Yes, we’re all outraged by how many czars what’s-his-name (the popular one with nice teeth) has appointed to power. Most people don’t even know how many czars the US has exactly. Fox Business News estimates 15 while the folks at Reuters.com think the actual number is around 21.
Here’s a short list of US czars we currently have with Obama’s rigorous help to expand executive power:1. Herb Allison-TARP , 2. Alan Bersin-Border , 3. Dennis Blair-Intelligence , 4. John Brennan-Terrorism , 5. Carol Browner-Energy , 6. Adolfo Carrion, Jr-Urban Affairs , 7. Ashton Carter-Weapons , 8. Aneesh Chopra-Technology , 9. Jeffrey Crowley-AIDS , 10. Cameron Davis-Great Lakes , 11. Nancy-Ann DeParle-Health , 12. Earl Devaney-Stimulus Accountability , 13. Joshua DuBois-Faith-based , 14. Kenneth Feinberg-Executive Pay , 15. Danny Fried-Guantanamo Closure , 16. J. Scott Gration-Sudan , 17. Richard Holbrooke-Afghanistan , 18. John Holdren-Science , 19. Van Jones Green-Jobs , 20. Gil Kerlikowske-Drug , 21. Vivek Kundra-Information , 22. George Mitchell-Mideast Peace , 23. Ed Montgomery-Car , 24. Dennis Ross-Mideast Policy , 25. Gary Samore-WMD , 26. Todd Stern-Climate , 27. Cass Sunstein-Regulatory , 28. Paul Volcker-Economic .
We’ve all heard Senator McCain’s one-liner he twittered about the czars: “Obama has more czars than the Romanovs.” Zing! Zang! Pow! If he had more zingers like that during the election, maybe the mainstream media would have embraced him again as the “straight-talk express” machine he was in 2000. (Of course, back then he was running against the evil, malevolent—stealer-of-elections!—George W. Bush, so he was their illicit Republican lover. By the way, where are all the media—who clamored for impeachment over W’s extensive executive powers—where’s their “outrage” over Obama’s vast expansion of executive power?)
And, yes, no one in our government really cares except for (Ron Paul, of course, and) West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd (D), who has stated, “the rapid and easy accumulation of power by White House staff can threaten the constitutional system of checks and balances.” That’s only the obvious problem. These czars have absolutely no legislative accountability as, say, the regular heads of bureaucratic monoliths do, such as Homeland Security Secretary Janet Reno, er, Napolitano, who had to sit through and frown (or is that her smile?) as members of the Senate confirmed her to her overpaid post.
Moreover, the czars themselves not only cause alarm concerning accountability, but they’ll pose authoritative problems as well. For example, who’s the real boss of government decisions regarding our health (as if government should be involved with our health in the first place): Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius or Health czar Nancy-Ann DeParle?
American liberty has suffered an onslaught of regulatory and policing agencies founded not only by Obama. The US has a long history of Presidents who were almost as arrogant as he is. FDR appointed his own “dictator of lumber” and “dictator of steel” while he was trying to socialize the country. Nixon appointed Carol Brewer as Energy czar in 1973, whose ineffectiveness only begot more government, the Federal Energy Administration, by 1977. Her uselessness was matched twice by Jimmy Carter’s two Inflation czars, Robert Strauss and Alfred Kahn. Of course, there’s Ronnie’s Drug czar Bill Bennet (who still sadly believes the War on Drugs is actually productive), Clinton gave us the first Health czar and AIDS czar (thank goodness!), and W generously bestowed us our first National Intelligence czar and Cyber-security czar. One wonders, just how could the American people get along without them? Is it even possible?
To say we have numerous federal departments, agencies, administrative councils and bureaucracies that have accumulated over an entire century of Presidents trying to make historical names for themselves is an understatement. (By the way, what do taxpayers pay these czars annually?) We now have a President who needs (28 and counting) czars to manage all of the crisscrossed and unwittingly concordant policy directives or objectives that may or may not be shared by all of those bureaucratic beasts. Does one even need be reminded that these bureaucracies themselves have little-to-no constitutional authority or accountability to the American public? (When’s the last time you spoke with your local, friendly FCC, EPA, IRS, FEA, CDC or DHS representative? Aren’t those federal agents charmingly good fellows?)
Presidents come and go. Politicians do the same (except for the very, very worst career types—Ted Kennedy comes to mind). But these bureaucracies, which have the authority to create all kinds of interesting, despotic new rules and regulations, affecting the lives of all Americans, with the force of federal law, have almost no representational authority.
Now their bosses have absolutely none. The czars answer to one man and one man only. How’s that for “the most transparent administration ever”?
Photo courtesy of governmentees.com
Comments
Well written and so true thank you!
Mr. Heller, you are so right, all these czars, scarry, scarry stuff.
Thanks, Dan! You know, despite spending 4 years studying political science at ASU, I still have absolutely no idea what a "czar" is. What's the purpose? What do they do? And, as you mentioned in your article, what's the difference between the head of a recognized agency and a czar? Time for me to do some more research...
He appointed a Cyber Czar about two weeks ago. I was going to research this only today & cannot. Must quickly look into this. I cannot today. Please have your staff research this. As usual he is doing things too quickly. I tried to enter tea party zipcode and got only negative articles.
Here's a solution ... for 2012 ...
US President: Ron Paul
US Vice-President: Andrew Napolitano
US Treasury: Peter Schiff
Now it's up to the American people.
The only thing I fear is that Americans may be apathetic. I hope they read and heed the signs.
Please.
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