Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Surprise! New Treasury Chief a Bush 2004 Pioneer

Dear President Bush,

Did your press release on the new Treasury Secretary, Henry Paulson, include his status a Bush Pioneer in 2004? I have yet to see one news report mention this key bit of information.

Why is this important? History, which you purport to love, shows over 40% of your 2000 Pioneers ended up with positions in your administration. Mr. Paulson joins at least 3 other cabinet members as promoted Pioneers. Is it symbolic that the Departments of Treasury, Commerce, and Labor are all distinguished Bush fundraisers?

How might this affect policy! As 1/5 of Pioneers are lobbyists, and high dollar fundraisers are known to have unprecedented White House access, could Mr. Paulson swing his door wide open for his campaign compadres while denying an ear to any “opponents”?

You likely are happy to have someone who knows money in charge of the Treasury, especially one who peels off rolls of bills to pass your way. Frankly, I am concerned for the greater country.

Your economic policies don’t make sense to me. Your people don’t seem open to the most basic aspects of managing an organization, like listening to its customers, making projections and plans, and conducting follow up to see how they worked. Your health care policies will reduce access and decrease quality as people postpone needed care. Your crackerjack staff cannot conduct even the most basic investigation.

But you can hire your friends as long as they agree to be a Bush parrot. And you can protect them when they get in trouble by calling off the posse. I am sure the Carlyle Group’s LifeCare Hospitals is most thankful for that free pass in your White House Lessons Learned report. You do have the ability to protect your friends down cold. And that’s just where it leaves me….

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