RobertMac said:
Econ101 said:
It's George Orwell's 1984. Big Brother.
This type of thing is just one of the reasons the govt. should have limited power and more accountability. Bush just doesn't believe his administration should answer for anything.
Econ, don't start sounding like a left-wing blog...Pres. Bush can't have direct over sight of everything. Wouldn't it be more likely that the government bureaucrats are at fault...regardless of the administration? Forty years of Democratic control can put a lot of bureaucrats in place...that can undermine the present administration...CIA leaks???????????
I totally agree with you here, RobertMac. Bush is so far removed and other people are probably pulling these strings. Since the republican part courted and married k street, there has been no significant congressional oversight. Therein lies the majority of the problem. The bureaucrats are being protected by not having this oversight from Congress. The republican committee ranking and who stays in the chair positions (this is where the decision to get a hearing or not lies) is determined, according to Ornstein, Gingrich, and Foley, from how much money the setup brings to the party. In other words, they have it sold out to the highest bidder.
We have a situation where Congress has the incentives to sell out the FDA, USDA, DOD and other agencies to the highest bidder and keep a lid on it by not having oversight. Since Congress is completely controlled by republicans, that means NOW REPUBLICANS ARE COMPLETELY RESPONSIBLE.
I don't think Bush has governed with the executive branch in allowing this to go on to the extent it has for the benefit of the self interests of the members who control the committees in congress. The buck does stop with him on the executieve side and his sellout republicans cronies have helped stack these agencies, or have had the authority to unstack them from previous democratic administrations and failed to do so. JoAnn Waterfield is but one example.
I was watching a news program the other night showing how much money was wasted by the govt. of Iraq (US taxpayers) by corruption. Billions. Katrina is the same. Our FDA is the same and so are the watchdog agencies who are supposed to be over tax policy and pensions the same.
We have a government that is so sold out, they can't govern properly. Republicans have all the tools of governing and decided this time to sell out and do the same old same old that DC does. It is republicans who are totally responsible now but in some cases there are democrats who do it. None of these kind of people should be trusted with the reigns of power, and no one should be trusted without oversight (homeland security and domestic govt. spying especially).
My arguments are directed to republicans now, because they have the reigns of power and the responsiblity, but this is not just a grouping of republicans vs. democrats. It is statesmen vs. politicians.
We need more statesmen and more ways to get the politicians out.
It is just as Pareto said. The suffocation of the oversight committees has allowed the foxes to go unabated and they will continue until it gets so bad the lions will take over again. It is happening and I don't think GW has any idea of it because he is completely surrounded by his own aura. The emperor has no clothes.
It is the classic fault of the assension of Bush's power and of his loyalty over truth way of dealing with the world. All republicans, even the good ones, pay the price for this fault.