eisely Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Now another Obama appointee has withdrawn over undisclosed tax problems. Who is Nancy Killefer and what is a "chief peformance officer" anyway? Do you suppose she is related to Leona Helmsley? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGreyEagle Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 At least she withdrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoutldr Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 I believe this is the position that BHO created to look at the efficiency of Govt programs, with an eye toward elimintating those which were not performing. Looks like the first one to be examined should have been the Income Tax system and IRS...the Dems seem to have a real hard time figuring that one out. Time for the Fair Tax!(This message has been edited by scoutldr) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheScout Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 "No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs once launched never disappear. Actually a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life that we shall ever see on this earth." -Ronald Reagan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankj Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 She withdrew and this morning the announcement came out that Daschle withdrew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eisely Posted February 3, 2009 Author Share Posted February 3, 2009 Aside from the ethical issues faced by these nominees, I am disturbed by the incompetence demonstrated by the Obama administration in even putting such appointments forward. One hopes that this is not a harbinger of things to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melgamatic Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 The size of government, whether you look at it from a purely Federal viewpoint, or combined Fed/State/Local, is purely cyclic. If you look at the official data from the White House's Office of Management and Budget (table 17.5, it's called) you see that both went drastically down in Reagan's first years, then slightly up, finishing slightly above where he started. Here's the Fed graph: http://uucurl.com/x.php?p=2912 and here's the fed/state/local graph: http://uucurl.com/x.php?p=2913 GWBush did better than I would have guessed, but I also believe that there is an extensive use of contractors throughout all of government that isn't reported here. Reagan was the third best government shrinker in history, GWBush second place and Clinton first place. So both sides can feel good about it. JFK oversaw the biggest growth, and certainly Obama is compared to him a lot (both positively and negatively), so it will be interesting to see what happens. I know that my local, county and state governments are all doing a lot of cutting now, and I don't think they're hiring a lot of contractors, so maybe that will offset any federal growth. -Melg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlyn_LeRoy Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 It would be difficult to outweigh bush's incompetence, what with attacking a country for having nonexistent weapons and failing to pursue a mass-murderer, among a host of other things. As for nominees being withdrawn, anyone remember Linda Chavez as labor sec? Bernard Kerik for homeland security? David Palmer for EEOC? Me neither, but I knew it would be easy to find some, because it's the same for every administration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eisely Posted February 3, 2009 Author Share Posted February 3, 2009 Linda Chavez was withdrawn as nominee for Secretary of Labor when Bush was first elected because she shot her mouth off in a way that Bush did not appreciate, not because of any tax or other ethical lapses. Bernard Kerik did have bona fide issues. I don't recall if non payment of taxes were among them. You will have to refresh my recollection about the controversy about the third person you named. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlyn_LeRoy Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Oh, so you're only going on about nonpayment of taxes? I thought you were concerned about ethical lapses. Chavez housed an illegal immigrant. Eight former DOJ said Palmer failed to enforce antidiscrimination laws. Now are you only concerned over people who withdrew? I think there are plenty of ethical lapses with people like Alberto Gonzales. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGreyEagle Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 its the old "sure my side sucks but not as much as yours" SO, how do we (Society) move away from this reaction, and I know I am guilty of it and will try to stop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoutldr Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Maybe the Oath of Office should be changed to the Scout Oath. Isn't that how we really wish they would act? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlyn_LeRoy Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 The scout oath (as we all know) excludes atheists; the presidential oath/affirmation doesn't. No contest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2eagles Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Merlyn_LeRoy -- plenty of blame to go around. Congress knew of Osama in 1987 -- or rather was informed (they were to busy being cute and humorous for media) of the threat. They ignored it. Clinton's admin. insisted that among the political prisnors in Isr , even those with blood on their hands be released. One named "Muhammed Atta" repayed us with taking out Tower One. All of our Political leaders need to get off self and buddies and concetrate on the country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlyn_LeRoy Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 I agree there's plenty of blame to go around. But throughout the years I've been in this issues & politics forum, there were seldom non-scout related discussions of presidential politics. Yet now that a Democrat has been president for all of two weeks, the non-scout related posts are dominant. I can't see a couple administration nominees being withdrawn for tax problems as somehow suddenly worthy of comment when years of Bush administration scandals got nary a peep. So forgive me if I view the political concerns of many of the posters here as being more a case of sour grapes because the Republicans lost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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