how to cut one hundred billion from the budget, than how can we, as a nation, be serious about dealing with the tens of trillions of unfunded liabilities, or debt? In addition, the new Congress should pass a measure that the President’s deficit panel has endorsed, namely that of eliminating tax loopholes in favor of reducing rates. Doing so would result in more federal revenue and would increase the incentive for industry and business to expand.

There exist countless important matters that the new Congress must consider and discuss over the next two years, but if our Congressional representatives address the three measures that have been mentioned, these next two years can be successful, productive ones.