Political Discussions
Czar Light, Czar Bright....
Posted by anticsrocks • 7/13/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: constitution, czar, obama, science
The idea of Czars is unconstitutional, dishonest and bad for the country. They are beholden to no one but the President and there are no checks and balances on what they do, or the money the spend. Also, they are not vetted via the Congress in the same way that cabinet appointees are.
Here is who Obama chose to be his Science Czar:
zombietime.com/john_holdren/
It is a scary thought that this man has power in our country.
User Comments
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I thought that I was pretty clever to come up with "czar of czars," but appearently, numerous people have beat me to it
BTW, According to wikipedia, here is the first "Czar" in America (so called by Time Magazine)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_E._Simon
www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,908276,00.html
The term became a household phrase thanks to no other than Joe Biden when he referred to the Director of the Drug Abuse Policy Office as a "Drug Czar" in 1982
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_czar -
Here are some more czars in the Obama administration to be afraid of, AR:
Alan Bersin: Border Czar Assistant Secretary for International Affairs, US Department of Homeland Security
Carol Browner: Energy Czar Assistant to the President, White House Office of Energy and Climate Change
Adolfo Carrion: Urban Czar Director of the White House Office of Urban Affairs Policy
Vivek Kundra: Infotech Czar Chief Information Officer of the United States
Joshua DuBois: Faith-based Czar Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships
Nancy-Ann DeParle Health reform Czar Director of the White House Office of Health Reform
Herb Allison: TARP Czar Assistant Secretary for Financial Stability, US Department of the Treasury
Earl Devaney: Stimulus accountability Czar Inspector General, US Department of the Interior
Gary Samore: Nonproflieration Czar
John O. Brennan: Terrorism Czar Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security
Cass Sunstein: Regulatory Czar Director of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Gil Kerlikowske: Drug Czar Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy
Daniel Fried: Guantanamo Base closure Czar Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, US Department of State
John Holdren: Science Czar Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy
Melissa Hathaway: Cybersecurity Czar Director of the White House Office of Cybersecurity
Kenneth Feinberg: Compensation Czar
Be afraid, AR! Be very afraid!
(as the expression goes: ignorance breeds fear) -
One person controlling something is never a good thing-
a "czar" is a director of policy on a certain issue. For instance, Donald Rumsfeld was essentially Nixon's Price-Control Czar.
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Really Agit8r? I did not know that. (sarcasm)
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About Donald Rumsfeld running Nixon's price controls? I guess they had some fun little chit-chat too.... it's all on the tapes
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My biggest problem with the Czars is twofold -
1. No vetting and confirmation process.
2. No checks and balances. -
sorta like a Fuhrer haha
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I find the name "czar" silly, but I don't get where the lack of constitutionality comes in.-
You're kidding, right? The lack of constitutionality comes in because the Czars have no checks and balances on their power, they can spend taxpayers' money with no limits, they only answer to the President and Congress doesn't get to confirm them, so they are not vetted.
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The Constitution is pretty clear on who has to be confirmed. I don't recall it forbidding this kind of thing. And the Congress still wields the power of the purse. So no, I'm not kidding. And last I heard, most of these czars have very little authority. To make your case, you'd need to enumerate the powers of specific "czars" and then show how Congress has no ability to fund or defund them.
Right now I'm just hearing lots of vague accusations that sound like a right-wing talking point, the kind I heard last fall when people tried to do like jhix above: www.blogcatalog.com/politics/discuss/entry/czar-light-czar-bright#comment_1... -
Well, then. Everything is okay!!
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Wasn't Reagan that appointed the first so-called "Czar" and didn't Bush have a number of them in his administration?
Regardless, Mark introduces a valid point. Czars seem to have very little authority and it's Congress that makes the final decisions regarding funds.
This is just more of the far-right rhetoric and fear mongering we've grown to expect form AR.-
No Ruinous, you are wrong yet again.
"Drug Czar is an informal name for the person who directs drug-control policies in the United States. The 'czar' title was first used to refer to an appointed government official in a Time Magazine article in December 1973, referring to William E. Simon's appointment as the head of the Federal Energy Administration."
Joe Biden first coined the term publicly in the early '80s. -
Care to share the source of your wisdom? Got a link that we will consider legitimate?
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he copied my comment/source above. more or less...
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"In the postwar era, the rise of the "czar" has accompanied the expanding role of the executive office in promoting policy initiatives; the term tends to be used when presidents create special new posts for the individuals charged with pushing those initiatives through. Nixon succumbed to czarmania, appointing the first "drug czar," Jerome Jaffe, in 1971 (long before William Bennett took the mantle in 1988). But it was the title of "energy czar" that got the most attention during those days of OPEC embargoes and gas rationing. Though John A. Love first held the title in 1973, his more powerful successor William E. Simon really got the "czar" ball rolling. Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau found the "czar" title fitting, depicting Simon imperiously asking for his "signet ring and hot wax." Simon, for his part, enjoyed the sendup and took pleasure in colleagues calling him "your czarship."
www.slate.com/id/2207055/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_czar
And I didn't intentionally copy your post, Agit8r. -
I note that the Slate article explains just what these czars are: "interagency point people charged with cutting through red tape to coordinate policy," "bureaucratic troubleshooters.' Gee. How sinister. Interagency coordination. Because our democracy is in danger if its right hand knows what its left hand is doing.
The Slate piece also points out that the Obama administration is not a fan of this language.
I suggest you find something rather more substantial when you feel like accusing the Obama administration of undermining our democracy. -
mark, I apologize if I "cast aspersions" on your messiah.
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"No Ruinous, you are wrong yet again."
My mistake then.
Still... does this mean Bush was involved in something that was "unconstitutional, dishonest and bad for the country"?? -
"Still... does this mean Bush was involved in something that was "unconstitutional, dishonest and bad for the country"??"
In my estimation, yes. I think the whole ideas of Czars is bad for America. -
See, we can find common ground!
We both believe Bush was involved in something that was unconstitutional, dishonest and bad for the country.
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Is it that big of a deal that I call Bush on something? I have made my position known that Presidential appointed Czars are bad for America.
And by the way, why are you not saying that I am not acting ideologically about this topic? Because in practically every post you try but fail to blast me on, you claim that I "spew right wing talking points" and am a "far right ideologue."
You sure cry foul an awful lot, but are slow to offer the opposite when appropriate. Kinda makes your positions on most things much less credible, doesn't it? -
Did I say it was a big deal?! I'm just trying to find common ground with you and I think we hit a milestone! We both agree Bush was dishonest and bad for the country and that's a step in the right direction!
Of course, you still are trying to turn the tables by making claims that simply aren't true. I'm not failing in pointing out your distortions and I only blast on your rhetoric... not you. Quit trying to make everything about YOU. Don't you know the difference between an attack on ideas vs. personal attacks? Probably not since you keep making personal attacks while others spread your propaganda.
When have I cried foul anyway?! You certainly are clever at making up stories and distorting things I've said.
Anyway... now that we are beginning to see things eye to eye... can't we just be friends?? -
Truce. Doesn't mean I agree with everything in that post, but I get the gist of what you are saying.
But spreading my propaganda? lol
By the way, Bush did some good things too. I never said he was totally bad, although I abhorred his economic policies. -
Yea... that was supposed to be shredding. It's late.
Have a great weekend! -
You too, my far left friend.
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I wonder where the outrage was during the "War on Drugs" o_0
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That was different. Those czars were Republican.
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I drank Czar Light one time. Needed more hops
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...but no bitter aftertaste.
As far as we know yet anyways.
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