Bushies in the Bureaucracy

    As the cover is being peeled back on the Bush era in the last days of the administration, we are learning more about enclaves of very conservative Bushies trying to turn the government into a permanent Rebublican bastion. While they couldn't win issues in an open debate, the administration, as we now read, tried to quietly manipulate the supposed non-partisan operations of the bureaucracy. 

    Employees at the Justice Department, from entry level lawyers to high ranking judges, were picked for political views over qualifications in violation of federal law, a new inspector general's reported this week.  The head of the Environmental Protection Agency  as it turned out overrulled his staff and vetoed California's attempt to curb greenhouse gases on direction from political operatives at the White House. The sad truth, however, is that really few people other than governmental insiders and consumers of public broadcasting  are paying much attention. Everybody else know that this will all soon be over.

Twenty-nine years ago on July 15, 1979, President Jimmy Carter gave a famous speech to the nation warning of the country's dependence on foreign oil and an impending energy crisis. The speech made serious proposals that included mileage restrictions for cars, an excess profits tax for oil companies and restrictions on the use of foreign oil. Due to some of the rhetoric in the speech Carter was held up to ridicule as weak. He scolded the country for a 'crisis of confidence' and a 'national malaise.' His suggestions were blown off as the economy improved, setting up the election of Ronald Reagan. Subsequently the US was able to buy its way out of the energy crisis of the '70s.
But the questions arises: how much would gasoline cost today if the nation had followed some of Carter's advice?