Having already established the most powerful executive branch in American history, President George W. Bush recently signed new executive orders giving him the right to place new political appointees in oversight roles of key government agencies.
The move, in effect, gives the White House absolute, unchecked control, over rules and policies that govern public health, safety, the environment, civil rights and privacy.
Reports Robert Pear of The New York Times:
President Bush has signed a directive that gives the White House much greater control over the rules and policy statements that the government develops to protect public health, safety, the environment, civil rights and privacy.
In an executive order published last week in the Federal Register, Mr. Bush said that each agency must have a regulatory policy office run by a political appointee, to supervise the development of rules and documents providing guidance to regulated industries. The White House will thus have a gatekeeper in each agency to analyze the costs and the benefits of new rules and to make sure the agencies carry out the president’s priorities.
This strengthens the hand of the White House in shaping rules that have, in the past, often been generated by civil servants and scientific experts. It suggests that the administration still has ways to exert its power after the takeover of Congress by the Democrats.
The White House said the executive order was not meant to rein in any one agency. But business executives and consumer advocates said the administration was particularly concerned about rules and guidance issued by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
In an interview on Monday, Jeffrey A. Rosen, general counsel at the White House Office of Management and Budget, said, “This is a classic good-government measure that will make federal agencies more open and accountable.â€Â
Business groups welcomed the executive order, saying it had the potential to reduce what they saw as the burden of federal regulations. This burden is of great concern to many groups, including small businesses, that have given strong political and financial backing to Mr. Bush.
Consumer, labor and environmental groups denounced the executive order, saying it gave too much control to the White House and would hinder agencies’ efforts to protect the public.
19 thoughts on “Bush expands his power”
I detest Bush! Personally, I am joining The Citizens Movement to Impeach Bush/Cheney. They will be holding a Town Hall meeting locally February 20th. I suggest everyone look for such a group or support any agencies/legislatures that are working to rein in this madman before he can do any further damage.
We have to Impeach him NOW!
What we have in control of our country is a hate group. They hate everything and everyone that does not share their narrow view of the world, what is right and wrong, what is moral and immoral. Like all hate groups they spend all of their efforts to they accumulation of the power to enforce their view. To increase their power they court and enlist other hate groups to join and support them. They consolidate the media to control information.
When Hate Groups Are Permitted To Apply the Community Standard of Values we lose the right to self determination and how we define ourselves and our values. We lose the right to enjoy life as we see fit and valuable. We lose our rights as adults who have earned a place in this country to decide for ourselves what to read, view, or enjoy. We lose, when their standards alone, apply to our rights under the First Amendment to the Constitution. We lose as parents to decide what we feel is appropriate for our children and what is not.
History has a devious manner of repeating itself. We become complacent and these groups again apply pressure to insure that my rights, so diligently fought for, are abridged. If you look at the history of the world and war time, you will see a pattern in the wind. Power is forbidden fruit that is obtained through fear. In the 30’s and 40’s, Hitler set the tone with fear. Jews, he told his people, were a disease that must be wiped from the earth. He told his followers they were dirty and could no longer use public restrooms or have their hair done at a salon since it was infectious.
Actually hate is the infection. It is applied generously with lies and misinformation, and soon becomes the only “truth.” And like any disease, it takes form and is contagious. It is passed to the innocent children of those who would chose to destroy their fellow man. And they believe.
To gain support and following these hate groups have chosen to target groups who’s only vice is their ability to love without discriminating, without hate, and with absolute acceptance. These groups are open and honest about their genetic sexuality and their choice to educate each other in safe practices. They are groups who practice loving, from their own perspective. Hate groups choose to remove the rights of self-determination, privacy and assembly of this target in order to impose their power and feed the emotions of their followers. And then they lead them to the next target, those of a non-funamentalist christian faith.
Hate is a drug. They are impotent without this drug. It is preached from the pulpits of churches as gospel fact, when the fact is, it is a lie that was fabricated to incite hate and rage and bring power to those who applied it.
The world was created as a beautiful garden of diversity. It was not created as a “one size fits all” world.
Christ taught loving and acceptance, not hate and discrimination. The Christian Bible is a beautiful literary work written by men who sought to apply their idea of acceptance to the world. But it has been changed over the ages in an attempt to control the actions of the many to the ideals of the few. It is a document that has produced hate, war, and murder on behalf of the concepts it preaches.
The Constitution is a succinct document who’s purpose is to protect the rights of the many against the hate of the few. Which explains why our right wing Christian legislators are attempting to quietly destroy the document and the spirit behind it. That spirit is freedom and diversity, and the right of each and every one of us to decide who and what we are.
We must all insure that our rights and freedoms do not become historical fiction and we all become automatons motivated by fear. When that happens, we lose the most precious gift of all–our humanity.
If the pres. were to work on the prob of the world as hard as he does to make himself bigger, he might just do some thing good for a change…..I just cannot believe every one keeps letting him sign more papers to make him self more important till he eventually will just rule the world, and we might just wake up then?
The system of placing political appointees at key decision making points is nothing new. In Russia they were called Commissars. In Germany the Gestapo. As the system spreads these minders are pushed further and further down in every organization so that there is a watcher on every block in every company lunchroom and in every platoon. The armed forces are neutralized and purged of everyone but a career yes-men. In this country it will be Blackwater who will play the role of the SA and you can kiss your republic and probably your ass good-by.
Sonorous is right. Let’s have some upset in the current regime’s actions, on the positive side for all of us as Americans.
Bush and cheney need to be sent to pasture; bush to Crawford and cheney to some East Podunk in Wyoming.
Just get them out of any power whatsoever. They aren’t qualified to be elected to be the chief lord high garbageman.
“Rollin’ rollin’ rollin’… get them doggies rollin’…”
Articles of Impeachment have been written but placed on the table by Nancy Pelosi. It’s time for her to take it off the table and start the debate.
Hillary says “it would uupset the country”, Hell, we’re already upset, “let’s roll”.
Bush should be using cigarettes to trade for power in Leavenworth.
He subverted the EPA rules after the 911 attacks at the expense of the health of the citizens in NY city just to get Wall Street opened ASAP. His loyalties are to the dollar and oil.
The slide into a dictatorship continues
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