We all remember President Obama's campaign promise of "transparency" in government. Just a day after he was inaugurated as our 44th President of the United States, he promised us a new era of "openness in the government."
In one of his first memos to the federal agencies he was now directing, he wrote, "We will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government."
Huh! I wonder what happened to all that transparency. As a matter of fact, many on both sides of the aisle believe that this President has been far from transparent. Perhaps, even one of the most nontransparent Presidents this nation has ever seen.
Nothing could be more indicative to this argument than his latest abuse of power. Last week, President Obama circumvented our system of "checks and balances" by making four critical recess appointments while the senate was away.
In this move, the President appointed three officials to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and awarded Richard Cordray the post of director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). All four of the appointments have the potential to be disastrous to the country.
"The move is a breathtaking violation of the separation of powers," according to former U.S. Attorney General Ed Meese, among others.
What was President Obama's rationale? Simple, "We can't wait!" What the President couldn't wait for was for the system of "checks and balances" setup by the Constitution to take is due course.
To many experts, this is a clear violation of the legislative process and an abuse of the Constitution's mandated process. Isn't this what or forefathers feared? Isn't this what they worked hard to guard us against?
What I find the most ironic about the President's moves is the fact that he taught Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992-2004. It makes me wonder what he taught his students. Perhaps: when the Constitution gets in your way, ignore it.
So, what do these recess appointments mean? For starters, the CFPB will now have absolute power to issue more and more regulations and red tape upon our business sector. That's what we need! To strangle American business even more. I guess that "laser beam" on jobs was not to create jobs, but to obliterate them.
Through the NLRB appointment, the President will have more power to advance his agenda to give unions more power. Again, this will ultimately cripple the job growth we were promised. It seems that everything the President's hands touch turns to unemployment.
Now, before you get all up in arms about the latest unemployment numbers, let's take into account the real unemployment among this nation and the temporary jobs created through the Christmas season. The next quarter will reveal the truth.
When will this continual abuse of power stop? At least the President is not longer teaching future lawyers and lawmakers about the content found in our Constitution.
Michael “Winey” Weinstein can be heard every Sunday evening on The Mike&Winey Show on News Talk 92.3 KTAR from 5-7 PM. (www.mike&winey.com).
Slabside posted at 6:49 pm on Wed, Jan 18, 2012.
Good editorial Winey! I remember a few more of Obamanures accomplishments:
If the stimulus passed the economy would improve. Unemployment would improve. Obama had every one of his budgets and bills passed in the first 2 years of his presidency.
Unemployment was 7.2% when Obama was immaculated. He then took nearly one TRILLION dollars and stimuluated that to 10+% settling in on a permanent 9%+ for the longest period since the other Democrat's "Great Depression" was used to plant the seeds of socialism.
On Netanyahu, our ally in the Middle East:
The conversation then drifted to Netanyahu, at which time Sarkozy declared: "I cannot stand him. He is a liar." According to the report, Obama replied: "You're fed up with him, but I have to deal with him every day!"
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4145266,00.html
Under Bush, the 2008 corporate taxes paid was $304,346,000,000 and then under the 1st year of Obama, corporate taxes paid was $138,229,000,000 so Obama IS the most corporate connected corrupt President this nation ever had.
www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxfacts/displayafact.cfm?Docid=203
Masterrogue666 posted at 8:50 pm on Wed, Jan 18, 2012.
Unfortunately, it would take time to Impeach Obama. It'll be easier, and less costly, to vote him out of office next time. I just hope America can recover from the damage he's doing in the meantime.
I joking refer to President Obama as King Obama. Perhaps I should have named him "King Sadim". The reason? Everything he touches turns decays, or turns to rust.....
CooperG posted at 11:40 pm on Wed, Jan 18, 2012.
Umm, Mikey, you're clueless. You know nothing about presidential power and you know nothing about transparency in government.
Obama broke no law with the recess appointments. The people he appointed were in the queue, it's just that Republicans in the Senate wouldn't allow votes.
Obama exercised no power that many other presidents have used when the Senate is unwilling to act, so there's no "abuse of power" here.
You cite Ed Meese?! Really!? Ed Meese? One of the dumbest and worst Attorney Generals this country has ever had? The same Ed Meese who said "If they weren't guilty, they wouldn't have been charged?" You couldn't find anyone else to quote but Ed Meese? Amazing.
Look, MIkey. I know you're paid to bash the president, but at least understand the process of government first. Don't act like some big nefarious evil has occurred when it hasn't. The Republicans in Congress are playing games and they're not even very "transparent" about it. So please stop insulting our intelligence by making ridiculous charges that aren't true.
There's enough to criticize him for without making things up.
Masterrogue666 posted at 1:26 pm on Thu, Jan 19, 2012.
"Don't act like some big nefarious evil has occurred" -- I recall Obama saying "share the wealth". That's SOCIALISM. To me, that's evil.....
Accuracy posted at 3:31 pm on Thu, Jan 19, 2012.
CooperG posted: “Obama exercised no power that many other presidents have used when the Senate is unwilling to act, so there's no "abuse of power" here.”
President Harry Truman did make two recess appointments in the two days between congressional sessions, and President Theodore Roosevelt made recess appointments in the seconds between two sessions. Presidents have the authority to make recess appointments, but those must occur when the Senate is in recess.
As Michael “Winey” Weinstein wrote: “To many experts, this is a clear violation of the legislative process and an abuse of the Constitution's mandated process.”
Because, when President Barack Obama made his declaration without the advice and consent of the Senate, he clearly violated Article 2, Section 2 of the United States Constitution. He decreed that Richard Cordray would be the head of his so-called Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, all because Senate Republicans have been holding “pro forma” sessions of the Senate every three days in an effort to block recess appointments.
Through political cover for recess appointments Obama made while the Senate was still in session, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is now attempting to use a political smokescreen to hide the fact that he violated the Constitution.
Cerulean posted at 6:09 pm on Thu, Jan 19, 2012.
In President Obama’s Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government, he asks that three principals be met; transparency, participation, and collaboration. Most of this is to be implemented by all federal agencies to include the Dept. of Defense, the Dept. of Justice, IRS, etcetera. Transparency is meant to be achieved through the internet at http://www.[you type in the agency].gov/open (example http://www.IRS.gov/open). Each web-page will give the user an opportunity to complain; participation is encouraged.
One more thing you should know Mike, integral to the three principals (transparency, participation, and collaboration) is the concept that every person should be able to read and understand through “clear Government communication that the public can understand and use.” (as per Memorandum) Hence, the Plain Writing Act was legislated to meet that request. The Dept. of Defense, the Dept. of Justice the IRS and ALL fed. agencies are rewriting online documents so that average Americans can read and understand what they say. Maybe you should re-read the Memoranda - it does not say anything about the President making appointments while the Senate is in obstruct and delay mode.
mnjcpa posted at 7:10 pm on Thu, Jan 19, 2012.
How pray tell CooperG does the Senate block recess appointments when Obama's party controls the Senate and its leader has publicly indicated that he has no intentions of working with Republicans? You're the one that doesn't have a handle on the problem.
Fall 2010 must be a long ago dream, but it was a landslide mandate against the Obama administration. The public is tired of the antics of this administration. Obama differs from Bill Clinton, who recognized the need to cooperate and work with the Republicans. But the academic and urbanista-dominated Obama administration has little appreciation or care about any opinion other than his own.
In my world, that's not transparency it's arrogance.
Dale Whiting posted at 8:53 am on Fri, Jan 20, 2012.
Look gang,
We all know that Whiney makes his living being the neo-cons neo-con. So don't critisize the man for trying to earn a living for himself and his family. Whiney writes:
"Nothing could be more indicative to this argument than his latest abuse of power. Last week, President Obama circumvented our system of "checks and balances" by making four critical recess appointments while the senate was away.
"In this move, the President appointed three officials to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and awarded Richard Cordray the post of director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). "
Whiney does appear to not appreciate that the President does have power to make recess appointments. It's in the constitution. The senate is charged to advise and consent, not dictate. And where these appointments have been held up by Republicans in this barely Democratic controlled senate, allow Whiney to exagerate the truth a bit. At least he did recognize these as recess appointments. That's a whole lot more than senate Republicans were willing to concede.
No, Whiney, do not pay any attention to those of us on this site who critisize you. You have a first amendment right to be stupid in order to support your family by appealing to the neo-cons![beam]
Accuracy posted at 4:28 pm on Fri, Jan 20, 2012.
Name-calling Dale Whiting uses epithet “neo-con” to describe any/all advocates that “DO NOT” support or promote Barack Hussein Obama and all Democrats.
mnjcpa posted at 8:04 pm on Fri, Jan 20, 2012.
Thank you Accuracy!
Whether it was legal or not is suspect but that's not Mike's point. Labor Union buddies appointed without discussion or debate would of course been met with disdain by the Republicans. That's what checks & balances are supposed to be about. It's Obama's leadership skills that are in the gutter, not whether or not it's legal or not. He's not interested in modifying his point of view no matter what the mid-term elections revealed.
My wonderful high school English teacher used to say "if you can't communicate without calling someone derogatory names, it shows your limited intelligence.".
Masterrogue666 posted at 6:37 am on Sat, Jan 21, 2012.
mnjcpa: "if you can't communicate without calling someone derogatory names, it shows your limited intelligence". Unfortunately, that seems to be the trait of many liberals.....