Posted on 06/22/2011 7:37:13 PM PDT by bronxville
Four Republican senators seek to cut off money to czars in the Obama administration and force current and future czars to undergo a Senate confirmation.
The senators, David Vitter of Louisiana, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Dean Heller of Nevada and Chuck Grassley of Iowa, have introduced the amendment in the Nominations Process Reform Bill.
Heller said the amendment, which defines czar as the “head of any task force, council, policy office or similar office established by the president that has not been confirmed by the U.S. Senate,” excluding the National Security Advisor, could return some accountability to the current administration’s nomination process.
“The nomination process was put in place so individuals seeking high-level positions in government are held accountable,” Heller said. “Czars are given a great amount of authority and control within the federal government without being nominated or vetted. The American public deserves to know who the President is appointing within his administration.”
In a statement, Vitter said he was “very concerned about that undefined authority of what are essentially political advisory positions, especially when the decisions they make can have profound effect on our lives.”
The amendment mirrors recent legislation by Lousiana Republican Rep. Steve Scalise, who introduced efforts targeting the post of “climate czar” in 2011 by halting the position’s funding. Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/06/22/republican-senators-seek-to-cut-funding-to-czars/#ixzz1Q3trdXSQ
great idea. We got rid of kings over 200 years ago.
Good
Long, LONG, overdue. What the hell took them so long?
It’s about time.
Talk is cheap, Senators.
The Democrats do more than talk.
Why didn’t Bush’s czars bother them? He had 33. The presidential “czars” go back to Roosevelt. Roosevelt and Truman had “food czars”. Why worry now?
We need to call these people commisars—political officers. We are allowing the Left to mis-name things, per usual. We all do this.
And of course they should be defunded. And then put on trial.
So we should keep them because they’ve been around for 60,70, 80 years? Yeah, that makes sense.
Good! Get rid of those so called czars once and for all!
You misunderstand my point. I am totally against czars and always have been, not just when my guy wasn’t in the WH. My question is why are these senators so concerned now?
I agree. If the President needs more cabinet positions he should go through Congress to get them. If not, no csars.
Can someone explain something to me.
These ‘czars’ are just ‘assistant secretaries’ for various cabinet level agencies or am I wrong?
Because there are so many more of them and because they are so partisan/evil?
Jennings was involved in the 2000 "Fistgate" scandal in which homosexual adults at a GLSEN youth workshop "guided young teens on how to engage in sexual perversions, including the violent gay practice known as "fisting."
NOTE WELL Obama gave radical homosexualist czar Kevin Jennings $410 million in the 2011 federal budget ON TOP of $400 million in 2010. Jennings just announced he was leaving the Obama admin (Jennings retires with riches beyond imagination--Obama gets a cut, of course).
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In 2008, Obama swore he was not for same sex marriage---but he has done everything possible to promote the homo agenda. (Excerpt) ........
NOTE The Federal Reserve Bldg Hoisted the Gay Pride Flag to Honor LGBT Month
U.S. Department of Education to host LGBT youth summit Monday and Tuesday in Washington, D.C.
U.S. Secretary of Education (official site) | June 06, 2011 (date of event) | Official press release
FR Posted on Sunday, June 05, 2011 2:26:03 PM by Salman
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will give remarks at the Department’s first-ever Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) youth summit at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 7, at the Washington Court Hotel in Washington, D.C. The two-day summit, “Creating and Maintaining Safe and Supportive Environments for LGBT Youth,” will take place Monday-Tuesday, June 6-7. Duncan will highlight the administration’s commitment to ensuring equal access to education for LGBT students as it does for all students. He also will discuss the Department’s Office for Civil Rights recently released guidance on the protection against harassment in an education setting based on gender, which includes gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender individuals. The guidance, which was sent to schools, colleges and universities in a “Dear Colleague” letter, explains educators’ legal obligations to protect students from harassment based on racial and national origin, gender and disability.Read more at wnd.com
CIRCA 2009 A coalition of Christian organizations launched an effort to have him removed, asserting that Kevin Jennings is one of the most vitriolic anti-Christian activists in America. Jennings is known for his prolific use of obscenities to describe Christians. Jenning will apparently advance Barack Obama's anti-Christian homosexual agenda.
The shocking Jennings appointment is another flagrant example of Obama saying one thing and doing another---and flaunting it, as well. Candidate Obama catered to Black Churchgoers who voted for him thinking he would uphold their strong views against same-sex marriage. Obama ran on a platform against same sex marriage and has given the impression that, as president, he will do nothing to advance same sex marriage.
This calculated move serves to make Black Churchgoers complacent while giving Obama leeway to advance the homosexualist agenda in other ways.
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OCTOBER 2009 Obama received a warm welcome at the annual dinner of the homosexual support group Human Rights Campaign, promising to sign hate crimes legislation, to repeal both "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and the "Defense of Marriage Act." and to continue supporting his besieged appointments as "safe schools czar" and head of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
WND revelations about Kevin Jennings, the safe schools czar, and Chai Feldblum, his EEOC nominee, have resulted in criticism in Congress and from group's concerned about past actions and statements.
53 members of Congress demanded that Obama dismiss Jennings following WND disclosures about his past, including an incident in which he counseled a 15-year-old student to keep quiet about being seduced by an older man. WND disclosures that Feldblum proclaimed "gay sex is morally good" have also made her a target for criticism.
"I'm here with a simple message: I'm here with you in that fight," Obama told the homosexual activist group. "For even as we face extraordinary challenges as a nation, we cannot and we will not put aside issues of basic equality. I greatly appreciate the support I've received from many in this room. I also appreciate that many of you don't believe that progress has come fast enough. I want to be honest about that. Because it's important to be honest amongst friends."
Obama made a direct reference to his besieged appointees without naming them. "Nobody in America should be fired because they're gay, despite doing a great job and meeting their responsibilities," he said. "It's not fair, it's not right, we're going to put a stop to it. Read more at wnd.com
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Ohaha and the Democrats know they can’t win on radical abortion and gay rights issues. 2008 Obama duped Black voters into voting for him----now 2012 Obama needs to convince church going black Christians that (A) he’s a lifelong Christian, (B) he is not the most extreme Democrat on the issue of abortion, and, (C) he is not a supporter of the homosexual agenda.
They answer to the President. They are not accountable as a cabinet post would be.
I believe Obama has 37. Bush had 33.
Remember Senator Byrd (RIP) said that so many czars “can threaten the constitutional system of checks and balances.”
They’re in charge of 1.7 trillion. I think we became more aware of them because of Van Jones, then there was Carol Browner - communist, Sunstein - population control and lawyers for animals, etc...
I understood your point perfectly.
Look, there are a zillion ways the government has stepped outside the bounds of the Constitution. We should encourage our lawmakers to get back within its constraints any time we can, regardless of who is in the WH.
Why are the senators doing it now? I imagine its for scoring political points since the measure is likely to fail but that does not mean we shouldn’t applaud the effort just because they didn’t go after it while our guy was in the WH.
Czars have long been a presidential overreach, and good riddance to them. Next up should be to outlaw “presidential signing statements”, that are some of the most unconstitutional activity ever done.
Having done this, the next thing the House and Senate should do is to mentally prepare for the impeachment of cabinet officers. While this can be done, only 1 cabinet officer has ever been impeached. But the important thing is that the congress has to be *comfortable* with the idea, as they are with the idea of impeaching federal judges, which they have done 15 times, including a Supreme Court justice.
This doesn’t mean actually impeaching anyone, just that congress needs to realize they *can*.
After that, congress must reestablish the seriousness of “contempt of congress” charges. If they subpoena someone to appear before them, that person has a right to plead the 5th Amendment against self-incrimination in front of them. What they do NOT have the right to do is refuse to appear.
If they refuse, then the committee, then congress as a whole can vote to cite them for contempt of congress, *and* refer that citation to a federal prosecutor for trial.
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