“Here a Czar, There a Czar, Everywhere a Czar, Czar; Barack Obama Had a Farm…ahem a Commune”
Last time I checked, czars did not have the best track record throughout history… i.e. Ivan the Great; from his biography:
Other events of this period include the introduction of the first laws restricting the mobility of the peasants, which would eventually lead to serfdom, and change in Ivan’s personality, traditionally linked to his near-fatal illness in 1553 and the death of his first wife, Anastasia Romanovna in 1560. Ivan suspected boyars of poisoning his wife and of plotting to replace him on the throne with his cousin, Vladimir of Staritsa. In addition, during that illness Ivan had asked the boyars to swear an oath of allegiance to his eldest son, an infant at the time. Many boyars refused, deeming the tsar’s health too hopeless to survive. This angered Ivan and added to his distrust of the boyars. There followed brutal reprisals and assassinations, including those of Metropolitan Philip and Prince Alexander Gorbatyi-Shuisky.
So what exactly is a czar by definition?
1. an emperor or king.
2. (often initial capital letter) the former emperor of Russia.
3. an autocratic ruler or leader.
4. any person exercising great authority or power in a particular field: a czar of industry.
It can certainly be assumed that definition #4 is the one being used by the White House, but much could be argued that the eventual role of these czar will be autocratic authority over that industry. There is nothing Democratic about czars or those with absolute power.
Why don’t we use all the retread titles of the past? Fuhrer, Emperor, Ruler, King, or Potentate?
Obama is appointing czars as quickly as the House Wives of new York charge their American Express cards. The latest czar picks (why do I feel like this is an NFL draft?) are for Executive Pay, Health & Wellness, and next on the list: Meditation…? By the end of this we all may be living on some hippie commune practicing yoga, drinking green tea, eating organic fruits and vegetables that we planted, and using cow farts to power our electricity (after taxes of course). This is just sheer insanity. The government wants to control every aspect of our lives whether it’s how we relax, eat, smoke, drink, exercise, get paid, etc. I don’t see where in the constitution it allows for such obtrusion into our lives.
Here is some information on the Executive Pay Czar:
The Obama administration on Wednesday appointed a compensation czar who will have broad discretion to set the pay for 175 top executives at seven of the nation’s largest companies, which received hundreds of billions of dollars in federal assistance to survive.
The mandate given to the new compensation official, Kenneth R. Feinberg, a well-known Washington lawyer, reflects the federal government’s increasingly intrusive role in the corporate affairs of deeply troubled companies. From his nondescript office in Room 1310 of the Treasury building, Mr. Feinberg will set the salaries and bonuses of some of the top corporate executives in America, including Kenneth Lewis, the chief executive of Bank of America; Vikram Pandit, the head of Citigroup, and Fritz Henderson, the chief executive of General Motors.
The compensation of executives at some of the companies receiving aid provoked a firestorm of political outrage earlier this year. In revising an earlier proposal to set pay limits, the Obama administration has decided to take an approach that will leave the success or failure of the effort to curtail high compensation at the assisted companies in the hands of Mr. Feinberg. (Mr. Feinberg himself will not receive any government compensation.)
Instead of deciding compensation levels himself, the Treasury secretary, Timothy F. Geithner, decided to appoint Mr. Feinberg, a well-known mediator whose last high-profile assignment was putting a financial value on the lives of victims of the 9/11 attack, to decide the pay for the top 25 executives at the American International Group, Citibank, Chrysler, Chrysler Credit, General Motors, GMAC and Bank of America.
Just what America needs, another lawyer running things! This lawyer is only accountable to Obama and not “the people” and when a particular individual is establishing pay caps it can most definitely result in conflicts of interest and corruption. Not like that would be any different from the current political elite we have.
President Barack Obama eats his vegetables and exercises every day — and he really wants you to do the same.
From the White House garden to his picks for top health jobs, Obama is telling America’s McDonald’s-loving, couch-dwelling, doctor-phobic populace that things are about to change.
Don’t be fooled by the presidential burger runs. Obama and Congress are moving across several fronts to give government a central role in making America healthier — raising expectations among public health experts of a new era of activism unlike any before.
Any health care reform plan that Obama signs is almost certain to call for nutrition counseling, obesity screenings and wellness programs at workplaces and community centers. He wants more time in the school day for physical fitness, more nutritious school lunches and more bike paths, walking paths and grocery stores in underserved areas.
The president is filling top posts at Health and Human Services with officials who, in their previous jobs, outlawed trans fats, banned public smoking or required restaurants to provide a calorie count with that slice of banana cream pie.
Even Congress is getting into the act, giving serious consideration to taxing sugary drinks and alcohol to help pay for the overhaul.
I really hope he appoints Richard Simmons as one of, if not THE, czar. Wagyu beef required for everyone!
And the soon to be named Yoga Czar:
Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) says he’s found a cost effective way to address chronic pain, stress, and other illnesses: meditation.
Ryan is urging policymakers to consider adding “mindfulness education”–learning to reduce one’s own stress level–to healthcare reform legislation.
“Every day, I meditate for at least 45 minutes before leaving home in the morning,” Ryan wrote on his website. “I find it makes me a better listener, and my concentration is sharper. I get less distracted when I’m reading. It’s like you see through the clutter of life and can penetrate to what’s really going on.”
At a hearing last week, Ryan asked HHS Secretary Kathleen [Sebelius] to keep in mind the positive effects of mindfulness when re-working the nation’s healthcare system…
…”I think it’s a prevention strategy that I know has the potential of paying huge dividends,” Sebelius said.
My additional suggestion for a czar is Tommy Chong for weed czar – this would help our economy as well as “like, totally relax us, man” – His official title: Joint Chief of Grass.
