By Kevin Mooney — Unelected federal agents who are working to regulate and control the free market economy even after the collapse of “cap and trade” legislation have been called out thanks to Americans for Limited Government (ALG) and its top researchers.
The legislation now moving on Capitol Hill aimed at blocking the extra-constitutional power grabs of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and other federal entities, can be traced back to the controversy surrounding Van Jones, an avowed communist, who signed a 9/11 “truther” statement claiming President Bush was behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks. His activities went unreported until Glenn Beck, the former Fox News talk show host, entered the fray and helped to force Jones out.
But Don Todd, ALG’s research director, warns that there is very little daylight between Jones and other unelected czars who continue to operate in influential positions. The “Appointments Watch” project Todd organized on behalf of ALG yielded some sobering results.
“When we started with the project we used to do 10 worst, now we do 10 typical because they are all so hard left, there is a constant thread through all the appointees,” Todd said. “It’s very frightening and no one has picked up on it in the media except for Glenn Beck. It’s important to point out that Van Jones is not an outlier, his ideology is not unusual for an Obama appointee.”
Todd’s Appointments Watch project has focused upon hundreds of Administration appointees. Obama EPA political appointee Stephen A. Owens is just one example of someone who prior to joining the Administration was at the forefront of pushing a radical agenda, in his case the failed “cap and trade” idea, and now is empowered as a political appointee to make policy through regulation.
House Republicans who have made it a top priority to curtail the EPA’s activities should reference some the key findings in “Appointments Watch” to drive the point home. Team Obama’s administrative activities did not formulate at random in response to legislative failures. They have been a deliberate part of the equation going all the way back to the 2008 presidential campaign.
In the run-up to the Obama Administration, green pressure groups released a 300-page document entitled “Transition to Green” that includes a comprehensive list of personnel and policy recommendations that anticipate czar-type functions.
Some of the key players here include the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), The Environmental Defense Fund, the Sierra Club, Greenpeace, the EarthJustice Legal Defense Fund, The Natural Wildlife Federation, Friends of the Earth and the League of Conservation Voters.
There is a growing appetite now to transition away from big government policies and back in the direction of a free market economy. But this means House Republican, with their new majority, must remain on offense. To make their case, they have ample material as a result of the research ALG has circulated.
Kevin Mooney is a contributing editor to Americans for Limited Government. You can follow Kevin on Twitter at @KevinMooneyDC.
