23 November 2010
Gee 20
It seems our President still wants to take care of Wall Street at the expense of an effort to create jobs. As Thom Hartmann said on his show yesterday, a vigorous domestic employment program led by the White House is not going to happen as long as Larry Summers lives within ten minutes and Tim Geitner is Treasury Secretary.
In our merchantile, globalized world of business, I fail to see how an agenda of the G20 can proceed as if international politics, U. S. foreign policy, has no place at the table. This club of presidents and prime ministers seems to feel the need to meet way too often. Ever since Greenspan and Summers came into their prominence during the 1980's and 1990's, Wall Street, Treasury and the Fed put the public spotlight on matters about international finance, national or sovereign debt, and discussions about the dollar remaining the international trade currency of reference. I think our government believes we care about the G20's agenda and how it affects America's domestic economy. The Obama Administration, like its predecessors, uses the Secretary of the Treasury as its point man. Did not the November election raise a flag that the voters are sick of government bureaucracy and decision-making about things only a tiny percentage of Americans understand? No wonder the Democrats lost so many seats. If the evening news is consumed with international trade or financial situations, and I am afraid I will be laid off soon, is it any wonder that the public feels completely left out? If Wall Street is so important, then why hasn't it created more jobs and made consumer lending easier?
I think that the Administration should step back and think real hard about what it plans to do for the next two years. I have some suggestions to offer:
1. The President should inform the Congress and the nation of the two or three domestic policy goals he plans to champion. The State of the Union speech should contain this. Also, he needs to change his style. More often, Mr. Obama seems as if he is functioning as an Arbitrator for resolving conflicts, rather than seeing himself as a leader, proponent, champion of the nation.
2. The Cabinet should have its departments reorganized to reflect modern governance. There are too many generals at the President's table, metaphorically speaking.
There, Happy Thanksgiving to All!
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In our merchantile, globalized world of business, I fail to see how an agenda of the G20 can proceed as if international politics, U. S. foreign policy, has no place at the table. This club of presidents and prime ministers seems to feel the need to meet way too often. Ever since Greenspan and Summers came into their prominence during the 1980's and 1990's, Wall Street, Treasury and the Fed put the public spotlight on matters about international finance, national or sovereign debt, and discussions about the dollar remaining the international trade currency of reference. I think our government believes we care about the G20's agenda and how it affects America's domestic economy. The Obama Administration, like its predecessors, uses the Secretary of the Treasury as its point man. Did not the November election raise a flag that the voters are sick of government bureaucracy and decision-making about things only a tiny percentage of Americans understand? No wonder the Democrats lost so many seats. If the evening news is consumed with international trade or financial situations, and I am afraid I will be laid off soon, is it any wonder that the public feels completely left out? If Wall Street is so important, then why hasn't it created more jobs and made consumer lending easier?
I think that the Administration should step back and think real hard about what it plans to do for the next two years. I have some suggestions to offer:
1. The President should inform the Congress and the nation of the two or three domestic policy goals he plans to champion. The State of the Union speech should contain this. Also, he needs to change his style. More often, Mr. Obama seems as if he is functioning as an Arbitrator for resolving conflicts, rather than seeing himself as a leader, proponent, champion of the nation.
2. The Cabinet should have its departments reorganized to reflect modern governance. There are too many generals at the President's table, metaphorically speaking.
- First, I would transfer the Trade Office from Treasury to Commerce and State. Do governments ever separate trade issues from political issues? No. So why does the U. S. Trade Representative report to the Secretary of the Treasury rather than to the Secretary of State? Isn't Commerce about business and the economy? Then Commerce should have the functions in its portfolio. Further, Commerce should have a separate office for administration of the internet, wi-fi, and other means of electronic communications. (Or, consolidate all electronic communications, infrastructure and licensing into a new Cabinet department).
- Reassign offices and functional responsibilities of Labor and HHS to Commerce so one Secretary of Commerce can provide more balanced staffing as equal to the Secretaries of State and Treasury.
- Streamline the Department of Defense by moving duplicate offices and functions into other departments. For instance, there is no true justification for the Army to have medical research that could be done by NIH in HHS. Cut back overseas deployment of our military for non-combat duties. Use the Navy and Air Force for first response and keep combat troops on home soil until needed.
- Merge the Veterans Health Services and Tri-Care into Medicare for better coverage. The Veterans Administration can continue to operate its outpatient, specialized clinics for combat-related mental health treatment, rest and recuperate and train new veterans for re-entry into civilian society.
- Merge Medicaid into Medicare. Let the states take charge of the social services eligibility and provision.
There, Happy Thanksgiving to All!
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