Commissions Quotes
As one of the few working scientists on the commission she provided much of the information on current science and unmasked some of the “junk science” that was presented by the committee staff. When the commission was asked to vote on a ban on all cloning including prohibiting stem cell research in conformity to President George W. Bush’s position, she led a majority voting against the ban. To salvage the situation, the Chairman then modified the proposed resolution to call for a 4 year moratorium on such research and get a narrow majority. Shortly thereafter Blackburn and two others who had had different views from the President were fired by the White House and replaced by three members whose views leaned in the opposite direction. See Commission Chairman Kass {611735} for the views that were acceptable to the White House.
Many historians believe that this was the single greatest and most important statement in the history of the politics of democracy. Washington had command of the entire army and could control any part of or all of America. When Julius Caesar had command of his victorious army, he then marched on Rome and took control of the government. This is what has happened from time immemorial. Washington however not only disbanded the army but relinquished his commission. A few years later, he was persuaded to become America’s first President, and after his second term, he again relinquished power and retired from public life. This great act set a precedent for America that has kept us on a democratic footing ever since. In that sense, Washington set the standard not only for all American Presidents to come but for leaders throughout the entire world.
This commission was the intellectual forerunner of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and McCarthyism. Metternich called a conference of the heads of all the German states to deal with what they perceived as a dangerous liberalism enveloping German society. Metternich did not personally draft all the resolutions but he controlled the conclave and all the resolutions which are usually ascribed to him.
“Boards” was the term used then for groups which have collective executive power or responsibility. Modern terminology has added “commissions,” and in France and elsewhere “committee” have been used to describe executive groups in some cases as in the “Committee for Public Safety.”
Trotsky was castigated in Russia and found “guilty” of a host of crimes for his dissident communist views. The American communists generally fell into line, but a number of the leading intellectuals established their own Commission—headed by John Dewey to investigate Trotsky. Their finding created the first major split in American communist circles and started a process of intellectual alienation from the Communist party. Trotsky was in exile in Mexico where Stalin’s agents tracked him down and assassinated him further alienating many American intellectuals.
He and Bowles were the two leaders of the Presidential National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. The commission recommendations to put the nation on a sound financial footing involved sacrifice by almost every sector of American society—everyone would have to give up something that they valued. So the initial reaction of almost every interest group was to oppose the plan. Over time however, there was a realization that unless the burden would be borne by some and not by others, the plan was reasonably fair. It illustrates the initial reaction of Americans to reform proposals is to retain all the benefits that they have and have others give up their benefits.
This almost unbelievable memo was written by bank officials to help the bank’s mortgage sales staff cheat and “trick” the computer system which the bank used to determine whether or not a mortgage customer was worthy of mortgage credit. Why would the bank officials want their sales force to lie and “trick” their own system. In the Meltdown of 2008, most of the larger banks were REQUIRED to have a system to check the credit quality of the prospective borrower. However, the regulators never expected this kind of fraud from a supposedly reputable firm.
She was the first Black woman to be elected to Congress and was the first Black woman to actively campaign for the Presidency
