Empty Treasury

#5- Playing Golf

2009-05-26T08:11:00.000-07:00

"But Bush did that!" you might object. "Haven't you ever seen Fahrenheit 9/11?"

Let's gain a little bit of perspective. Did Michael Moore use a clip of Bush playing golf on Memorial Day? Did Michael Moore use a clip of Bush playing golf on a day when a socialist tyrant successfully tested a nuclear weapon? Did Michael Moore use a clip of Bush playing golf for four hours when he hadn't yet staffed the Treasury Department in the middle of the biggest economic crisis the States have seen in decades?

No?

Well, that's what just happened. And your skewed partisan equivalence-mongering will only exacerbate the problem.

#4- Managing an Automobile Company

2009-05-21T07:27:00.000-07:00

Obama's 13-15 mpg (city) Chrysler 300C, currently on sale at eBay

Some Presidential candidates gain management experience in the private sector before they go into politics. Barack Obama, however, has chosen to gain that private-sector experience after taking the Oath of Office.

Obama first fired Chrysler's current CEO. Then he put together a merger between Chrysler and Fiat, giving unions majority ownership of the company and forcing the company's creditors to receive 29 cents on the dollar for they debt they held. When the actual bondholders of the company balked at the deal, Obama threatened these private citizens with public humiliation in the press.

As if all that wasn't enough, Obama then brought about the closing of 1/4 of Chrysler dealerships around the country and declared that every car and truck in America have an average fuel economy of 35.5 mpg by 2016.

So yes, now a man who has never fixed a car, sold a car, designed a car, advertised a car, or managed a car company, knows what's best for the auto industry. Never mind that the best small trucks in America today get a maximum of 26 mpg on the highway, so Obama is asking for a 36% increase in fuel efficiency over a period of 7 years (56% if we're talking larger trucks that have a maximum of 20 mpg on the highway). Never mind that increasing fuel economy will undoubtedly decrease the safety of vehicles and lead to more deaths in crashes. Never mind that increasing fuel economy will have a miniscule, if not absolutely negigible effect on global carbon output. Never mind that this will force the poorest people in America to pay anywhere from $600 to $1300 extra per car when the economy, wages, and employment are already down. Fuel economy is not the reason people won't buy Chrysler/GM/etc., the vehicle's higher purchase price (due to unreasonable union wages) is.

But let's borrow a page from the mainstream press and not get upset about how Obama just forced thousands of working-class people to lose their jobs and is pushing through a plan to force everyone to pay a $600-$1300 carbon tax when they buy a car. The important thing is this is not the responsibility of the President of the United States. The President should stick to his Constitutionally enumerated responsibilities, such as appointing Cabinet members.

But that's not a very high priority right now for Obama. He would rather run a car company than fully staff the Treasury in the middle of what he calls an economic crisis.

#3- Pondering how Spock-like he is

2009-05-20T13:46:00.000-07:00

So Star Trek, we saw this weekend, which I thought was good. Everybody was saying I was Spock, so I figured I should check it out and—[the president makes the Vulcan salute with his hand].

It would be easier for Americans to live long and prosper if Obama would take two hours on the weekend to nominate somebody for at least the higher-level Treasury Department positions, but apparently, personal Spock comparisons take precedence over that.

#2: Weekly Cocktail Parties

2009-05-19T06:50:00.000-07:00

Reuters

Feb. 22: U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama enter the East Room to hear Earth Wind and Fire perform at the Governors dinner.

Now, when you have the most stressful job in the world, of course you need some downtime, but perhaps indulging in extravagant parties while unemployment soars isn't exactly the best show of solidarity with the American people. The Obamas have made Wednesday night cocktail parties a custom at the White House. But don't you worry; it's not just pleasure but business, as well:

“It’s not so much a cocktail party necessarily,” Katie McCormick Lelyveld, press secretary to first lady Michelle Obama, told FOXNews.com. “It’s a gathering that takes on the shape of the week’s agenda. The driving force is to reserve time Wednesday evenings to have at hand to use for whatever is at the top of the list of priorities that week.”

Apparently, those priorities don't include allowing the Treasury to work through the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression (O's words, not mine) with a full staff. But hey- a private concert from Earth Wind and Fire? Pretty high priority.

#1: Buying a Dog

2009-05-18T14:56:00.000-07:00

Mandel Ngan / AFP - Getty Images

On April 14, 2009, the Obamas made Bo, a purebred Portuguese water dog, an official member of the First Family. It's become somewhat of an American custom for the President to get a dog, but seeing as the sycophantic White House Press Corps has had no problem filling their coverage of Obama with puff pieces and "Aww, how cute" coverage of his family/marriage/workouts, this press event could have waited a couple more months.

But alas, Obama found it more important to buy a dog than staff the Treasury Department in the midst of the worst economy since the Great Depression.

It's been over 100 days...

2009-05-18T11:46:00.000-07:00

... and Obama has yet to fully staff the Treasury Department in the middle of a bad recession. The worst since the Great Depression, according to him. So what gives? Why has Barack Obama failed to fill important posts at the Treasury? This blog will list all the things that our President has found more important than staffing the Cabinet department responsible for handling the economy.