With the replacement this week of Steven Rattner as the Obama Administration’s Car Czar, it might be a good time to take a look at Obama’s real administration.
For the past six months, President Barack Obama has been establishing a shadow government of “czars” in the White House. These czars apparently have more power than cabinet officials – and report directly to the president. The czars are accountable to him alone and no one knows precisely how much power each of these individuals will wield over our nation’s policies during the next three and a half years.
The main problem with czars is that they are appointed and report directly to the president. So, unlike most of the high profile positions in the administration, czars are not subject to the scrutiny of Congressional hearings for confirmation nor are they responsible to an electorate. Therefore, these people are appointed to high public office without being responsible to we the people. However, unlike private advisors to the president, these czars have an enormous amount of power. Their salaries are not public and even the reach of their jurisdiction is unclear. This is cause for dramatically reduced transparency and without the checks and balances of the Constitution.
We are transforming into more of a fascist type of government than people can image. For example, fascism calls for government control of business and is set up with a single leader. Under that leader are high ranking party members in charge of major government agencies which control virtually all facets of the country, both private and government. Under these “ministers” are even more party leaders. What transpires between the leader and his ministers are not subject to public scrutiny. Obama and his multitude of czars are creating this type of structure and it is NOT constitutional.
Of course, just like Obama did not start the out of control spending and raising of deficits, he did not introduce the concept of appointing czars. He has, however, taken it to a level which would have made Mussolini proud.
Here is an example of how preceding presidents have expanded the number of czars compared to that of President Obama’s group:
President Reagan: 1 Czar
· Drug Czar
Carlton Turner: 3/12/1985
President George H. W. Bush: 1 Czar
· Drug Czar
William Bennett: 3/10/1989
Robert Martinez: 3/21/1991
President Clinton: 3 Czars
· Health Czar
Ira Magaziner: 1993
· Drug Czar
Lee Brown: 6/21/1993
Barry McCaffrey: 3/1/1996
· AIDS Czar
Kristine M. Gebbie: 6/25/1993
Patricia S. Fleming: 11/10/1994
Sandy Thurman: 4/7/1997
President George W. Bush: 4 Czars
· National Intelligence Czar
John D. Negroponte: 4/21/2005
Mike McConnell: 2/13/2007
· Cybersecurity Czar
Rod Beckstram: 3/7/2008
· AIDS Czar
Scott Evertz: 4/9/2001
Dr. Joseph O’Neill: 7/19/2002
· Drug Czar
John Walters: 12/7/2001
President Obama: 16 Czars (and counting)
· Drug Czar
Gil Kerlikowske, former Seattle police chief
· Energy and Environment Czar
Carol Browner
· Homeland Security Czar
John Brennan
· Health Czar
Nancy-Ann DeParle
· Urban Affairs Czar
Adolfo Carrion, Jr.
· Economic Czar
Paul A. Volcker
· Regulatory Czar
Cass R. Sunstein
· Technology Czar
Vivek Kundra
· Government Performance Czar
Jeffrey Zients
· Border Czar
Alan Bersin
· WMD Policy Czar
Gary Samore
· Intelligence Czar
Dennis Blair
· Car Czar
Steven Rattner
Ron Bloom
· Pay Czar
Kenneth R. Feinberg
· Great Lakes Czar
Cameron Davis
· Cyber Czar
TBA
As it currently stands, the Obama Czars, whose backgrounds cannot be verified, are now extending control over the private lives of American citizens. We can only wonder what the responsibilities of czars like the Cyber or Tech Czar are and just how much power this individual will be wielding since nobody seems to have the authority to question it or them.