Morning Bell: The Obama Czar State Is About To Kill The Economy

Conn Carroll / October 01, 2009

Last week, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced an amendment to the Interior Department appropriations bill that would have withheld federal funds for some 18 “czars” appointed by the Obama administration and not confirmed by the Senate. “There is no careful Senate examination of their character and qualifications. And we are speaking here of some of the most senior positions within our government,” Collins told USA Today.

Senate Democrats went on to kill Collins’ amendment using a procedural tactic which “deeply disappointed” Collins. It is a shame the Collins amendment was not allowed a vote. But Senate oversight is no solution to the proliferation of czars under the Obama administration. The problem is much more fundamental to our Constitutional system and far predates President Barack Obama.

Yesterday the Environmental Protection Agency proposed a new rule that would regulate greenhouse gas emissions from hundreds of power plants and large industrial facilities across the country. The EPA claims it has the authority to issue these regulations pursuant to the 1970 Clean Air Act which authorizes the EPA to regulate any source that emits more than 250 tons of a recognized “pollutant” each year. The problem is, the Clean Air Act was never intended to regulate carbon emissions so the 250 ton threshold would inflict job killing regulations on millions of small businesses nationwide. The Heritage Foundation’s Center for Data Analysis has estimated that if the EPA regulated carbon objectively under the law, the economy would suffer annual job losses exceeding 800,000 for several years and a cumulative GDP loss of $7 trillion by 2029. (more…)