Monday, September 14, 2009

Breaking News: Czar's Bad for Democracy

So what do these czars do? Do they advise the president? Or do they impose the administration's agenda on the heads of federal agencies and offices who have been vetted and confirmed by the Senate? Unfortunately -- and in direct contravention of the Framers' intentions -- virtually no one can say with certainty what these individuals do or what limits are placed on their authority. We don't know if they are influencing or implementing policy. We don't know if they possess philosophical views or political affiliations that are inappropriate or overreaching in the context of their work.
The above is a quote from Kay Bailey Hutchinson's column in the Washington Post titled, "Czarist Washington"

While administrations on the left and the right have had "czars", no president has established as many as Obama. These men and women are unscrutinized and have unknowable power - exactly what our Founding Fathers did not want when they framed the US Constitution's checks and balances.

Her call to action is telling....
The deployment of this many czars sets a dangerous precedent that undermines the Constitution's guarantee of separated powers. It must be stopped. President Obama should submit each of his many policy czars to the Senate so that we can review their qualifications, roles and the limits on their authority. To deliver anything less is to deny the American public the accountability and transparency the Constitution guarantees.

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