According to the Rasmussen poll (http://www.rasmussenreports.com) 67% of Americans opposed the bailout of General Motors. 72% of all Americans say that the auto companies should decide which dealerships to close, and not the government. More than half of Americans want us to drill for oil and natural gas in Alaska and off shore. A majority of Americans don’t believe that global warming is caused my human beings. By more than twp to one, Americans surveyed say Guantanamo shouldn't be closed. Only a third of Americans support the war in Afghanistan. Most Americans want to keep their present healthcare provider. 58% of Americans say that America is heading in the wrong direction. But in every case, the will of the people is not being done because they aren’t being properly represented.
Where is Congress?
Our elected representatives sit in Washington, and their purpose is the do the people’s bidding. But they are so busy trying to protect their jobs by sucking up to special interests that they seem to have lost sight of their purpose. Since he took office Barak Obama has usurped more power than any previous President representatives by selecting czars (unelected people who are accountable only to the president) to oversee major portions of our society. They have more power than his cabinet members, and none of them have been vetted by congress. Obama can relax because he has an army of czars to do his bidding.
An ABC News Political Hotsheet blog, written by Igor Kossov, makes the following observation:
Robert Byrd, the longest serving senator in history, criticized President Obama's appointment of numerous White House advisors, also called "czars," saying the presence of the czars gives the president too much power. These czars report directly to Mr. Obama and have the power to shape national policy on their subject area. So far, Mr. Obama has recruited czars on health reform, urban affairs policy, and energy and climate change. Unlike Cabinet secretaries, they do not have to be approved by Congress.
In case you have never heard their names, here is a partial list of Obama’s Czars.
Executive pay (appointed Wednesday): Kenneth Feinberg
Regulatory czar: Cass Sunstein
Health-care reform: Nancy-Ann DeParle
Efficiency: Jeffrey Zients
Southwest border czar: Alan Bersin
Energy: Carol Browner
Urban affairs: Adolfo Carrion
Economics: Paul Volcker and/or Lawrence Summers
Government performance: Nancy Killefer
Drug: Gil Kerlikowske
Car czar: Steve Rattner
Bank bailout: Herb Allison
Iran: Dennis Ross
Mideast: George Mitchell
Afghanistan/Pakistan: Richard Holbrooke
Cyber security: To be named
Distressed auto communities: Ed Montgomery
Climate change: Todd Stern
God Czar (no kidding!): Joshua DuBois
The idea of appointing czars is not a new one
FDR had advisors that he referred to as “czars.” But Obama has taken the appointment of czars to an entirely new level. All of his czars function and provide mandates in social areas outside the presidential powers that are enumerated within the Constitution. In other words, with the appointment of czars, Obama is operating outside his constitutional authority. If Congress doesn’t regain control of the government, Obama’s czars will eventually oversee everything from how much pay executives can receive to what kind of cars we are allowed to drive. The Constitution doesn’t even give Congress that much power.
Could it be that Barak Obama doesn’t have enough experience to mange a nation so he has to rely on others to make the important decisions? Or, worse, will he ultimately need the czars to help keep the people in line as he leads us down the steep path toward government control of every aspect of our lives? Does God really need a czar?
I don’t have the answers to those questions. Go ask your congressman.
Comments
Seems like this has been happening for awhile, although he is moving forward and making some adjustments compared to the last administration which was either wrong or absent.
I still think we need more information to base an accurate opinion. Somehow it feels like there is a blanket, as usual, between the politicians and the people. It was my understanding that this was going to change as well while he was campaigning "Change".
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