https://pjmedia.com/rogerkimball/2009/07/14/steven-rattner-redux-or-why-you-were-right-to-think-that-czars-are-un-american/feed/PJ Media is a leading news site covering culture, politics, faith, homeland security, and more. Our reporters and columnists provide original, in-depth analysis from a variety of perspectives.en-usWed, 10 Jun 2026 08:51:08 -0400<![CDATA[I know, I know, we&#8217;ve had &#8220;drug czars&#8221; and &#8220;energy czars.&#8221; But really, when you come right down to it, isn&#8217;t there something un-American about the whole idea of anointing a government official with the title &#8220;czar&#8221;? Something that smacks of unaccountability, for example, and that seems to belong to the world of diktats and ukases rather than the world of democratic government, the consent of the governed, and all those quaint ideas that were the staple of civics classes, back when we had civics classes? [UPDATE: Apparently I&#8217;m not the only one who feels this way about denominating certain American government officials &#8220;czars.&#8221;]]]>Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:03:27 -0400<![CDATA[Roger Kimball]]>https://pjmedia.com/roger-kimball/2009/07/14/steven-rattner-redux-or-why-you-were-right-to-think-that-czars-are-un-american-n115892