Sczary Situation

Barack Obama has appointed another "Czar" in the past week, or is it two... heck, I can't keep up. What I do know is that there are now like, 19 or something. This small cadre of individuals have been appointed by the President to advise, manage, control, rule over (...choose your administrative style) particular aspects of our nation's business - and now of private business. While this is not unprecedented in its approach, Obama has taken it to a new level. A dangerous level. The President is using Czars as pseudo-Cabinet posts and giving them practically equal power. Yet, there are no checks or balances on this power as prescribed by the Constitution.

A lot of bloggers and conservative pundits have sounded the alarms about the US heading into Socialism or Fascism under this administration. Yet, they come out on occasion and pitch the people on why another czar is necessary. The last two appointed were for food and nutrition and executive compensation. It begs the question... are they right?

Czars are not accountable to ANY branch of government. They are not voted on by the people. They are not confirmed by Congress. There is no precedent within the courts to validate their existence. The key factor is that they "serve at the request of the President". Meanwhile, they are influencing, if not making policy that affects all Americans. So, when we don't like a decision they make, what is our recourse?

I think people are beginning to recognize this for what it is. A naked power grab for the President to have the final say in as many matters of American life as possible. I think Obama has stayed true to his radically-associative past. A leopard doesn't change its spots.

By skirting the constitutional processes in place, the President is gambling on his "I won" attitude that he will be allowed to do this unchecked. However, we get to vote again in 2010, in some places this year. As I noted before, the political winds are changing and Americans on both sides don't like what they see out of this President and Congress. As Democrats in NY vote with the Republican leadership because their own is too radical, and as Conservatives make a comeback in Europe to keep the Left in check, so too will American swing back to the middle.

Americans bought into the idea of change. And I agree. Change is sorely needed in DC. But with this President, it isn't even "the more things change, the more they stay the same"... This President is intent on the "fundamental" change he touted during the campaign. Where that leads, no one knows. But my guess is that when we get there, we won't like what we've allowed him to do.
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