It's clearly time for the current administration to recall what happened to the last "dynasties" which believed in Tsarism. They got the axe.  Tempting as it is, and seemingly justified by  practice and precedent laid down by misguided past administrations, Obama must avoid the temptation of tipping the balance of power toward the Executive Branch, and kill the dangerous practice of appointing so-called "Czars" to key governmental positions.

If he doesn't do it, our elected Legislators must do it, and do it now. That's what the People want. That's what most know is best for Democracy and true freedom.

Accountable to nobody and expensive to everybody, the practice of appointing supreme leaders, or "Czars" (aka "Tsars") goes beyond insult to the Democracy we live under. It's no longer tongue-and-cheek, as it was in 1982 when a certain Senator first coined the term "Drug Czar."

Interestingly, the Senator that instituted the practice of "Czar-ism" at a federal level was none other than Joe Biden. Don't believe me? Look it up.

In 1988, then President George H. Bush appointed his own "Drug Czar" William Bennett.  Boom, Biden's clever media term went from spark to fire; from euphemism to policy. Accountable to nobody but the President, and with the friendly (and virtually untouchable) assistance of the First Lady's "Just Say No" campaign, the "Drug Czar" would obliterate the enemy. Yeah, we witnessed how effective that campaign worked.

Great trailer. Bad movie.

Newsmen of the day embraced the term. Yummm. "Drug Czar." Risqué, bold, empowering, authoritative, historic, literary, romantic. It's just what mainstream media loves. That which embodied the zero-tolerance Monarchy in pre-revolution Mother Russia was now being re-deployed to fight for truth, justice and the American Democracy.

Back in 1982, most any association with Russia, Monarchy or Communism would have been shot down in no time flat, But hey, if it's used to fight drugs? Fine. If Senator Joe Biden (then a young buck) is the one employing the term, even better. News anchors found themselves resisting the desire to raise both hands on-air and flash the "quote-unquote" sign.

However, nearly thirty years later, it's gone beyond a politically-deployed clever euphemism; it's common practice; and it's clearly become a practice with potentially devastating implications.

Be wary of when P.R. becomes PRactice and practice becomes Policy? Then my friend, we've got serious PRoblems. Guess what? Biden's P.R. of the 1980's is now policy: Obama and Biden are well on their way toward upwards of twenty Czars.

It's About Leadership, Not Control.
The world looks to the U.S. beyond symbolism. It looks to the U.S. as an example of how a society can be free, self-governing and a pretty darn nice place to live. That said, under Democracy, you can't outlaw stupid. Well, this started out as a stupid person's clever euphemism to bestow power upon a government official. You want something passed by our Legislature? Cloak it in double-speak, humor, with a dash of ego-boosting machismo. That's what they did in the 1980s. But unfortunately, it stuck.

Yes, now, it's different, and in the United States, while you can't outlaw stupid,  you can surely outlaw Czar-ism, which has turned into the practice and policy of Tsarism. It has gone past administrations' sloppy practices. It's no longer a label. It comes with power, and a lot of it.  The practice of appointing power-elitist Czars has progressively metastasized into an outright affront to Our Constitution itself. Recently, a top-ranking Democrat wrote Obama a letter, saying that these czars are unconstitutional.

Presidents need to understand that "government should be of laws, not of men." Then, they need to practice - to act upon - that very tenant that they know is what makes Democracy great. Presidents need to set the very best example of how to lead.  Because there is precedent in the practice of appointing so-called "Czars," who are accountable not to the People but to the President, does not make it right.

Presidents know this. Yet, the temptation to seize illegitimate power, even when it is in the pursuit of what they believe is good an true, is clearly wrong. We know it. They know it. Let's get past it. The President should end this practice immediately and forcefully. Admit the mistake of this, and past administrations, and set a great example for future leaders to follow.

Fighting tyranny and evil is a full-time job in every government, in every country, in every state, every home town,  family, every relationship and every heart.  Evil should not be allowed in the door. Not the front door, not the back door, cloaked in humor or euphemism.

We all know, that's how they getcha.

Change can be a good thing, depending upon how we change. It normally takes "out-of-the-box" thinkers to initiate that change. We in America cherish those thinkers. In business, education and government, we need out-of-the-box thinking to make important changes and improvements to our processes, our procedures and our form of leadership.

That said, it's clear after a year in office, Obama's appointees are not "out-of-the-box" thinkers at all. So far, nor is Obama's thinking.  Maybe it's time to add more chalk to the faint outline drawn over a century ago in eastern Europe, and over 200 years ago, around the bodies of our Revolutionary soldiers to sacrificed everything to fight tyranny.  The Tsars died for a reason.  Our soldiers died for a reason.

And to me, "thinking out-of-the-box" means progress, not retreat. There's only one box in which the thinking, the belief and the practice of Tsarism belongs, and it's a pine. It's time for the President, our Congress and Judicial Branch to kill it, bury it, and set an example for others on how to resist it.

John Coonen writes for The Citisun Blog |  http://citisun.com

Originally published 10-19-09
Updated 02-07-10