A question asked all along Pennsylvania Avenue and at the West front of the Capitol on September 12, 2009 was mercifully answered at the same spot nearly eight and a half years later, on January 20, 2017.

More than one million Americans who descended on Washington DC on a warm Saturday morning in September 2009, seeking fiscal responsibility from a government gone wild, deaf to the people of the heartland, asked official Washington:

Can you hear us now?

Newly elected President Donald Trump wasted no time answering that question within minutes of taking the oath of office:

Today’s ceremony ... has very special meaning. Because today we are not merely transferring power from one Administration to another, or from one party to another – but we are transferring power from Washington, D.C. and giving it back to you, the American people.

For too long, a small group in our nation’s capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost.

Washington flourished – but the people did not share in its wealth.

Politicians prospered – but the jobs left, and the factories closed.

The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country.

Their victories have not been your victories; their triumphs have not been your triumphs; and while they celebrated in our nation’s capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land.

That all changes – starting right here, and right now, because this moment is your moment.  It belongs to you.

It belongs to everyone gathered here today and everyone watching all across America.

This is your day.  This is your celebration.

And this, the United States of America, is your country.

What truly matters is not which party controls our government, but whether our government is controlled by the people.

January 20th, 2017 will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again.

The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.

Everyone is listening to you now.