Americans Against Corruption

JOURNALISTS BEWARE — The U.S. State Department country report on Romania notes that although “the press is free and outspoken, there have been incidents of politically motivated intimidation and even violence against journalists and media management” in recent years. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35722.htm <http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35722.htm>

CLASH OF CHURCHES – The Romanian Orthodox Church continues to hold on to most of the churches that belonged to the Greek Catholic community for hundreds of years until the communist regime seized them and gave them to the Romanian Orthodox Church.  The restitution of these churches as well as other private and religious property seized under communism or during world War II “continues to move slowly,” reports the U.S. State Department.  “Particularly problematic,” it notes, “is the return of Greek-Catholic churches.” http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35722.htm <http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35722.htm>

‘A PUTINESQUE WIND’ – In an open letter addressed to Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, CotidinulI newspaper says President Traian Basescu’s “looks worse from the interior” of Romania than EC data may indicate.  It compares Basescu’s reported intelligence background and ambitions to the Russian Prime Minister, warning “in Bucharest there’s a Putinesque wind, dangerous for the quality of the democracy at the European Union’s border.”

CUTTING UP PARLIAMENT – Autocratic leaders loathe being told how to run their governments, especially if those doing the telling are popularly elected members of the parliament.  That may help explain why Traian Basescu wants to eliminate 171 seats in the Romanian parliament and combine the Senate and Chamber of Deputies into a single chamber.  He said the move will save money and be more efficient. Dictators find it even more efficient to just eliminate parliament altogether so those pesky representatives of the people will stop looking over their shoulders.  He’s right about one thing, the less the parliament watches over the executive branch the more “efficient” things were for the man in charge.  Here’s some more money-saving proposals:  eliminate the parliament altogether and then eliminate the elections.  Who needs them interfering in government anyway?

ECONOMIC RECOVERY — The best way out of the recession is either to cut public spending, cut the size of parliament and attack the media or invest money in the national economy to create jobs and put people back to work.  The first is the platform of Traian “I want a second term” Basescu, and the latter is the program of his Social-Democrat challenger, Mircea “restore Romania’s unity”  Geoana.  For now the election looks too close to call and if neither gets a clear majority on December they will face off in a runoff on December 6.  http://www.romanianewswatch.com/2009/11/romanian-president-steps-up-attacks.html

BASESCU SENDS WRONG SIGNAL TO IMF – President Traian Basescu and his government “abandoned the fight against” the economic crisis, charged Social-Democrat candidate Mircea Geoana.  This “abandonment,” by which he referred to the president’s refusal to permit his PM to submit a 2010 budget , “jeopardizes the jobs in Romania.”   Basescu wants to raise the VAT tax to 22% at a time when “there’s no higher danger at present than the galloping rate of unemployment.”  Blocking the 2010 budget gives IMF officials a negative impression of the country’s stability and credibility, reported Financiarul. http://www.financiarul.ro/2009/11/16/mircea-geoana-president-and-incumbent-govt-abandon-fight-against-crisis/