Barack Obama’s decision to exile the ethics czar to the Czech Republic and leave his duties to White Hose Counsel Bob Bauer raises serious questions about the President’s commitment to transparency (not that we haven’t already seen enough to know the answers to these questions). As Timothy Carney reported recently, Bauer has no use for open government.
Leave a commentBauer is renowned as a “lawyer’s lawyer” and a legal expert. His resume, however, reads more “partisan advocate” than “good-government crusader.” Bauer came to the White House from the law firm Perkins Coie, where he represented John Kerry in 2004 and Obama during his campaign.
…Bauer’s own words — gathered by the diligent folks at the Sunlight Foundation — show disdain for openness and far greater belief in the good intentions of those in power than of those trying to check the powerful. In December 2006, when the Federal Election Commission proposed more precise disclosure requirements for parties, Bauer took aim at the practice of muckraking enabled by such disclosure.
On his blog, Bauer derided the notion “that politicians and parties are pictured as forever trying to get away with something,” saying this was an idea for which “there is a market, its product cheaply manufactured and cheaply sold.” In other words — we keep too close an eye on our leaders.
In August 2006 Bauer blogged, “disclosure is a mostly unquestioned virtue deserving to be questioned.” This is the man the White House has put in charge of making this the most open White House ever.
…Did I mention Bauer was a lobbyist? At Perkins Coie, Bauer lobbied on behalf of America Votes Inc., a Democratic 527 funded by the likes of the AFL-CIO and ACORN.
The Sunlight Foundation is also concerned about the fact the White House no longer has anyone whose job is transparency, as Eisen’s job was. John Wonderlich, at SunglightFoundation.com, lists a few transparency promises on which the president hasn’t followed through, including earmark transparency, a single Web site (Ethics.gov) with all ethics and accountability information, and better lobbying disclosure, among others.
As with his other reformer rhetoric, Obama’s transparency is mostly smoke and mirrors.
Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columns/Obama-closes-curtain-on-transparency-468557-100595914.html#ixzz0ww4oJbAI
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The recently passed $26 state and public union bailout bill, which Pelosi called Congress back from recess to pass in an emergency session, sparked some deserved criticism on the House floor:
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Play the Real or Fake game, where you guess if a government program is real or fake:
These people were surprised by the answers. I give my readers more credit.
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Expecting politicians to direct taxpayer dollars in a manner that “stimulates” the economy is foolish. Politicians will waste your money every time.
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Consider this a perverse form of the circle of life. It goes like this: politicians tax citizens – > politicians use taxes to bailout businesses -> businesses donate money to politicians.
Leave a commentSeveral companies that escaped financial failure two years ago through massive taxpayer-funded bailouts are spending millions of dollars to make donations to political causes and even some candidates’ campaigns.
General Motors, Chrysler and Citigroup are just three of the biggest bailout recipients who have continued to remain politically active, through their political action committees, federal lobbying or direct donations to the pet projects of lawmakers.
The potential public relations disaster for firms spending big dollars on political causes and federal lobbying after being extended a taxpayer lifeline has led some, such as AIG, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, to suspend their political activities until they pay the government back in full.
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Congressman Pete Stark informs us that the federal government is largely without limits:
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What are those politicians up to now? Let’s find out.
Rep. Darrell Issa calls out the administration for it’s propaganda “stimulus” signs:
Rep. Paul Ryan says he is in the “Chris Christie Camp” while calling for serious efforts on reducing spending:
And he describes his highly praised Roadmap here:
Meanwhile, Charlie Rangel discusses the important issues – whether the All-Star Game should go to Arizona in 2011:
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I address this in a post at Big Government, entitled “NASA and the Last Fig Leaf of Big Government:”
Leave a comment…Now, with the ridiculous admission of NASA Administrator Charles Bolden that the so-called space agency’s priority is to boost Muslim self-esteem, this last fig leaf of big government has finally been removed. Believers in grand government solutions to all social problems are left naked for all to see.
The comment itself isn’t really the big story. Yes, it’s outrageous. It represents everything that is wrong with the PC-obsessed, America-bashing, leftist administration currently occupying the White House. But it’s merely the latest in a lengthy list of NASA disappointments. The real story is the slow, drawn-out transformation of NASA from a symbol of American exceptionalism into a national embarrassment.
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Another example of how efficiently government solves problems:
Cities, states and the federal government pay more to provide the homeless with short-term shelter and services than what it would cost to rent permanent housing, the U.S. government reports.
…Many communities probably don’t know that they are spending as much “to maintain a cot in a gymnasium with 100 other cots” as it would cost to rent an efficiency apartment, says Dennis Culhane, a University of Pennsylvania professor who studies housing policies. “We are paying for a form of housing that is largely substandard, and we are paying as much, if not more, than standard conventional housing.”
And yet, some people seem to think that government provision of a good or service reduces costs.
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I am a libertarian-conservative blogger living in the DC area. I have a Master's degree in Political Science and work in public policy, but please don't hold that against me.
