Posted on 05/27/2011 4:48:50 PM PDT by Kaslin
Cass Sunstein is head of something called the "Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs." I've seen enough conspiracy thrillers to know that when someone has so obvious a blandly amorphous federal job description as that, it means he's running some deeply sinister wet-work operation of illegal targeted assassinations in unfriendly nations that the government spooks want to keep off the books and far from prying eyes.
Oh, no, wait. Actually, Covert Operative Sunstein passes his day doing more or less what the sign on the door says: He collects information about regulatory affairs. More specifically, he is charged by the president with "an unprecedented government-wide review of regulations" in order to "improve or remove those that are out-of-date, unnecessary, excessively burdensome or in conflict with other rules."
How many has he got "removed" so far?
Well, last week he took to the pages of the Wall Street Journal to crow that dairy farmers will henceforth be exempted from the burdens of a 1970s EPA-era directive classifying milk as an "oil" and subjecting it, as Professor Sunstein typed with a straight face, "to costly rules designed to prevent oil spills."
But Ol' MacDonald and his crack team of Red Adair-trained milkmaids can henceforth relax, because now, writes Sunstein, Washington is "giving new meaning to the phrase, 'Don't cry over spilled milk.' "
That's a federally licensed joke from Sunstein's colleagues at the Agency of Guffaw and Titter Regulation, so feel free to laugh.
(Excerpt) Read more at investors.com ...
I totally agree. He is a snake.
And he is Mr. Samantha Powers, you know the chick in the White House who, along with Hilary and Susan Rice at the UN are making war against Libya.
The genius of Obama’s new EO 13563 http://www.fws.gov/endangered/improving_ESA/eo13563_01182011.pdf is that all the Department Heads are using it to promulgate their own regulations in contravention to the Acts passed by Congress. They are Administratively implementing un ratified treaties, un-passed environmental legislation and international agendas.
Here is Scty Salazar changing the Endangered Species Act through a series of rulemaking. http://us.vocuspr.com/Newsroom/Query.aspx?SiteName=fws&Entity=PRAsset&SF_PRAsset_PRAssetID_EQ=127251&XSL=PressRelease&Cache=True and http://www.fws.gov/endangered/improving_ESA/reg_reform.html Here is what House Natural Resources Chair Doc Hastings says about that. http://naturalresources.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=243378 Here are other changes through his retrospective review: http://www.fws.gov/endangered/improving_ESA/DepartmentoftheInteriorPreliminaryRegulatoryReformPlan.pdf
The House just shot down his attempt to internally declare new areas as Wilderness and set them aside from use without Congressional authorization.
U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop was informed that an investigation was done by the Inspector General involving improper contacts with the Wilderness Society, National Wildlife Federation and the National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) on September 18.
The Inspector General’s report found that Department of Interior employees collaborated with lobbyists:
“Our investigation determined that numerous activities and communication took place between NLCS officials and nongovernmental organizations (NGO), including discussions about the NLCS budget and BLM employees’ editing brochures and producing fact sheets for a specific NGO. Our investigative efforts revealed that communication between NLCS and certain NGOs in these circumstances gave the appearance of federal employees being less than objective and created the potential for conflicts of interest or violations of law. We also uncovered a general disregard for establishing and maintaining boundaries among the various entities.
http://great-lakes.org/Wkly_news/09-29-08.html#Probe_of_Enviro_Groups_Lobbying_Scandal_Urged
http://www.sfexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/report-department-interior-employees-collaborate-lobbyists
http://www.doioig.gov/images/stories/reports/pdf/Semiannual-APR2010SAR.pdf
“In fact, in one instance, Jeff Jarvis, who is an employee of the Bureau of Land Management, requested that a representative of the National Wildlife Federation change legislation affecting NCLS. As the inspector reports, “this was potentially problematic because BLM employees were prohibited from influencing the legislation.”
(Inspector General) Report page 13
“DOI does engage in partnerships to foster its mission, though federal statutes have been enacted to govern the degree of such interaction between federal and nonfederal groups. Our investigation determined that numerous activities occurred between NLCS officials and onogovernmental organizations (NGOs), including discussions about the NLCS budget and about BLM employees working on joint projects with certain NGOs. Our further investigation revealed this communication between NLCS and NGOs gave the appearance that federal employees were less than objective and created the appearance of conflicts of interest or legal violations. We also uncovered a general disregard for establishing and maintaining boundaries amoung BLM and its various partners.”
The USFS just finished a new planning rule review where they have buried the mission of their organic act, Multiple Use and Sustained Yield Act and the provision of the National Forest Management Act with principles of “sustainable ecosystems” and biodiversity. There is a dear colleague letter going around the House right now expressing concern that this is happening contrary to Congress’ expressed consent.
The EPA just tried to implement the climate treaty cap and trade the same way. This is what they’re up to.
The genius of Obama’s new EO 13563 http://www.fws.gov/endangered/improving_ESA/eo13563_01182011.pdf is that all the Department Heads are using it to promulgate their own regulations in contravention to the Acts passed by Congress. They are Administratively implementing un ratified treaties, un-passed environmental legislation and international agendas.
Here is Scty Salazar changing the Endangered Species Act through a series of rulemaking. http://us.vocuspr.com/Newsroom/Query.aspx?SiteName=fws&Entity=PRAsset&SF_PRAsset_PRAssetID_EQ=127251&XSL=PressRelease&Cache=True and http://www.fws.gov/endangered/improving_ESA/reg_reform.html Here is what House Natural Resources Chair Doc Hastings says about that. http://naturalresources.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=243378 Here are other changes through his retrospective review: http://www.fws.gov/endangered/improving_ESA/DepartmentoftheInteriorPreliminaryRegulatoryReformPlan.pdf
The House just shot down his attempt to internally declare new areas as Wilderness and set them aside from use without Congressional authorization.
U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop was informed that an investigation was done by the Inspector General involving improper contacts with the Wilderness Society, National Wildlife Federation and the National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) on September 18.
The Inspector General’s report found that Department of Interior employees collaborated with lobbyists:
“Our investigation determined that numerous activities and communication took place between NLCS officials and nongovernmental organizations (NGO), including discussions about the NLCS budget and BLM employees’ editing brochures and producing fact sheets for a specific NGO. Our investigative efforts revealed that communication between NLCS and certain NGOs in these circumstances gave the appearance of federal employees being less than objective and created the potential for conflicts of interest or violations of law. We also uncovered a general disregard for establishing and maintaining boundaries among the various entities.
http://great-lakes.org/Wkly_news/09-29-08.html#Probe_of_Enviro_Groups_Lobbying_Scandal_Urged
http://www.sfexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/report-department-interior-employees-collaborate-lobbyists
http://www.doioig.gov/images/stories/reports/pdf/Semiannual-APR2010SAR.pdf
“In fact, in one instance, Jeff Jarvis, who is an employee of the Bureau of Land Management, requested that a representative of the National Wildlife Federation change legislation affecting NCLS. As the inspector reports, “this was potentially problematic because BLM employees were prohibited from influencing the legislation.”
(Inspector General) Report page 13
“DOI does engage in partnerships to foster its mission, though federal statutes have been enacted to govern the degree of such interaction between federal and nonfederal groups. Our investigation determined that numerous activities occurred between NLCS officials and onogovernmental organizations (NGOs), including discussions about the NLCS budget and about BLM employees working on joint projects with certain NGOs. Our further investigation revealed this communication between NLCS and NGOs gave the appearance that federal employees were less than objective and created the appearance of conflicts of interest or legal violations. We also uncovered a general disregard for establishing and maintaining boundaries amoung BLM and its various partners.”
The USFS just finished a new planning rule review where they have buried the mission of their organic act, Multiple Use and Sustained Yield Act and the provision of the National Forest Management Act with principles of “sustainable ecosystems” and biodiversity. There is a dear colleague letter going around the House right now expressing concern that this is happening contrary to Congress’ expressed consent.
The EPA just tried to implement the climate treaty cap and trade the same way. This is what they’re up to.
Mark Steyn ping.
Freepmail me, if you want on or off the Mark Steyn ping list.
?? Who knew?
National Conservation Lands
(formerly National Landscape Conservation System)
Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 formalized the National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) which had been created in 2000 administratively
http://www.brainerd.org/downloads/Omnibus_Public_Lands_Act_summary.pdf
Secretary Salazar Establishes New Directorate For National Landscape Conservation System -Elevated management focus for 27 million acres of nationally significant public lands http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/Secretary-Salazar-Establishes-New-Directorate-For-National-Landscape-Conservation-System.cfm
You can learn more about the big picture of re-wilding the West here: http://users.sisqtel.net/armstrng/agenda21.htm
"Your ass is on the line!" as the president told BP's Tony Hayward after his donkey was found wandering down the first $38 billion stretch of the federally funded high-speed rail track.
"Your ass is on the line!" as the president told BP's Tony Hayward after his donkey was found wandering down the first $38 billion stretch of the federally funded high-speed rail track.
Precisely.
The American Republic is transforming into the American Sultanate at warp speed. We are becoming precisely what our Founding Fathers went to war against.
Scary truth Steyn bump, JLS.
Congress is either really stupid, or really complicit, I fear the latter is much more likely, not that there are not some really, really stupid congress critters.
Thanks for the ping.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.