I don't care what party or candidate you vote for, that's your business. When someone has a record, check it out. If you listen to a person, but do not know their associates or record, what good have you done for yourself. I never fear to say what is on my mind. Today I am thinking of all the President's Czar's, a question that should be on all of our minds. Simple things such as; what are their titles, what are their responsibilities, do they need conformation by Congress, how much money are they paid, can they over-ride a Secretary, who are they, you can see where I'm coming from.

Have you asked yourself any of these question's? If not, why not? Every American should have this on their mind. If we don't, who will? Please don't tell me the President knows best. Every President chooses his own people, so they all must have made mistakes.

List of Obama’s Czars (to date)

1. AFGHANISTAN CZAR - RICHARD HOLBROOKE

Title: Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan
Salary: unknown
Reports to: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Appointed: January 2009
Department that might have handled similar issues: State

• Will work with CENTCOM head Gen. David Petraeus to integrate U.S. civilian and military efforts in the region.
• 45 years of experience have made him a fixture of the Democrats' foreign policy establishment.
• Was U.S. ambassador to U.N., 1999-2001
• Brokered the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords in Bosnia
• Also served as Assistant secretary of state, East Asia and the Pacific (1976 to 1980); worked in foreign service (1962 to 1976)
• From 1972 through 1976, was the editor of Foreign Policy magazine.

youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uRBm4rlDX

 

2. AIDS Czar * - Jeffrey Crowley

Title: Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy
Salary: $102,000
Reports to: President Obama (as part of the Executive Office of the President’s Domestic Policy Council)
Appointed: February 2009
Department that might have handled similar issues: Health and Human Services

• Coordinates HIV/AIDS policy domestically and internationally.
• Senior Research Scholar at Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute and a Senior Scholar at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Georgetown University Law Center.
• Was Deputy Executive Director for Programs at the National Association of People with AIDS
• Has Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health

2. AIDS Czar  - Jeffrey Crowley

Title: Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy
Salary: $102,000
Reports to: President Obama (as part of the Executive Office of the President’s Domestic Policy Council)
Appointed: February 2009
Department that might have handled similar issues: Health and Human Services

• Coordinates HIV/AIDS policy domestically and internationally.
• Senior Research Scholar at Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute and a Senior Scholar at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Georgetown University Law Center.
• Was Deputy Executive Director for Programs at the National Association of People with AIDS
• Has Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health

3- AUTO RECOVERY CZAR - Ed  Montgomery

CARPOCALYPSE

youtube http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ed+montgomery&search_type=&aq=f 

President Obama has appointed Ed Montgomery "Director of Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers", which CNN annoyingly refers to as "The Car Czar." What? Who the heck is this guy, and what are his qualifications? For starters, Czar Montgomery is not a "Car Czar" of any sort, but he was appointed by "The One" during his big speech yesterday, announcing the government's plan to help out GM and screw Chrysler. Mr. Montgomery is an economist who specializes in job training and local economic development. Montgomery's currently Dean at the University of Maryland, and he's a former Labor Department Deputy Secretary in the Clinton administration. Also, as far as we can tell he's never actually been involved in the auto industry, but he has taught at Michigan State University in Lansing and been a member of the Auto Industry Task Force. But that's OK, because his job has less to do with the auto industry and more to do with directing federal funds to areas hit by the Carpocalypse (re: the urban city center of Detroit) and to manage efforts in retraining auto workers for... something else. And that's about all we know about this guy. Assume this appointment is double-plus good.

4. Border Czar  - Alan Bersin

  youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSY-BAABXG8

New Border Czar, Al

• Born in October, 1946 in Brooklyn, NY to a strict Jewish family. He is twice married and has three children.

• During his impressive educational career, became friends with Al Gore (while at Harvard), Bill Clinton (while a Rhodes Scholar) and Hillary Clinton (during his years at Yale Law School).

• A star linebacker at Harvard, Bersin took up horseback riding and scuba diving in his later years due to injured knees from football.

• Has been known to take jobs for which he has little experience. Served as U.S. Attorney in San Diego despite not being a criminal lawyer. Became San Diego School Superintendent despite not having sent any of his children to public institutions.

• As border czar under Janet Reno in the mid-1990s, implemented "Operated Gatekeeper," which fortified the border closest to San Diego, but effectively only shifted illegal immigrant crossings east. Immigrant advocacy groups blamed his policies for increased border-crossing deaths. (See pictures of Mexico's drug industry)

• Speaks Spanish fluently.

• Bersin's seven-year term as San Diego education superintendent — at the time one of the longest in the nation — was notable for the vehement opposition it drew from teacher unions and school board members. Both groups decried Bersin's "Blueprint for Student Success" plan — which placed an emphasis on basic math and reading programs and a single curriculum — as limiting (and even, said some extreme critics, "fascistic"). By the time he left, a huge rift had opened between teachers and San Diego principals, over 80% of which he hired during his term.

• Before being picked to take over as California Education Secretary, Bersin was seriously considered to take over the Motion Picture Association of America.

Quotes By:

• "What's going on in Mexico, across the border, in Juarez, requires that we support the government of Mexico in its very valiant, courageous effort to both stem violence and also deal with the drug trafficking organizations."
— on working with Mexican officials (CNN April 15, 2009)

• "The tragedy of migrants ... dying is a horrible regret of any action which has that outcome."
— on the criticism that Operation Gatekeeper pushed migrants deeper into the desert, where they were more easily susceptible to dehydration and death, (San Diego Union-Tribune, June 13, 1998)

• "There were mistakes made. There were dozens and even hundreds of mistakes made, but never for the wrong reasons, because the focus needed to be shifted. It needed to be taken away from what adults wanted for their employment to what children needed for their education. That's going to lead to lots of tensions and conflicts."
— on the controversy that accompanied his tenure as San Diego school superintendent (San Diego Union-Tribune, Jan. 29, 2005)

• "I am now so used to being vilified and having our initiatives mischaracterized or maligned that I have recently found myself failing to listen seriously to my opponents ... That has never happened before to me, and I find it unacceptable in myself."
— during a first-ever "state of the district" address delivered while superintendent. Near the end of his tenure, Bersin's opponents in the teachers union and school board were attacking him as often as possible. (San Diego Union-Tribune, April 5, 2002)

5. California Water Czar - David J. Hayes

Deputy Secretary of the Interior
David J. Hayes

Title: Deputy Interior Secretary
Salary: unknown
Reports to: Interior Secretary Ken Salazar
Appointed: June 2009
Confirmed by Senate (as Deputy Interior Security): May 20, 2009
Department that might have handled similar issues: Interior

• Charged with coordinating federal agencies to ease California's water shortage
• Graduate of Stanford Law School; clerked for U.S. District Court for the D.C., has been a partner at two big D.C. law firms
• Was deputy interior secretary under Bruce Babbitt during Clinton administration
• From 1993 to 1995, was chairman of the board at the Environmental Law Institute, a non-profit research center.
• As a lobbyist, represented the Southern California Metropolitan Water District in 2001
• In August 2008, wrote a policy report while working at the Progressive Policy Institute accusing the Bush administration of leaving a “damaging legacy” in their natural resource management policies
• Donated $2,300 to Clinton during 2008 campaign; after she withdrew, donated $2,300 to Obama

WIKIPEDIA

David J. Hayes is the Deputy Secretary of the Interior in the Obama administration. His nomination was confirmed on May 20, 2009 ^[1] by the United States Senate and he took office on May 22, 2009. ^[2] In an earlier confirmation attempt on May 13, Hayes received two Republican votes, Olympia Snowe of Maine and Jon Kyl of Arizona whom has worked closely with Hayes in the past, but the 57 yea votes he obtained fell short of the 60votes required to invoke cloture.^[3] Three Democrats did not vote because of absence and Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid switched to a nay vote for strategic reason forcing the confirmation to fail originally. However, Reid's move allowed the Democrats to bring back the vote to the Senate floor. ^[4] Hays served as Counselor to Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, and then as the Senate-confirmed Deputy Secretary of the Interior, during the Clinton administration (1997-2001). After leaving government, he has served as a Senior Fellow of the World Wildlife Fund, and as a senior fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute (the think tank affiliated with the Democratic Leadership Council). He also has practiced environmental and energy law as Global Chairman of the Environment, Land and Resources department at the firm of Latham & Watkins.   During Hayes' tenure as Deputy Secretary of the Interior, he focused on environmental priorities, including the acquisition and protection of threatened lands (e.g., the Headwaters old-growth redwood forest in Northern California); the restoration of threatened ecosystems (e.g. the Bay-Delta ecosystem restoration project in California); the introduction of modern water management approaches in the west (e.g. the Colorado River initiatives undertaken by the Clinton administration); the negotiation of habitat conservation plans under the Endangered Species Act; energy-related issues associated with federal lands and resources (e.g. oil and gas development, hydropower licensing, etc.); and the settlement of long-standing Indian water and land disputes.   Active in the non-profit field, Hayes serves the Vice-Chairman of the national conservation group, American Rivers, and he is a board member of RESOLVE, a non-profit that focuses on problem-solving in the energy and environmental fields. He is the former Chairman of the Board of the Environmental Law Institute.   During the 2007-2008 academic year, Hayes was a Consulting Professor at Stanford University's Woods Institute for the Environment ^[5], where he undertook a special project analyzing the regulatory challenges associated with carbon offsets. His report was published by the Center for American Progress. He is the author of dozens of journal articles on issues related to energy and the environment. Hayes has been active in Democratic politics in the energy and environmental field. He served on the EPA Transition Team for President-elect Clinton in 1992; acted a special emissary for Vice President Gore to advise the new President of Bolivia on sustainable development issues in 1993 and 1994; was a lead environmental and energy advisor to the Kerry campaign in 2004; and has been actively involved in the Obama campaign. Hayes is a 1978 graduate of the Stanford Law School, and he is a 1975 summa cum laude graduate of the University of Notre Dame. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Visitors for the Stanford Law School. Born in Rochester, NY in 1953, Hayes lives in Arlington, VA with his wife Elizabeth Haile Hayes and their three children, Katherine, Stephen, and Molly.

6. Car Czar - Ron Bloom

youtube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao4Fp2dFZeI&feature=PlayList&p=E95080B6E13CF342&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=21   TIME partners with cnn.

NOTE: on July 13, 2009, Bloom took over as head of the Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry, replacing Steven Rattner

Title: Counselor to the Secretary of the Treasury
Salary: unknown
Reports to: Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and National Economic Council head Larry Summers
Appointed: July 2009
Department that might have handled similar issues: Treasury • A leader of the White House task force overseeing auto company bailouts; worked on restructuring of General Motors and Chrysler LLC.
• Was special assistant to president of the United Steelworkers union from 1996-Feb 2009
• Has negotiated restructuring deals for more than 50 companies, getting major concessions from unions and companies.
• Was raised in New York in a pro-union family, which included a schoolteacher mother and unionized relatives.
• After working for the Service Employees International Union, got an MBA from Harvard University because he thought unions lacked business smarts, he said in a 1996 interview in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
• From 1985 to 1990, he worked as an investment banker with Lazard Freres & Co., which specializes in mergers, acquisitions and corporate restructuring, before co-founding the investment-banking firm Keilin and Bloom.

firm Keilin and Bloom.

7. Central Region Czar - Dennis Ross

Title: Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for the Central Region (encompasses the Middle East, the Gulf, Afghanistan, Pakistan and South Asia)
Salary: unknown
Reports to: National Security Adviser Gen. James L. Jones
Appointed: June 2009
Department that might have handled simin the George H.W. Bush and Clinilar issues: State

youtube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIYWV5xBIV0&feature=PlayList&p=18FC6ED3CC1C2892&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=50 • Spent 12 years ton administrations trying to create a permanent agreement between the governments of Israel and the Palestinian territories
• In 1981, was named to President Ronald Reagan’s national security staff as the director of Near East and South Asian Affairs.
• Was director of the State Department’s Policy Planning office during President George H. W. Bush’s term.
• 1993: appointed to the position of Middle East coordinator, making him the top negotiator for peace between Israel and Palestinian territories
• After he left government in 2000, headed up Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a hawkish think tank with a pro-Israeli bent. TIME partners with cnn. Even before Barack Obama says a word upon his arrival in Israel next week, close observers of America's role in the region will get a message from the presence in his delegation of a tall, slightly disheveled diplomat well known to the power players of the Middle East. In a region where simple words and gestures can be taken as weighty indicators of intent, Arabs and Israelis alike will see much meaning in the return of Dennis Ross. In one way, the message is simple: Ross, a career foreign service officer, was lead negotiator on Israeli-Palestinian issues for Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and he got the two sides as close as they've come to a peace deal before stepping down after the 2000 election. His presence alongside Obama in Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan is designed to signal the Senator's intent to resume the active pursuit of the peace process, which Obama claims President George W. Bush has derailed through inaction. But Ross's presence in Obama's entourage is also designed to help the Democrat handle two thorny foreign policy problems that hamper his chances in November. Israelis and some Jewish Americans distrust Obama's commitment to Israel — a recent Israeli newspaper poll found 27% of Israelis surveyed support him, compared to 36% for John McCain. And Obama's readiness to hold unconditional talks with Iran also makes him vulnerable among some voters to charges of being soft on Tehran. Both issues count in swing states like Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania where they could hurt Obama's support among Jewish voters and Reagan Democrats. But Ross is a reassuring presence on both counts. After he left government, the 59-year-old diplomat headed up a hawkish pro-Israel think tank in Washington, and signed on as a Fox News foreign affairs analyst. A former colleague, Dan Kurtzer (an Orthodox Jew and former U.S. ambassador to Israel who also supports Obama), published a think-tank monograph containing anonymous complaints from Arab and American negotiators saying Ross was seen as biased towards Israel and not "an honest broker". Ross has been hawkish on Iran, but he agrees with Obama's pledge to start talks. "We need to work hard to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear state," Ross says, "but the Bush approach isn't working." Still, it is somewhat surprising to see Ross emerge as an official member of Obama's team. (Neither Ross nor the campaign would comment on his role in the still-unannounced trip, but several sources in the campaign confirmed details for TIME.). When Ross left the State department in 2000, he was so critical of Yasser Arafat that some friends thought he was considering working for George W. Bush, who cut ties with the late Palestinian leader. "At the beginning of the Administration he hadn't excluded the possibility of working for a Republican again," says one. Ross supported the Iraq war, though he opposed some of the Bush Administration's policies for post-war reconstruction. The Obama campaign first reached out to Ross 15 months ago when the candidate's top foreign policy adviser, Tony Lake, called and asked him to provide Obama with advice on the Middle East. Ross was noncommittal. "I simply said, 'I can play a role on a non-exclusive basis,'" Ross recalls. "I was asked by a number of different candidates and it was the same ground rule," he says. But Lake and other Obama team members "came more often than anyone else," Ross says. By the time Obama clinched the nomination in June, the campaign was ready to draw him in further. "The question was how to bring him in more officially and more publicly and on an exclusive basis," says Lake. Ross's return is a reassuring message to many in the U.S. foreign policy establishment who see him as an experienced hand. But just because Ross is along for the ride next week, doesn't mean he will head up Obama's Middle East negotiations if the Senator wins in November. After all, the process orchestrated by Ross for the Clinton Administration failed, and one former Clinton Administration official says, "If Obama wants to embody something new that can actually succeed, it's not just a break from Bush that he's going to need, but a break from Clinton." That may be, but for now, at least Ross is just the man for the job.   8. Climate Czar - Todd Stern

Title: Special Envoy for Climate Change
Salary: unknown
Reports to: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Appointed: January 2009
Agency or department that might have handled similar issues: Environmental Protection Agency; State

• Responsible for developing international approaches to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.
• Served in the Clinton White House from 1993 to 1999; Was Head of the Initiative on Global Climate Change (1997 to 1999) and Adviser to the Secretary of the Treasury (1999 to 2001)
• As a top aide to President Clinton, helped negotiate the Kyoto and Buenos Aires climate pacts, both of which fell apart partially because of a lack of U.S. support during Bush administration.
• After Bush was elected to office, went to the Wilmer Hale law firm, where he is a partner in the regulatory and government affairs division.
• Was most recently a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, where he focused on climate change and environmental issues.
• Has written extensively on climate change, and has called on the American government and the international community to take a series of steps to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.
• Supports a national cap-and-trade system that would limit carbon emissions and reduce U.S. dependency on foreign oil
• Has law degree from Harvard

for Near East Policy, a hawkish think tank with a pro-Israeli bent.

I HOPE OBAMA LISTENS TO YOU- Harvey

TODD STERN  

Title: Special Envoy for Climate Change
Salary: unknown
Reports to: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Appointed: January 2009
Agency or department that might have handled similar issues: Environmental Protection Agency; State

• Responsible for developing international approaches to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.
• Served in the Clinton White House from 1993 to 1999; Was Head of the Initiative on Global Climate Change (1997 to 1999) and Adviser to the Secretary of the Treasury (1999 to 2001)
• As a top aide to President Clinton, helped negotiate the Kyoto and Buenos Aires climate pacts, both of which fell apart partially because of a lack of U.S. support during Bush administration.
• After Bush was elected to office, went to the Wilmer Hale law firm, where he is a partner in the regulatory and government affairs division.
• Was most recently a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, where he focused on climate change and environmental issues.
• Has written extensively on climate change, and has called on the American government and the international community to take a series of steps to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.
• Supports a national cap-and-trade system that would limit carbon emissions and reduce U.S. dependency on foreign oil
• Has law degree from Harvard.   THE WHITE HOUSE   New Energy for America

The New Energy for America plan aims to:

• Help create 5 million new jobs by strategically investing $150 billion over the next 10 years to catalyze private efforts to build a clean energy future.
• Within 10 years save more oil than the United States currently imports from the Middle East and Venezuela.
• Put a million plug-in hybrid cars-which can get up to 65.1 kilometers per liter-on the road by 2015 and work to make sure that these are built in America.
• Ensure 10 percent of America's electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.
• Implement a cap-and-trade program for all American industry to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.

http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/
factsheet_energy_speech_080308.pdf
Source: www.Whitehouse.gov   LOTS OF LUCK MR. STERN, YOU'LL NEED IT. Harvey  

9. Domestic Violence Czar - Lynn Rosenthal

 

Title: White House adviser on Violence Against Women
Salary: unknown
Reports to: President Obama and Vice President Biden
Appointed: June 2009
Department that might have handled similar issues: Health and Human Services

• Will advise the President and Vice President on domestic violence and sexual assault issues.
• 2000-2006: served as the Executive Director of the National Network to End Domestic Violence
• Was an advocate for the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act in 2000 and 2005 and has assisted states and local communities with implementation of this federal legislation
• Was director of the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

 

Obama's Endless Czar List Now Includes a Domestic Violence Aide

By Bonnie Erbe , Thomas Jefferson Street blog

President Obama has appointed yet another czar—you know, one of those people in his administration with a long title, huge portfolio and no budget to get anything done. This time, it's a worthy enough portfolio assigned to Lynn Rosenthal—fighting domestic violence. But it's a czar-like post of such little consequence, the public announcement was handled by Vice President Joe Biden, not President Obama. From ABC News:

Vice President Biden announced today that Lynn Rosenthal will be the White House adviser on Violence Against Women, a new position created to work with the president and vice president on domestic violence and sexual assault issues...Rosenthal most recently served as the executive director of the New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence and has focused on domestic violence issues like housing, state and local coordinated community response, federal policy, and survivor-centered advocacy.

Let's hope Ms. Rosenthal produces something of actual value in an area where improvement is called for. According to Vice President Biden, there are 48 million reported cases of domestic abuse each year, and more cases go unreported than are reported. Meanwhile, the list of Czars keeps growing, according to Reuters:

There's a drug czar, a U.S. border czar, an urban czar, a regulatory czar, a stimulus accountability czar, an Iran czar, a Middle East czar, and a czar for both Afghanistan and Pakistan, which in Washington-speak has been lumped together into a policy area called Af-Pak.

There are upward of 20 such top officials, all with lengthy official titles but known in the media as czars, and next week there will be one more, when Obama appoints a czar for cyber-security who will be charged with improving the security of computer networks.

And that list of 20 came out before the following appointment was made earlier this month:

President Barack Obama recently introduced Kenneth Feinberg as America's "compensation czar." He'll oversee executive pay at firms that have taken federal bailout money. Feinberg "will have broad discretion to set the salaries and bonuses for their five most senior executives and their 20 most highly paid employees," The New York Times reported.

Perhaps President Obama and Vice President Biden will start announcing these appointments only after the latest Czar or Czarina has produced something of consequence. Otherwise, it all seems an exercise in favor-currying.

10. Drug Czar * - Gil Kerlikowske

Title: Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy
Salary: unknown
Reports to: President Obama
Appointed: March 2009
Confirmed by Senate: May 7, 2009
Department that might have handled similar issues: Justice

• Directs drug-control policy in the U.S.; is expected to shift drug policy to intervention, treatment and a reduction of problem drug use.
• Was police chief for the city of Seattle from 2000-2009
• Was Deputy Director of the Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (1998 to 2000); Police Chief for the city of Buffalo (1994 to 1998); Police chief of Fort Pierce, Fla. (N/A to 1994)
• A strong gun-control advocate, urged both the Washington legislature and the U.S. Congress to pass an assault-weapons ban and has worked to close the loophole that doesn't require background checks at gun shows
• 2003: admitted that busting people for personal marijuana possession was not a top priority of the Seattle police department.
• As Seattle police chief, assigned an officer full-time to the drug court, which commuted sentences of drug users who complete medical treatment in lieu of going to jail. 

youtube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qUGJS748n8

11. Economic Czar  - Paul Volcker

Title: Chairman of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board
Salary: Volcker reportedly isn't paid for his advice.
Reports to: President Obama
Appointed: January 2009
Department that might have handled similar issues: Treasury

• Charged with offering independent, nonpartisan information, analysis, and advice to the President as he formulates and implements his plans for economic recovery.
• Some reports say he's been marginalized by Larry Summers.
• Former Federal Reserve chairman (1979-1987)
• Was Undersecretary for Monetary Affairs, Department of the Treasury (1969 to 1974); Deputy Undersecretary for Monetary Affairs, Department of the Treasury (1963 to 1965)
• Gave Obama campaign $2,300 in 2008.

youtube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3ROf8ln9rg&feature=fvw

12. Energy czar — Carol Browner

          From The Washington Post Until last week, Carol M. Browner, President-elect Barack Obama's pick as global warming czar, was listed as one of 14 leaders of a socialist group's Commission for a Sustainable World Society, which calls for "global governance" and says rich countries must shrink their economies to address climate change. By Thursday, Mrs. Browner's name and biography had been removed from Socialist International's Web page, though a photo of her speaking June 30 to the group's congress in Greece was still available. Socialist International, an umbrella group for many of the world's social democratic political parties such as Britain's Labor Party, says it supports socialism and is harshly critical of U.S. policies. The group's Commission for a Sustainable World Society, the organization's action arm on climate change, says the developed world must reduce consumption and commit to binding and punitive limits on greenhouse gas emissions. Mr. Obama, who has said action on climate change would be a priority in his administration, tapped Mrs. Browner last month to fill a new position as White House coordinator of climate and energy policies. The appointment does not need Senate confirmation. Mr. Obama's transition team said Mrs. Browner's membership in the organization is not a problem and that it brings experience in U.S. policymaking to her new role. "The Commission for a Sustainable World Society includes world leaders from a variety of political parties, including British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who succeeded Tony Blair, in serving as vice president of the convening organization," Obama transition spokesman Nick Shapiro said. "Carol Browner was chosen to help the president-elect coordinate energy and climate policy because she understands that our efforts to create jobs, achieve energy security and combat climate change demand integration among different agencies; cooperation between federal, state and local governments; and partnership with the private sector," Mr. Shapiro said in an e-mail. Mrs. Browner ran the Environmental Protection Agency under President Clinton. Until she was tapped for the Obama administration, she was on the board of directors for the National Audubon Society, the League of Conservation Voters, the Center for American Progress and former Vice President Al Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection. Her name has been removed from the Gore organization's Web site list of directors, and the Audubon Society issued a press release about her departure from that organization. 3. Urban Czar — Adolfo Carrion THE NEW YORK TIMES Adolfo Carrión Jr. is director of the White House Office of Urban Affairs in the  Obama administration, newly created to focus federal investment in cities. His primary concerns will be job creation, housing and ensuring that federal money for urban America is effectively spent. In his previous role as the Bronx borough president, Mr. Carrión used the kind of wonkish attention to detail and inspirational language that comes naturally to an urban planner and son of a Pentecostal preacher to promote development, including a hotel and convention complex around the new Yankee Stadium and a high school for sports-related careers. His approach helped create new housing and new jobs, but the results of many of his initiatives and commissions are mixed, with some achieving their goals, some still in the planning stages and others fading away. In 2009,  the unemployment rate in the Bronx is the highest in the city and the second-highest in the state. And no hotel, convention center or high shool was built next to Yankee Stadium. Mr. Carrión's supporters say he has had a positive impact in his seven years a borough president. They say he became one of the city's leading Hispanic officials, winning enough support to plan a run for mayor in 2009 and distancing himself from the rough-and-tumble politics in the Bronx, where an internal power struggle has bitterly divided the Democratic Party organization. The White House post is a major leap for Mr. Carrión, who will go from the largely ceremonial position of borough president to coordinating national urban policy. A former public school teacher, he entered the Bronx president's office steeped in community affairs. He had worked as an urban planner at the Department of City Planning before becoming district manager for Community Board 5. In 1997, he ran for and won a City Council seat, later raising his political profile in 2001, when he and three others, including the Rev. Al Sharpton, were imprisoned for protesting bombing exercises on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques. One of Mr. Carrión's accomplishments has been helping to develop housing for low- and moderate-income families. Borough presidents decide how to spend a small pot of money from the city's capital budget, and Mr. Carrión gave millions of dollars each year to help finance housing units. In a typical contribution, he gave $3 million to the nonprofit Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation to build 300 units that cost a total of $82 million. But critics say Mr. Carrión has exaggerated his role in building housing. The roughly 40,000 units he said were created during his tenure were made up of all residential development in the borough, including projects he contributed capital money toward and projects he did not help finance. He was born on March 6, 1961, in Manhattan; his family moved to the Bronx when he was in fourth grade. He graduated from Kings College, in Westchester County, N.Y., where he majored in world religions; he earned a master’s degree in urban planning from Hunter College. He lives with his wife, Linda, on City Island in the Bronx; they have three daughters and one son. Adolfo Carrión Jr. is director of the White House Office of Urban Affairs in the  Obama administration, newly created to focus federal investment in cities. His primary concerns will be job creation, housing and ensuring that federal money for urban America is effectively spent. In his previous role as the Bronx borough president, Mr. Carrión used the kind of wonkish attention to detail and inspirational language that comes naturally to an urban planner and son of a Pentecostal preacher to promote development, including a hotel and convention complex around the new Yankee Stadium and a high school for sports-related careers. His approach helped create new housing and new jobs, but the results of many of his initiatives and commissions are mixed, with some achieving their goals, some still in the planning stages and others fading away. In 2009,  the unemployment rate in the Bronx is the highest in the city and the second-highest in the state. And no hotel, convention center or high shool was built next to Yankee Stadium. Mr. Carrión's supporters say he has had a positive impact in his seven years a borough president. They say he became one of the city's leading Hispanic officials, winning enough support to plan a run for mayor in 2009 and distancing himself from the rough-and-tumble politics in the Bronx, where an internal power struggle has bitterly divided the Democratic Party organization. The White House post is a major leap for Mr. Carrión, who will go from the largely ceremonial position of borough president to coordinating national urban policy. A former public school teacher, he entered the Bronx president's office steeped in community affairs. He had worked as an urban planner at the Department of City Planning before becoming district manager for Community Board 5. In 1997, he ran for and won a City Council seat, later raising his political profile in 2001, when he and three others, including the Rev. Al Sharpton, were imprisoned for protesting bombing exercises on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques. One of Mr. Carrión's accomplishments has been helping to develop housing for low- and moderate-income families. Borough presidents decide how to spend a small pot of money from the city's capital budget, and Mr. Carrión gave millions of dollars each year to help finance housing units. In a typical contribution, he gave $3 million to the nonprofit Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation to build 300 units that cost a total of $82 million. But critics say Mr. Carrión has exaggerated his role in building housing. The roughly 40,000 units he said were created during his tenure were made up of all residential development in the borough, including projects he contributed capital money toward and projects he did not help finance. He was born on March 6, 1961, in Manhattan; his family moved to the Bronx when he was in fourth grade. He graduated from Kings College, in Westchester County, N.Y., where he majored in world religions; he earned a master’s degree in urban planning from Hunter College. He lives with his wife, Linda, on City Island in the Bronx; they have three daughters and one son. 4. InfoTech/Information Czar — Vivek Kundra THE WASHINGTON POST Vivek Kundra to be Obama's Chief Information Officer President Obama announced this morning that Vivek Kundra, currently the District of Columbia's Chief Technology Officer, will be the first Federal Chief Information Officer, a position Obama pledged to create during his campaign. "Vivek Kundra will bring a depth of experience in the technology arena and a commitment to lowering the cost of government operations to this position," Obama said in a press release. "I have directed him to work to ensure that we are using the spirit of American innovation and the power of technology to improve performance and lower the cost of government operations. As Chief Information Officer, he will play a key role in making sure our government is running in the most secure, open, and efficient way possible." Kundra's name has been mentioned in technology circles as a prime candidate for the job since he has experience in both private and public sectors. Before becoming DC's CTO, he was assistant secretary of commerce and trade as well as assistant secretary of technology for Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine. He also ran two start-ups. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia's Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership and holds a master's degree in information technology from the University of Maryland. As the CIO, Kundra will work closely with a yet-to-be-named Chief Technology Officer. It is still unclear what the CTO's job description will be, but Kundra will have budgetary authority over all information technology projects and E-government initiatives across government agencies. The newly created CIO job most closely mirrors the job held previously by Karen Evans, whose title was Administrator for Electronic Government and Information Technology in the Office of Management and Budget. For more specifics about how he oversaw the tech projects and budgets for 86 agencies in the DC government, take a look at this profile I wrote about him in January. He has an interesting background: He was born in India and moved with his family to Tanzania at a young age. His family moved to Gaithersburg, Md., when he was 11 years old. His father is a teacher in the District. Any thoughts on what his first priorities should be? 5. Faith-Based Czar — Joshua DuBois THE WALL STREET JOURNAL A Profile of Joshua DuBois: Obama's pick for White House office Mr. DuBois grew up in Nashville, Tenn., and Xenia, Ohio, the stepson of a minister at an African Methodist Episcopal church, a branch of Christianity born in protest against slavery in 1816. His grandmother participated in the 1960 Nashville sit-ins and used to tell her grandson stories about being spat on. His conservative parents would listen to Mr. Dobson's "Focus on the Family" radio show. Mr. DuBois says he remembers his mother being moved to tears by some of Mr. Dobson's broadcasts. While studying at Boston University, Mr. DuBois became an evangelical Christian and joined Calvary Praise and Worship Center, a small African-American Pentecostal congregation in Cambridge. He became an associate pastor at age 18. Sen. Obama hired Mr. DuBois in 2005 to spearhead a religious outreach program in his senate office. He now consults Mr. DuBois on all faith-related issues -- ranging from the fallout over remarks by his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright, to Mr. Obama's controversial proposal to boost federal funding for religious groups that provide community service. Conservative evangelical leader James Dobson (AFA) has accused Sen. Obama of a remiss reading of the Bible and a "fruitcake interpretation of the Constitution" to justify his views on abortion, same-sex marriage and other issues.                                                                         6. Health Reform Czar — Nancy-Ann DeParle Nancy-Ann Min DeParle (born December 17, 1956) is an official in the administration of President of the United States Barack Obama, leading its efforts on health care issues. She served as the director of the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) from 1997 to 2000, administering the Medicare program for the Clinton administration, and before then worked at the Office of Management and Budget. On March 2, 2009, she was named by President Obama to serve as Counselor to the President and Director of the new White House Office of Health Reform.[1][2]  Education and personal life DeParle was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and raised in Rockwood, Tennessee.[3] Her mother died of lung cancer when Nancy-Ann was 17[4]. She earned her bachelor's degree at University of Tennessee, where she was the first female president of the student body. She went on to Balliol College of Oxford University to study on a Rhodes scholarship [5]. She earned a JD from Harvard Law School. She is married to Jason DeParle, a reporter for The New York Times.[6]She has Chinese ancestry. [7Career DeParle was a partner at the law firm of Bass, Berry & Sims in Nashville before serving as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Human Services in the cabinet of Governor Ned McWherter from 1987 to 1989. DeParle has also served as a trustee at the nonprofit Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a research fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and a fellow at the Wharton School of Business. She has also been a Commissioner on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC).  Corporate connections DeParle has drawn criticism for her lucrative service on corporate boards after her tenure in the Clinton administration. Msnbc.com reported that she was paid more than $6 million, and served as a director of half a dozen companies that faced federal investigations, whistleblower lawsuits and other regulatory actions. Many of these companies have a stake in the health care reform that she is leading.[8] She served as a director of Accredo Health Inc., Boston Scientific, Cerner Corp., DaVita, Guidant, Medco Health Solutions, Speciality Laboratories, and Triad Hospitals. She was a managing director of CCMP Capital. 7. Stimulus Accountability Czar — Earl Devaney   TIME MAGAZINE   On Monday, President Obama tasked one-time cop and Secret Service agent Earl Devaney with his largest policing job yet: monitoring spending of the administration's $787 billion stimulus plan. Obama announced his selection of Devaney, currently inspector general at the Department of the Interior, as chairman of the new Recovery Act Transparency and Accountability Board. Devaney will work with Vice President Joe Biden to monitor for wasteful spending and issue periodic reports to the public. It's a familiar watchdog role for the long-time government servant. During his tenure at Interior, Devaney uncovered the shady dealings of disgraced ex-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, an investigation that eventually led to Abramoff's imprisonment and the resignation of Interior's no. 2, J. Steven Griles, for lying under oath about his own role in the scandal. Devaney previously worked as the chief of criminal enforcement at the Environmental Protection Agency, where he was responsible for heading up all the agency's criminal investigations. (See pictures of 25 people to blame for the financial crisis.) Devaney won't have a lot of time to get situated in his new position; states will receive the first stimulus funds on Wednesday. Obama has already warned governors that the stimulus money is "not a blank check" and that he plans to treat misappropriations harshly. If Devaney's history is any indication, Obama has found a watchdog quite capable of letting him — and the public — know about any malfeasance. Fast Facts • Began his career as a Massachusetts police officer in 1968. • Graduated from Franklin and Marshall College in 1970 with a degree in government, and started work as a special agent for the U.S. Secret Service after graduation. • Retired from the Secret Service in 1991 as leader of the agency's fraud division in order to join the Environmental Protection Agency. He became the EPA's head of enforcement, responsible for the agency's criminal investigations. • Earned the Meritorious Presidential Rank Award for his public service from President Clinton in 1998. • Became Inspector General of the Department of the Interior in 1999. • Headed the influence peddling investigation against lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who bragged to several American Indian tribes that he could land them political favors at the Department of the Interior, which oversees gaming on Indian land. Abramoff pleaded guilty in 2006 to conspiracy and is cooperating with a bribery investigation. Devaney's investigation also brought down several Interior Department employees, the highest ranking being J. Steven Griles, second-in-command at the department. Griles admitted to hiding his ties to Abramoff during his 2005 testimony before Congress. • Headed a two-year investigation into the Minerals Management Service, a group which handles royalty payments tendered by oil companies in exchange for drilling on government lands. In his investigation, he found MMS employees were drinking and using drugs on the job and were having sexual relationships with oil industry contracts. In his report, he said the MMS had a "culture of substance abuse and promiscuity." • Led an investigation against Julie MacDonald, a one-time deputy assistant secretary overseeing the Fish and Wildlife Service. Devaney's report found MacDonald improperly leaked information and interfered with at least 13 decisions about the protection of endangered species, though it found no illegal activity on her behalf. MacDonald resigned in 2007. Quotes By After Griles' guilty plea in the Jack Abramoff influence peddling case: "I am most proud of the willingness of the many current and former department employees who told the truth about this top Interior official, sometimes at great risk to their own careers." (Washington Post, March 24, 2007) In his report on an investigation of Julie MacDonald, who served as deputy assistant secretary at the Fish and Wildlife Service: "MacDonald's zeal to advance her agenda has caused considerable harm to the integrity" of the Endangered Species Act programs "and to the morale and the reputation" of the Fish and Wildlife Service, "as well as potential harm to individual species."(New York Times, Dec. 15, 2008) Speaking to Interior Department employees after his investigation uncovered impropriety at the Minerals Management Department: "I want to make sure they understand that I believe in the integrity of 99.9 percent of the 70-odd thousand people who work in this department. There have been a few bad apples. My frustration is the way the department has dealt with those few." (Federal Times, Dec. 8, 2006) Quotes About "Given the breathtaking arrogance with which you have conducted previous so-called investigations of me, I have no interest in any further discussion with your office,"— Julie MacDonald, in a 2008 letter refusing to be interviewed by Devaney for his investigation into her actions with the Endangered Species Program. MacDonald, who hasn't commented on the report, had already resigned in 2007. "[Devaney's reports] paint a picture of something akin to a secret society residing within the Interior Department that was colluding to undermine the protection of endangered wildlife and covering for one another's misdeeds."— Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, on Devaney's investigation into MacDonald and the Fish and Wildlife Service. (December 15, 2008, Washington Post) "Earl has doggedly pursued waste, fraud and mismanagement [and] has the reputation of being one of the best inspector generals that we have in this town. I can't think of any more tenacious and efficient guardian of the hard-earned tax dollars the American people have entrusted us to wisely invest."— Barack Obama (Feb. 23, 2009, CNN) 
"He looks like an inspector, he's tough, you know he barely cracks a smile."— Barack Obama 8. Regulatory Czar — Cass Sunstein 9. Drug czar — Gil Kerlikowske (C)10. Guantanamo Closure Czar — Daniel Fried11. Salary/Pay/Compensation Czar — Kenneth Feinberg12. Non-Proliferation/WMD Czar — Gary Samore13. Terrorism Czar — John Brennan 14. New TARP Czar — Herb Allison (C)15. Cyber Security Czar — OPEN (Click HERE to apply for job)16. Technology Czar – Aneesh Chopra (C)17. Car Czar — Ed Montgomery 18. Economic Czar — Paul Volcker19. Great Lakes Czar – Cameron Davis20. Intelligence Czar – Dennis Blair (C)21. Weather/Science Czar — John Holdren (C)22. Green Jobs Czar — Van Jones23. AIDS Czar —Jeffery Crowley 24. California Water Czar - David Hayes (C)25. Domestic Violence Czar – Lynn Rosenthal26. TARP Oversight Czar – Elizabeth Warren27. Weapons Czar – Ashton Carter (C) 28. Copyright Czar – OPEN (Click HERE to apply for job)29. Mideast Peace Czar – George Mitchell30. Af-Pak Czar– Richard Holbrooke 31. Sudan Czar – J. Scott Gration32. Southwest Asia Czar – Dennis Ross33. Climate Czar – Todd Stern34. Eurasian Energy Cxar – Richard Morningstar Van Jones http://www.examiner.com/x-3089-LA-Ecopolitics-Examiner~y2009m8d26-Obamas-Clone-as-Green-Czar Beck-Czar's http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/29391/                     youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbtEjj1MPiY  
Title: Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy
Salary: $102,000
Reports to: President Obama (as part of the Executive Office of the President’s Domestic Policy Council)
Appointed: February 2009
Department that might have handled similar issues: Health and Human Services

• Coordinates HIV/AIDS policy domestically and internationally.
• Senior Research Scholar at Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute and a Senior Scholar at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Georgetown University Law Center.
• Was Deputy Executive Director for Programs at the National Association of People with AIDS
• Has Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health

  THE WASHINGTON POST  

Obama climate czar has socialist ties

Group sees 'global governance' as solution

By Stephen Dinan 

Until last week, Carol M. Browner, President-elect Barack Obama's pick as global warming czar, was listed as one of 14 leaders of a socialist group's Commission for a Sustainable World Society, which calls for "global governance" and says rich countries must shrink their economies to address climate change.

By Thursday, Mrs. Browner's name and biography had been removed from Socialist International's Web page, though a photo of her speaking June 30 to the group's congress in Greece was still available.

Socialist International, an umbrella group for many of the world's social democratic political parties such as Britain's Labor Party, says it supports socialism and is harshly critical of U.S. policies.

The group's Commission for a Sustainable World Society, the organization's action arm on climate change, says the developed world must reduce consumption and commit to binding and punitive limits on greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr. Obama, who has said action on climate change would be a priority in his administration, tapped Mrs. Browner last month to fill a new position as White House coordinator of climate and energy policies. The appointment does not need Senate confirmation.

Mr. Obama's transition team said Mrs. Browner's membership in the organization is not a problem and that it brings experience in U.S. policymaking to her new role.

"The Commission for a Sustainable World Society includes world leaders from a variety of political parties, including British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who succeeded Tony Blair, in serving as vice president of the convening organization," Obama transition spokesman Nick Shapiro said.

"Carol Browner was chosen to help the president-elect coordinate energy and climate policy because she understands that our efforts to create jobs, achieve energy security and combat climate change demand integration among different agencies; cooperation between federal, state and local governments; and partnership with the private sector," Mr. Shapiro said in an e-mail.

Mrs. Browner ran the Environmental Protection Agency under President Clinton. Until she was tapped for the Obama administration, she was on the board of directors for the National Audubon Society, the League of Conservation Voters, the Center for American Progress and former Vice President Al Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection.

Her name has been removed from the Gore organization's Web site list of directors, and the Audubon Society issued a press release about her departure from that organization.

13. Faith-Based Czar * - Joshua DuBois

 

 Title: Director of the Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships
Salary: $98,000
Reports to: President Obama
Appointed: February 2009
Department that might have handled similar issues: Health and Human Services

• Acts as a liaison between faith and secular community groups and the White House, often partnering with them to tackle social issues. Helps these groups apply for federal grants available to them.
• Is 26 years old
• Has master’s in public affairs from Princeton University; served as associate pastor
• Worked for Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.) as an intern and then as a fellow for Rep. Charles B. Rangel (DN. Y.).
• Hired as a legislative correspondent in Obama’s Senate office in May 2005
• In 2008, at the age of 25, was appointed director of religious affairs for the Obama campaign

youtube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZB4XmJ_D78   You may disagree with me but someone with a little more experience could have been chosen.

14. Government Performance Czar - Jeffrey Zients

Title: Chief Performance Officer
Salary: unknown
Reports to: Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orzag
Appointed: April 2009
Confirmed by the Senate (as deputy director for management for the OMB): June 19, 2009
Agency that might have handled similar issues: OMB

• Charged with cutting costs and finding best practices throughout government.
• Has never worked in government before
• Was a chief executive and former management consultant
• Was founder of Portfolio Logic (2004 to present); Partner of the Washington Baseball Club (2004 to 2006); CEO of the Advisory Board (1998 to 2004)
• Has donated just over $90,000 to political campaigns since 1999, almost all of which went to Democratic candidates.

Here's a little extra teaser for you below. I had to try to lighten things up but many of you will just say; he's an idiot, he's stupid, he's a conservative, etc. All these saying's are said by one side, when they don't agree with the other. I hate to say this is what the Obama administration and members of Congress do.

Part 2 will show you who and what these Czar's stand for. Isn't it strange that Obama has more Czar's than the Romanov Dynasty did?

Please question what all these people stand for, isn't that what Americans do? Congress does NOT write the bills, you've seen how intelligent the people in Congress are. Think about the language used and how many pages there are. These bills took a very long time to write. Ask the Apollo Alliance how long it took.

President Barack Obama recently introduced Kenneth Feinberg as America's "compensation czar." He'll oversee executive pay at firms that have taken federal bailout money. Feinberg "will have broad discretion to set the salaries and bonuses for their five most senior executives and their 20 most highly paid employees," The New York Times reported.

Perhaps President Obama and Vice President Biden will start announcing these appointments only after the latest Czar or Czarina has produced something of consequence. Otherwise, it all seems an exercise in favor-currying with too many constituencies to hold true meaning.

 

1. Zoning czar

Obama has moved swiftly to concentrate power in the White House, bypassing the review of our elected representatives in Congress in most of the posts listed above. Even though cabinet positions are part of the executive branch, the cabinet secretaries must be approved by Congress, they are funded by Congress, and they can be called before Congress to testify. Most of these czars, on the other hand, are appointed by Obama at his sole discretion, and are answerable only to him. If subpoenaed by Congress, they can claim executive privilege.

This was a great picture, but the site won't take the copy and paste.

On July 15, Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) introduced HE.R.3226, the Czar Accountability and Reform (CZAR) Act of 2009, with 34 co-sponsors. There is some comfort in knowing that there are still a few folk in the House of Representatives who are fighting for constitutional government.

Zoning czar

Obama has moved swiftly to concentrate power in the White House, bypassing the review of our elected representatives in Congress in most of the posts listed above. Even though cabinet positions are part of the executive branch, the cabinet secretaries must be approved by Congress, they are funded by Congress, and they can be called before Congress to testify. Most of these czars, on the other hand, are appointed by Obama at his sole discretion, and are answerable only to him. If subpoenaed by Congress, they can claim executive privilege.

On July 15, Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) introduced H.R.3226, the Czar Accountability and Reform (CZAR) Act of 2009, with 34 co-sponsors. There is some comfort in knowing that there are still a few folk in the House of Representatives who are fighting for constitutional government.