# 32 "Czars"-How Many do we Need? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 20, 2009, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/32-czars-how-many-do-we-need/503690 "2009-07-20T23:15:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/32-czars-how-many-do-we-need/503690/1 "2009-07-20T23:15:41Z")
Obama seems to think that appointing"Czars" to head government efforts will solve a ot of problems. MY QUESTION: IS THERE ANY PROOF THAT “cZARS” SOLVE PROBLEM? oR ARE WE JUST BLOWING MORE MONEY ON HACKS? ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/32-czars-how-many-do-we-need/503690/2 "2009-07-20T23:53:20Z")
They’re basically titles for the person in charge of some particular issue. I doubt Obama fits them for those big furry hats and pays them bonuses in Fabrege Eggs. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/32-czars-how-many-do-we-need/503690/3 "2009-07-21T00:01:36Z")
That would be awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Animastryfe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Animastryfe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Animastryfe)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/32-czars-how-many-do-we-need/503690/4 "2009-07-21T00:47:44Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Obama seems to think that appointing"Czars" to head government efforts will solve a ot of problems. MY QUESTION: IS THERE ANY PROOF THAT “cZARS” SOLVE PROBLEM? oR ARE WE JUST BLOWING MORE MONEY ON HACKS? Um, what do you think the Crzars are and do? ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/32-czars-how-many-do-we-need/503690/5 "2009-07-21T01:17:12Z")
Sounds like there should be a bunch of czareviches and czarovas by now… or at least a couple of crown princes… ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/32-czars-how-many-do-we-need/503690/6 "2009-07-21T01:31:04Z")
> [@Animastryfe](#): > > Um, what do you think the Crzars are and do? The only thing remotely interesting about the czars is that they concentrate power within the White House staff. Instead of being handled by high level staff at the various federal departments like State or Treasury or Defense, they report directly to the White House. It concentrates power and reduces transparency. You might say, but wait, don`t all those departments ultimately report to the president? And you`d be right! That’s why it’s not particularly interesting. But the idea that more czars is somehow costing us more or that they’re inherently more successful is silly. Nobody is saying that. Anyone being remotely honest can acknowledge that it’s just a matter of drawing the power closer to the president. I think, honestly, you have to admit it’s a little Bushian. Obama is far from the opposite of Bush - he keeps a very tightly run staff and they can be secretive about their work product and processes. The major difference is really only that he seems more competent to me and I agree with his vision for the future rather than being opposed to it. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/32-czars-how-many-do-we-need/503690/7 "2009-07-21T01:35:18Z")
Every knows there are 32 Kzars of Growth in America’s Financial Planning Department. ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/32-czars-how-many-do-we-need/503690/8 "2009-07-21T01:46:27Z")
Obama wants to do a lot of things differently. I don’t care what he calls his staff as long as they get things done better that the last bunch of folks who were in charge. ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/32-czars-how-many-do-we-need/503690/9 "2009-07-21T02:09:42Z")
Yeah, czars are a problem. Why, a few years ago we even had a Czar of Fun out in Albuquerque. I mean, what were his duties–if you looked sad he’d drive up and force a bit of Prozac down you? Where’s Lenin when you need him? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/32-czars-how-many-do-we-need/503690/10 "2009-07-21T02:17:48Z")
We need fewer Czars and more Cossacks! ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/32-czars-how-many-do-we-need/503690/11 "2009-07-21T03:15:26Z")
I don’t know about the OP, but I need 40 or 50. There’s the car key czar, the laundry czar, the litter box czar, the vacuum czar, the dish czar, the coffee czar… Oh, wait, I’m thinking of wallahs. Never mind. ---
**Author:** ![runcible\_spoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc29f/32.png) [@runcible\_spoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runcible_spoon)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/32-czars-how-many-do-we-need/503690/12 "2009-07-21T03:29:47Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > I don’t know about the OP, but I need 40 or 50. There’s the car key czar, the laundry czar, the litter box czar, the vacuum czar, the dish czar, the coffee czar… > > Oh, wait, I’m thinking of wallahs. Never mind. Can we get a wallah-czar? Or possibly a czar-wallah? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/32-czars-how-many-do-we-need/503690/13 "2009-07-21T03:37:18Z")
The budget for the Executive Office of the President is largely discretionary, and Presidents (mostly through their Chief of Staff) have a great deal of autonomy to organize the EOP however they want. Since the 1950s, the trend has been to concentrate advisory functions into the White House staff, who report directly the President. But _most_ of these staffers have extremely little statutory authority to actually do anything. The WH staff may advise the administration, but executive policy is carried out by regulatory agencies and the federal departments, whose budgets are vastly bigger than the White House’s. And all of those are run by Senate-approved appointees, sometimes many levels deep. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/32-czars-how-many-do-we-need/503690/14 "2009-07-21T05:10:23Z")
We had this same thread about a month ago. Is Rush doing reruns this week? Anyway, somebody pointed out last time that none of these people are actually “czars”. Turns out czar in not a title in the federal civil service system. The only reason these people are called a czar is because somebody else called them that. Which means that a President has as many czars as whatever media pundit feels like making an issue out of. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/32-czars-how-many-do-we-need/503690/15 "2009-07-21T05:19:19Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Every knows there are 32 Kzars of Growth in America’s Financial Planning Department. I see what you did there. aaaaaaaaaaargh! _runs screaming into the distance_ ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/32-czars-how-many-do-we-need/503690/16 "2009-07-21T10:44:46Z")
I find the Czar nickname really stupid - although in the case of the drug war it might be appropriate - and yeah, Obama does seem to have a ton of them. But I don’t think they’re a problem on their own. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/32-czars-how-many-do-we-need/503690/17 "2009-07-21T11:22:13Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I find the Czar nickname really stupid I’d even go to the extent of calling it biz-czar. ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/32-czars-how-many-do-we-need/503690/18 "2009-07-21T11:36:59Z")
Actually I rather like the czars. They give rise to some literary ideas. Imagine the poor oppressed citizens of New Mexico suffering under the Fun Czar, who demands that they sing and dance in the street every day. Suddenly there’s the thunder of hooves on the horizon. It’s Lenin the KID! With the Trostky Gang! And his rather disreputable sidekick Jose Stalin. They’ll make sure you never smile again. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/32-czars-how-many-do-we-need/503690/19 "2009-07-21T12:40:13Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Sounds like there should be a bunch of czareviches and czarovas by now… or at least a couple of crown princes… no, no - the US is a republic, so children of czars don’t take such obnoxious royalist titles. It’s quite simple - they’re czardines. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/32-czars-how-many-do-we-need/503690/20 "2009-07-21T13:18:35Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I’d even go to the extent of calling it biz-czar. Indulging in a bit of czarcasm, I see! 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/32-czars-how-many-do-we-need/503690.md?page=2)