The Unaccountable Obama Czar State -- A Very Dangerous State of Affairs

[Elizabeth Parella]

I've not been blogging much lately as we're packing to move to Florida, but I just had to post this which was found on The Heritage Foundation Website.

QUOTE

Yesterday the United States Department of the Treasury Special Master of Compensation Kenneth Feinberg announced a wage control scheme for the 175 executives of the seven companies that have received the most funds from the taxpayer funded Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). At first the Obama administration denied any involvement in Feinberg’s decision. Politico reports:

In fact, sources within the administration say the decision to cap corporate pay was Kenneth Feinberg's, and his alone. A senior administration official tells POLITICO that Obama did not sign off on the pay master’s decision. Feinberg didn't even brief the White House on it, the official said, but he briefed Treasury officials instead.

But after yesterday’s announcement that the Federal Reserve released its own plan to control how banks compensate their employees, the New York Times reported:

The announcement was choreographed to coincide with the decision by the Obama administration this week to cut the pay of many high earners at the seven companies that received the most taxpayer help. Both decisions were announced amid growing public outrage over large pay packages at many of those companies.

So which is it? Are the new wage control schemes launched by the Pay Czar and the Fed the acts of independent experts, or are they the closely controlled policy decisions of the Obama White House?

The answer to that question goes to the core of the very real constitutional problems that the proliferation of czars in the Obama administration creates. Obama appointed Feinberg to be his Pay Czar without any input from the American people and without any approval from Congress. Heritage fellow Matthew Spalding explained the problem in his recent testimony to Congress:

The issue is not whether the proliferation of “czars” amounts to a usurpation of power by the executive branch. Rather, the fundamental issue is how the rise of modern administrative government has put us in an unsolvable dilemma: whether policy should be made by technical experts, insulated from public accountability and control, or whether policy should be made by our elected representatives in Congress and the executive branch. The rise of government by bureaucrats–due to the delegation of power from Congress to administrative agencies, combined with the removal of those agencies from the President’s control–has given rise to efforts by Presidents from both parties to get the bureaucratic state under control through various mechanisms. The rise of “czars” in the current administration is just another manifestation–albeit, an unfortunate one–of this phenomenon.

If the American people did want hold the Fed and the Pay Czar accountable for their wage control decisions, right now there is no way for them to do so.

END QUOTE

And so it begins. As the best of the best leave their jobs at these institutions for more fruitful positions elsewhere, these institutions may well fail due to the likelihood that these successful folks will be replaced by less-educated, less-informed, less-skilled replacements.

This MUST be unconstitutional!!! Where are the folks out there with the big bucks behind them fighting this invasion into corporate life?

The administration speaks of the so-called public outrage about high salaries...who are these people? Do they not believe in a free market system? Are they anti-capitalistic? Or are they just jealous and stupid?

[Oregon Country Girl]

We will not go into the One World Government unless Congress and the House ratify the new Copenhagen treaty, I've heard that is not likely to happen. Although, the admin. is using Chicago style bully tactics. Did you see Glenn Beck's show yesterday? He showed what's going on. There is also an incredible amount of money involved trying to buy off Senators and Reps. to go against the will of the people. Which sounds a lot like treason. So, it's up to us to continue to call and fax our elected officials, and tell them "Not to sell America, and our people out"! If you know police officer's or law enforcement in your county and state, you may talk to them.

As far as I can see---it appears everything that this admin. is doing, is completely destroying everything our country was founded upon and stands for.

We must not ever give up, but become more determined than ever to stand up to tyrrany. You may want to get involved with your local political group, I have. Make a difference on the local level, as well.

[Linda Maddox]

Who are the anti-capitalistic? They are in the Obama administration! They are trying to destroy our capitalist nation! From what I've heard when he meets with the UN dictators next time. If he signs the climate change bill, it will put us under World Government and transfer our money into a world bank.