Bush's Most Radical Plan Yet

[housewolf]

A little surprise from the White House, 3 sentences hidden within the 2,000 page budget



WIth a vote of hand-picked lobbyists, the president could terminate any federal agency he dislikes

By OSHA GRAY DAVIDSON

<snip>

The proposal, spelled out in three short sentences, would give the president the power to appoint an eight-member panel called the "Sunset Commission," which would systematically review federal programs every ten years and decide whether they should be eliminated. Any programs that are not "producing results," in the eyes of the commission, would "automatically terminate unless the Congress took action to continue them."

<snip>

In practice, however, the commission would enable the Bush administration to achieve what Ronald Reagan only dreamed of: the end of government regulation as we know it. With a simple vote of five commissioners -- many of them likely to be lobbyists and executives from major corporations currently subject to federal oversight -- the president could terminate any program or agency he dislikes. No more Environmental Protection Agency. No more Food and Drug Administration. No more Securities and Exchange Commission.

Without many of those programs, however, American consumers, workers and investors would be left to the mercy of business. " ... Others note that the provision goes beyond anything attempted by conservatives in the past. "When you look at this," says Marchant Wentworth, a lobbyist for the Union of Concerned Scientists, "it's almost like the Reagan administration was a trial run."

<snip>

The commission not only threatens the environment and public health -- it would also violate the constitutional separation of power between Congress and the executive branch, enabling the president to dismantle programs created by lawmakers. "Under the administration's proposal, Congress would relinquish its constitutional power to legislate," says Rep. Henry Waxman, a Democrat from California who has been the commission's most vocal opponent. "Power would be consolidated in the executive branch, and the legislative role would be emasculated."

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/_/id/7265052?rnd=1114114802802&has-player=true&version=6.0.12.872
Go read the whole article, there is much more there that I wasn't able to extract here

[TreasonousBastard]

1. Amazing!!!!

Well, maybe not so amazing with this crew.

As the article says, the Reagan administration was just a trial run.

[Solly Mack]

2. Oh but he's not a tyrant...never say that

[slor]

3. Thanks for posting...

and no, it is not surprising.

[Disturbed]

4. I wonder how many Dems in Congress are aware of this?

This sneaky piece of crap needs to be challenged with everything all the Dems can muster.

[MBoyle]

5. Am i going crazy

Or didn't I see a post with exactly the same title and content a day or two ago? No offense to the poster - I might be the one in the wrong here, so don't take it the wrong way.

I consider myself fairly moderate, but this is clearly an intentionally deceptive practice, which even I find hard to see a supporting viewpoint for.

[Tesla]

6. I am getting a little impatient with the DNC.

There is enough clowning going on in the Bu$h WH that we could have our own CIRCUS!!!

Hello, Gov. Dean????????

knock knock

[RC]

8. The criminals don't need a supporting view point.

Only for the sentence or two to stay hidden till bu$h signs the bill it is hidden in.
This bullshit of slipping non-related sentences into bills has got to stop. That is how this administration gathering the power to itself to destroy our government and our country.

[FreedomAngel82]

13. Exactly

Either that or waiting till a few hours before voting to get it out just like the Patriot Act.

[annabanana]

9. (It was reposted so the weekday cube rats aren't out of the loop)..eom

[newyawker99]

10. Hi MBoyle!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[housewolf]

14. I so a title search before posting

to see if the same article has been posted within the past 24 hrs, I didn't find it. I did see the same thing posted by someone else just a couple of hours ago.

[annabanana]

7. Sunset for America.. no attack required.

I do believe this comes under the category of a "threat, domestic". How could there be a more specific method for dismantling America? Seriously.. can anyone here find a better way to dissolve this Country from the inside?

[annabanana]

11. Oh friggen kickety kick kick...

Pay attention my pretties...
(Don't make me release the flying monkeys)

[spooked911]

12. Oy. Scary scary stuff.

[sexybomber]

15. oh, now I'm fuckin' scared

:scared:

I used to say that if Bush won in 2004, I would move to Canada.
Then I changed my mind, because I wanted to finish college first.

But in light of this...

They dismantle the EPA, that's the last straw. I'll do my doctoral research out of Bermuda.

[sexybomber]

16. and a kick -- nt

[SammyWinstonJack]

17. I keep remembering what a family member said after *

stole his way into a second term, which was "bush** won't do anything more radical then he did in his first term." :argh: :grr:

[jukes]

18. any1 that dreams

that our country will someday return to normal is deluding him/herself. freedom is as dead as jack kennedy & Dr. King.

[Maraya1969]

19. I'm confused

It said that the "Sunset Commission" can review every ten years. Bush won't be around in ten years. What am I missing?

[annabanana]

20. this is a multigenerational effort...

KKKarl's job right now is to infect as many states as possible with corruptable machines (is anyone watching the machine guys right now?) With those new hacker friendly locations he can solve this "filibuster" problem.

[in_cog_ni_to]

21. "Sit down my son"....John Conyers in Fahrenheit 911.

They don't actually READ the bills. Remember? After the Patriot Act, one would think they would go over every friggin' bill with a fine-toothed comb. I see Henry Waxman is aware of the "Sunset commission." Did he know this was in the bill?

<snip>The administration portrays the commission as a well-intentioned effort to make sure that federal agencies are actually doing their job. "We just think it makes sense," says Clay Johnson, deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget, which crafted the provision. "The goal isn't to get rid of a program -- it's to make it work better."<snip>:rofl:

Riiiiight! We believe every word you say!:eyes: