I was truly hoping that, whatever other concessions to reality and politics and the sausage factory that is government took place, the Obama admin would at least roll back the worst of the Bush admin’s extensions of executive privilege.
So much for openness and transparency. Apparently it holds unless someone outside the Administration wants to take a look at anything actually important.
What’s next, using fear to push through legislation? Oh, no, wait… currently happening. “If we don’t pass this bloated, pork laden spending bill then… then… won’t somebody think of the children!!!”
How about using a national crisis to curtail personal liberties? Oh, hang on… currently happening. Using the current economic crisis as justification to try to impose salary caps on private individuals.
The “state secrets” policy which so outraged the courts was Bush’s refusal to allow courts to decide – that doesn’t seem to be the position here. The rendition program stinks, and I hope it’s gone forever, and I hope something can be done to make it right for its victims – but that doesn’t necessarily mean handing over legitimately classified information to the plaintiff’s attorneys (which I think is the actual sticking point). If there is some more reliable source which reveals that the case for dismissal itself is merely state secrecy, then that’s another matter.
You have to admit, articles like the New York Times has been running about how hard it is for CEOs to live on $500,000 a year make probably most of us kind of raise an eyebrow or two.
Also, would you mind if I brought along a tiny violin so I can play “My Heart Bleeds for You” for the CEOs who now have to get by on bonuses of “only” $500,000?
It’s the “to some degree” that worries me. Yes, I’m going with the slippery slope argument. If we cap those, why not others? One way to manage the cost of healthcare would be to cap the salaries of medical professionals. Being a doctor isn’t the path to wealth it once was, but the average cardiologist earns easily $200,000+ (cite = Google “cardiologist salary”). If the government is going to get into the healthcare business, and it looks like it is, why not cap the salary of doctors (and nurses, and drug researchers, and…)?
Ahhhh… your ignorance is showing. “Cheese made in America” and “American cheese” are two different things. No, really, it’s true. Look it up.
And don’t both with the music. If you don’t know the difference between American cheese and a nice sharp Wisconsin cheddar you’d also probably mistake a kazoo for a tiny violin.
a) The government is not “going to get into the healthcare business” in a way that is even remotely analogous to the financial bailout.
b) I have zero objections to limits on how much TAXPAYER money is available to the heads of failing businesses. Let’s all remember that those businesses are failing *because of *the people who are now seeing caps on how much they can receive. Boo hoo. Also, the caps are not being placed on lots of the businesses that have received bailout money, and there are enough loopholes in the cap that I can’t say with much confidence that it will be applied as broadly as I’d like.
I think it’s a Boy Who Cried Wolf situation. The Bush administration did so much to destroy the credibility of the Executive Branch that even the proper execution of long used Presidential prerogatives and powers will be suspect. Whether it is state secrets, executive privilege, detainees, military commissions, or any of the other executive powers; the use of them by Obama will come under (rightfully so) strict scrutiny. There is a proper place for some of these things, but it’s getting really hard to tell use from abuse of these powers. Me? I’m gonna cut Obama and Judge Ware some slack. But only a little.
