Students should become educated about czars
(Last updated: 10/29/09 7:28pm)“College kids don’t care.” “They are not informed.” “They only care about themselves.”
We hear it all the time. The general population seems to believe college students don’t know anything about the outside world. They seem to believe we live in a bubble and refuse to educate ourselves on what is going on around us.
We cannot let them be right.
It is our responsibility to educate ourselves on what is going on around us. Since his inauguration, President Barack Obama has appointed 30 to 32 czars — depending on your definition of czar, although most media outlets are defining it as an adviser appointed by the president who does not have to be confirmed by the Senate.
Who are these people? What kind of power do they have? What is the criterion used for appointment?
These are all things that we need to know and understand. If we don’t take the time to learn, we are just setting ourselves up to be stereotyped as ignorant.
These czars do not have to face congressional scrutiny, so it is up to the general public to be aware and speak up when something doesn’t seem right. They have huge authority in federal departments and an enormous amount of power.
Former green jobs czar, Van Jones, was a self-proclaimed communist who blamed the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on U.S. officials. Yet he still was appointed, and only was forced to resign after the general public began scrutinizing his past comments and behavior.
Simply do the research. Urban czar, information czar, pay czar, regulatory czar … the list goes on.
Are these necessary? Are they constitutional? Even Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., a top Democrat in the Senate, has spoken out against the appointment of these czars, saying that they are unconstitutional.
An important component of our democracy is the questioning of authority. Why don’t college students lead the questioning this time, instead of being seen as the ignorant and uniformed?
Get the facts, take a stance, have an opinion, speak out.
Ashley Towner
criminal justice and political science senior and vice chairwoman of the MSU College Republicans
Originally Published: 10/29/09 7:28pm
J
10/29/09 8:41pmMs. Towner,
You present a very valid concern every American should be concerned about. Sadly, the people who would oppose you would rather do everything in their power to dismiss your concerns for invalid reasons. They will probably post how this is just glenn beck, or weirdos on the “right” that want to take down Obama at any cost. Your plea for the type of genuine governmental transparency will fall on deaf ears to these democrat hacks. They don’t realize that just because its Obama, doesn’t make it right.All Americans should call for an investigation into the czars, sadly the hacks just wont.
czar crazy
10/30/09 12:27amThat’s still less than the 47 czars that GW Bush appointed. Where was the outrage from the Repubs then? Oh wait…..
JJ
10/30/09 10:22amThe letter is right in that these appointees are questionable. However, they aren’t questionable because they might be “self-proclaimed communists” (I loathe this return to McCarthy Era Red Scare tactics). They are questionable because regardless of their political affiliation, they aren’t confirmed by Congress. There is some tradition for such appointees, but they have recently been expanded, particularly by Bush.
As czar crazy points out, Republicans are being hugely hypocritical in their outrage of czars. That doesn’t mean they don’t have a point though.
I wonder if Ashley would be so upset if they were called Freedom Lords or some other less ominous title.
10/30/09 3:04pmWhite House secretaries aren’t confirmed by the Senate, either. AND THEY MIGHT BE COMMUNISTS.
Its true
10/30/09 3:07pmBush set a dangerous standard with the appointment of dozens of czars, and the hundreds of laws and policies he pushed through using “executive orders,” completely sidestepping the legislative process.
While Obama has done much to improve upon the failures of Bush’s presidency, the appointment of czars is one area in which he is letting us down.
super senior
10/30/09 3:40pmâAIDS Czarâ â Actually the Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy, created in 2001 by George W. Bush.
âBorder Czarâ â Actually the Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for International Affairs and Special Representative for Border Affairs, created in 2003 by George W. Bush.
âCalifornia Water Czarâ â Actually the Deputy Secretary of the Interior, who was given this extra portfolio by Secretary Ken Salazar in June.
âCentral Region Czarâ â The Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for the âCentral Region,â on the Nation Security Council.
âDrug Czarâ â Actually the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, created in 1989 by George H.W.
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OldTimer
10/30/09 9:50pmTowner writes, “An important component of our democracy is the questioning of authority.” True enough.
“Former green jobs czar, Van Jones, was a self-proclaimed communist who blamed the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on U.S. officials.” Um, he signed a petition that asked for an independent investigation … of some questions that seem to still lack good answers. But we know the President and his advisors already told us the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Van Jones chose to question authority. So he’s out of a job. Is Towner sad, or glad?
MSU31
11/03/09 2:30pmAt least he’s not appointing people based on their religious loyalty, like Bush did.
mara-kame
11/04/09 12:53pm“That’s still less than the 47 czars that GW Bush appointed. Where was the outrage from the Repubs then? Oh wait…..”
Exactly!
If Obama is a demoncrat, Bush es el diablo…
ahh REPUgnants…
bobby
11/10/09 9:45amDo we have to use the word czar? What a stupid sounding word. It has negative connotation.
ps: stfu