Posted on 10/15/2012 3:54:52 PM PDT by Kaslin
Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius has been campaigning so enthusiastically for President Obama that she — whoops! — broke a federal law that restricts political activities by executive-branch officials. Federal employees are usually fired for such transgressions, but no one expects that to happen to Sebelius. Heck, she got right back in the saddle.
Every cabinet official (probably) wants to see the president reelected, and no president relishes dismissing a cabinet official. But in this case, there’s an additional incentive for Sebelius to campaign for her boss and for Obama not to fire her.
ObamaCare creates a new Independent Payment Advisory Board that — “fact checkers” notwithstanding — is actually a super-legislature with the power to ration care to everyone, increase taxes, impose conditions on federal grants to states, and wield other legislative powers. According to legend, IPAB will consist of 15 unelected “experts” who are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Yeah, good one.
In fact, if the president makes no appointments, or the Senate rejects the president’s appointees, then all of IPAB’s considerable powers fall to one person: the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The HHS secretary would effectively become an economic dictator, with more power over the health care sector than any chamber of Congress.
If Obama wins in November, he would have zero incentive to appoint any IPAB members. The confirmation hearings would be a bloodbath, not unlike Don Berwick’s confirmation battle multiplied by 15. Sebelius, on the other hand, would not need to be re-confirmed. She could assume all of IPAB’s powers without the Senate examining her fitness to wield those powers. If Obama fired her, or the voters fire Obama, then the next HHS secretary would have to secure Senate confirmation. Again, bloodbath. That makes Kathleen Sebelius the only person in the universe who could assume those powers without that scrutiny.
No wonder she’s campaigning so hard. No wonder Obama won’t fire her.
This work by Cato Institute is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Since she has brazenly broken a federal law, the JD should be after her.
...oh, wait.....
She was here in NH a couple weeks ago. I posed the question then as to how a cabinet official could be drawing a paycheck and working on a political campaign at the same time. Nobody seemed to interested into looking into it.
Mitt should pick up on Obama’s utter failure to hold cabinet officials responsible for their failures and illegal acts.
Sebelius, like Biden, is to attract white Catholic voters.
I’m Catholic, but I can concede the Protestants were what made this country unique in the world. In 2000 and 2004 they spared us from Gore & Kerry (who comfortably took the “Catholic” states).
ATTENTION ------> DOES ANYONE KNOW IF POLITICAL APPOINTEES LIKE HER AND ROBERT GIBBS WILL TAKE, WHEN THEY LEAVE THE GOV'T, FREE MEDICAL BENEFITS, FEDERAL RETIREMENT, ETC WITH THEM, LIKE ELECTED SENATORS AND CONGRESSMEN AND CAREER EMPLOYEES?
Thank you.
If Obamacare stays in effect,the Secretary of Health and Human Services will become one of the most powerful jobs in this country.
Much too much power for oneperson to have, Especially one person stupid enough to campaign for Barrack HUSSEIN Obama.
“.......benefits, etc as regular civil service employees....”
BUT only for the period of time they are working for the USG. So any S/L or A/L accrued would convert to cash when they leave. I am pretty sure they can't talk any civil service medical benefits with them even if they pick up the tab. (Could me wrong but I don't think so!)
Has there ever been a more lawless President?
I’m just happy she left Kansas. We have a conservative Governor now, and the newspaper editors hate him.
Because re-electing Obama to his 6th Presidential term will be easier when people know Barry’s Regime gets to decide if you get a Pain Pill or your Cancer Treatments.......
They’ll probably be buried alive like the pharaohs did to their no longer useful servants.
How many white Catholic do you think she attracts?
Is that who elected her when she was Gov. of Kansas - a state that's 80% non-Catholic?
By the way, I know "google is my friend", BUT, it's being very unfriendly today. LOL
so in my previous post talk= take
so forgive my lack of “proofing” my responses!
Because the Church won’t take a stand and excommunicate this hieratic she is allowed to provide cover for all those fair weather Catholics.
Abp Naumann gave her a monitum not to receive Communion in 2008. Do you have any indication she’s even gone to Mass since then?
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