Elizabeth Warren, anti-capitalism crusader and U.S. Senate candidate from Massachusetts, claimed she is the author of the intellectual foundation for OWS. As the arrests, violence and bodies continue to pile up, she’s walked that back some, but she did say it and did mean it, and, in many ways, it is true.
So it does make sense the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an agency made by and in the image of Warren, would be a kindred spirit to the mutants of the Occupy Wall Street movement.
Like Warren, the White House has gone largely silent on the “Occupiers.” The daily news of overdoses, sexual assaults and rape charges is not something any White House wants to be associated with (with the exception of the Clinton White House, of course). But when it comes to replacing Warren at the CFPB, the Obama administration remains concerned about what the encamped body-lice-infested minority thinks.
According to the Huffington Post the White House, in its push to get Richard Corday confirmed by the Senate to head the CFPB, has as much as admitted it.
On Thursday, top members of the Obama administration's communications and economic team held a conference call designed to put pressure on Senate Republicans to confirm Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau....
At one point during the call, the question was raised: To what extent has the Occupy Wall Street movement affected the politics of Cordray's stalled nomination?
...
"The sentiments that lots of people who are out there as part of 'Occupy Wall Street' have -- not just on Wall Street but on Main Streets across the country -- those sentiments are shared by lots of Americans," said one of the spokespeople. "Having Richard Cordray in place obviously would help them."
And therein lies the rub. We now have an agency, set up by an anti-capitalist crusader, that has unprecedented power over a major segment of our economy. And the Obama administration wants to put a man in charge of that agency who would “help” the agenda of the anti-capitalist protestors.
Given how far out of the mainstream the demands of the “Occupiers” are – when we can make sense of them at all – one might dismiss such craziness because Americans, certainly, would not stand for it.
One would be wrong because, in the case of the CFPB, the people – and their representatives in Congress – don’t get a say.
The CFPB is set up to be insulated from oversight. It sets its own budget, makes its own rules, sets its own pay, and can pass and enforce regulations unilaterally. So much for that “representative republic” of ours.
It’s a safe bet the regulations the CFPB establishes will not be good for business or liberty. According to the Wall Street Journal’s review of the 820 pages produced at a recent hearing, some of what the agency advocates already has been deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
But then again, the entire structure of the bureau may be unconstitutional, so what's a few more regulations. It’s crazy-talk to expect liberals to be burdened by things such as our founding document, especially when it limits their power to meddle in our lives.
Warren may have left the agency her warped world view helped spawn, but the monster she created lives on. And here’s another safe bet: If the views of the “movement” she helped create are being considered when it comes to choosing her successor, if Richard Cordray truly was selected to keep the unshowered masses happy, that will not bode well for the rest of us.
And Now a Quick Few Words from My Twitter Account
I promised I’d bring back some of the old attitude from my column every once in a while. While I don’t have the time to put together a long one this week, here’s a taste of some random thoughts from my twitter feed this week - a week that featured a debate, Occupy Wall Street violence/murders/sickness and a the firing of a legendary college football coach who was more interested in his own glory than protecting children from being raped.
Here are some random hits:
Nancy Pelosi is outraged over being called Princess Nancy...Everyone knows she prefers the more formal "Royal Highness."
Perry goes on a roll...then has a brain fart that ruins it. #CNBCDebate
Remember Rick Perry? You won't have to much longer. #CNBCDebate
Rick Perry will have to pay some women to accuse him of sexual harassment if he wants to get any media attention after tonight.
I suspect Perry is offering Santorum or Bachmann a Cabinet post if they'll drop an F-bomb in their closing. #Distraction #CNBCDebate
Hey @JonHuntsmann, don't complain about only having 30 seconds to answer when you shouldn't even be on stage. #CNBCDebate
Just in case you were asleep, Jim Cramer returns. #CNBCDebate
Don't know about you, but I'm reserving judgement on who won #CNBCDebate till I hear what @DavidGergen & @DavidFrum have to say. #Kidding
I'd like to see a candidate say "Hey, renting isn't evil. If you can't afford a house, don't buy one. Rent!" #CNBCDebate #tcot
Ron Paul for President of Domestic Policy! He will not be allowed to have anything to do with anywhere over water or borders. #CNBCDebate
Cain "tax codes do not raise taxes, politicians do." Good answer. #CNBCDebate
Someone needs to cut Jim Cramer's coke with something other than coke. #CNBCDebate
Even if he doesn't win the nomination, can we please have a debate between Newt and Obama? PLEASE??? #CNBCDebate
Is the board of age? #PennState RT @DailyCollegian Students are descending on Old Main, chanting "Joe Paterno" and "F--- the board."
Yes, Joe Paterno, you have to get used to not being football coach...those kids you didn't help have to live with being molested. #PennState
When I see all these Penn State student upset over Paterno's firing I'm kind of glad to know most of 'em will be buried in student loan debt
College football has reached cult status with far too many. We're seeing the result of that tonight at Penn State.
Poorer taste: Not calling the cops on child rape RT @aplusk How do you fire Jo Pa? #insult #noclass as a hawkeye fan I find it in poor taste
What color is the sky on your planet? Someone's PR team called. #Fail #Paterno MT @aplusk Had no idea, thought it was a football thing.
Penn State students, when you see how much tuition rises next year know that some of it is to cover the liabilities from tonight. #Morons
Dear #OWS, greed is not EARNING as much as you can, it's looking at someone earning a lot and demanding government give you some of it. #p2
I knew @MMFlint needed a big house so he could fit in it, but this is a bit much. He's the 99%...in mass. #p2 #OWS
First it was violence, then body lice, now the #OWS mutants are joined by TB. These people are gross. #Trifecta #p2
Know how I know the #IAmThe99 don't represent 99% of the country? Cuz 99% of the country aren't violent, smelly, rapist a-holes. #OWS #p2
How many murders does #OccupyWallStreet have to be involved with for the media to notice? I'm betting 10...so middle of next week? #OWS #p2
Only way the MSM would pay less attention to the #OccupyWallStreet murders is if they were committed with Fast & Furious guns. #p2 #OWS
Two final random thoughts for you.
First, in case you live in Florida and were wondering if it was OK to keep a dead cougar in your freezer, wonder no more...at least about that. Please continue to wonder what happened to you in your life that brought you to that point in the first place.
Finally, I’m from Detroit, a place where the night before Halloween is un-ironically called “Devil’s Night,” when vacant houses used to burn in record numbers. Now there aren’t enough people (or houses) left in the city to set anything on fire, so we’re forced to look elsewhere for Halloween-related stupidity. Enter Pittsburgh. When you hear the term “drive by” you usually think of movie images of shootings. Not this year. Now we’ve got the “drive-by pumpkin attack.” It’s not a laughing matter (OK, it is kind of funny). The victim was hurt pretty badly. On the plus side, there was pie!
That’s it for now. Go about your week.
PS Take a minute to read this piece by my friend Kurt Schlichter on Veterans Day. He’s a Vet, a Colonel in the Reserves and may well be the only conservative trial lawyer in the country. Oh, and one hell of a good guy.
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