Bush Economic Aide Says Government Lacks Vision

[kskiska]

Bush Economic Aide Says Government Lacks Vision

Saturday, December 13, 2003; Page A01

A senior member of President Bush's economic team told manufacturers this summer that it is difficult for the balkanized federal government to develop vision on any policy issue and that, in particular, the Commerce Department has scant political or financial authority to influence government policy on behalf of the nation's ailing manufacturers.

The comments by Deputy Commerce Secretary Samuel W. Bodman, revealed in a transcript of a day-long manufacturing symposium in June, offer a rare dose of candor about the way Washington works and the limits of the government's power. They also surfaced just as the administration is trying to boost the visibility of its manufacturing policies, and as Bodman awaits Senate confirmation to assume the No. 2 post at the Treasury Department.

Responding to a comment on the government's vision for manufacturing, Bodman told the gathering, "I will tell you, it is very hard for this government to have a vision on anything. We are totally stove-piped, and we live within these compartments. This is not by way of a complaint. This is not by way of an excuse. It is by way of a fact.

(snip)

Administration officials have promised a renewed effort to address the manufacturers' problems. But Bodman's assessment of the Commerce Department's power appears to call into question a central plank of Bush's manufacturing initiative: the appointment of a "manufacturing czar" within the Commerce Department. Bush pledged in September to create the post of assistant secretary of commerce for manufacturing, a promise that has yet to be fulfilled, but even Bush supporters have questioned that move's potential impact.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61073-2003Dec12.html

[Philosophy]

1. Commerce Department slated for elimination

I know some of the state Republican party platforms list this as one of the many federal departments they want to abolish.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

3. Yeah, they have been blathering on about that since RaYgUn's

days.
How many times do they have to be told we WANT the Commerce Department?

[kysrsoze]

4. Well, what the fuck are they planning to replace it with?

Halliburton National Commerce Management Consultants, Inc?

Oh, they have plans for the Commerce Department, but I can't even imagine the lows to which they will stoop once they abolish that.

[pansypoo53219]

2. can you imagine

if the twit actually had a VISION???

[UpInArms]

5. ah, but the vision is to reduce

this country to ashes - shrink the government so that it will fit in the bathtub and drown it -

I'm certain "compassion" will kick in any moment now. /sarcasm

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Egads anybody who has been paying

atttention knows this.

[radfringe]

7. place your bets

when will Deputy Commerce Secretary Samuel W. Bodman be fired or resign or otherwise made to disappear?

[teryang]

8. This is pathetic

It isn't NAFTA. It isn't free trade. It's the government "stovepipe!"

What a laugh!

The monopoly money sector loves to have commerce secretaries spout off about "free trade" and "protectionism" so that they could ram American products with little built in value into foreign markets (like tobacco and foodstuffs). Also, so they could buy up foreign assets particularly assets like (state owned and built) utilities and natural resource companies.

Now that our society is reaping the disadvantages of uncontrolled international economic exploitation a nonsense critique is devised to blame it on government bureaucracies. This is a plan devised by the top corporate and banking executives in our country not the government. Our stupid and corrupt elected representatives ratified these policies thoughtlessly with no concern for the consequences. This is the war of monopoly capital against small manufacturers who can't raise hundreds of millions or billions of dollars to move their plants to slave labor markets in Asia.

The unpleasant consequences to American workers and small and mid sized industries need to be blamed on the government as part of the camouflage of the Robber Baron takeover of government.