THE MOST TRUSTED MAN IN AMERICA

Forget about Chief Justice Roberts and The Supreme Court.  Its members have become too partisan, too prone to overturn precedents when it suits them.  Too willing to confirm existing power arrangements in the society.  No, who we need running the show and making the big decisions is Ken Feinberg.  He’s been put to the test again and again. His decisions carry great weight.  Universally respected, he’s been called upon repeatedly to make tough judgments and determine compensation in a bewildering number of cases involving Agent Orange, Asbestos, 9/11, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the Boston Marathon bombings, Virginia Tech shootings, the Aurora, Colorado movie theater killings, the Penn State sex scandal, compensation after the Sandy Hook school massacre, and most recently, the GM auto fatalities.  Ken Feinberg is the “go to” guy, summoned repeatedly as an advisor or consultant to resolve weighty issues of responsibility, loss and compensation.  A man as judicious, so unbiased, so much sought after in high profile situations should be urged to expand his portfolio, take on issues others have failed to resolve.  Why not ask Ken Feinberg to:

• Determine how much of a tax increase on the wealthy is appropriate to reduce the level of inequality in America.
• Instead of the President, allow Feinberg to determine who should receive presidential pardons.
• Decide the most reasonable approach to America’s immigration crisis.
• Figure out the proper minimum wage for workers in various parts of the United States.
• Respond to those urging the US Government to compensate for the enslavement of African-Americans.
• Consider how best to deal with Edward Snowden and those prisoners remaining at Guantanamo.
• Decide the matter of “peoplehood” for fertilized eggs.
• Tell us the best way colleges can diversity their student bodies without racial profiling.
• And if the above matters are settled successfully, bring Mr. Feinberg onto the world stage and let him have a crack at the Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Palestine, Kashmir, etc.  Who knows?  He might be able to achieve breakthroughs there.

In a world of political deadlock, private greed, endless power plays and ideological rigidity, we need a steady and reliable hand at the helm.  We need KEN FEINBERG.