a Czar by any other name is still a Thorn

-by Linda Butts

Media skipped the transparent ink.

It chose bold, black ink, in the spirit of calling a Thorn a Thorn instead of a Blooming Flower.

Media chose a telling word to describe power bestowed to Presidential Elite: Czar. (It has a rather regal tone, doesn’t it?) Reagan had three (3) czars, Clinton nine (9) and GW, twelve (12). Russia, 1700-1900, had nineteen (19) czars. Current count for President Obama’s Czars, whose names are known: twenty nine (29) czars. (*updated 090823, now 30 czars) Not all czar positions have been filled, not all czars are identified.

Appointed czars do not need Congressional approval. They report directly to the president and have the power to shape National Policy. Senator Bryd pointed out that the presence of czars gives the president too much power.

Czars represent not the people, rather the president, which has been dubbed the Dictator Branch of Government. Maybe the Czars represent their own, self interests. There is no oversight of their actions or decrees. Maybe they are accountable to the president, maybe themselves, but not the public. They represent only power, not the people of the United States.

Obama’s Czars

1. AIDs Czar — Jeffrey Crowley
2. Afghanistan-Pakistan Czar — Richard Holbrooke
3. Bank Bailout Czar — Herb Allison
4. Border Czar — Alan Bersin
5. Car Czar — Ron Bloom
6. Climate Czar — Todd Stern
7. Copyright Czar
8. Cyberspace Czar — Melissa Hathaway
9. Drug Czar — Dave Cook
10. Economic Czar — Paul Volcker
11. Education Czar
12. Energy Czar — Carol Browner
13. FCC Diversity Czar — Mark Lloyd *updated 090823
14. Faith-based Czar — Joshua DuBois
15. Government Performance Czar
16. Great Lakes Czar — Cameron Davis
17. Green Jobs Czar — Van Jones
18. Guantanamo Closure Czar — Danny Fried
19. Health Care Czar —Nancy-Ann DeParle
20. Health Choices Czar
21. Health Reform Czar
22. Information/Infotech Czar —Vivek Kundra
23. Intelligence Czar —Admiral Dennis Blair
24. Iran Czar
25. Middle East Peace Czar — George Mitchell
26. Middle East Policy Czar — Dennis Ross
27. Mortgage Czar
28. Non-Proliferation Czar
29. Pay/Compensation Czar — Kenneth Feinberg
30. Regulatory Czar — Cass Sunstein
31. Science Czar — John Holdren
32. Stimulus Accountability Czar — Earl Devaney
33. Sudan Czar — J Scott Gration
34. TARP Czar — Herb Allison
35. Technology Czar — Aneesh Chopra
36. Terrorism/WMD/nonproliferation Czar — Gary Samore
37. Urban/Housing Affairs Czar — Adolfo Carrion
38. Violence Against Women Czar — Lynn Rosenthal

*updated 090823

source

Byrd Calls Obama’s Czars Dangerous – Political Hotsheet – CBS News

Biden Announces White House Advisor on Violence Against Women – Political Punch

Obama fashions a government of many czars | U.S. | Reuters

Counting the czars

Czar Watch – FOX News – Truveo Video Search

Czar Watch – FOXNews.com

originally posted at lindabutts.wordpress.com