Disappointments wear away zest for state privatization (FL)

February 19, 2005

TALLAHASSEE - For a governor determined to revolutionize how state government operates, the past seven months have not been the easiest for Jeb Bush.

In July, three top social service officials resigned after acknowledging they took favors from lobbyists. The same month, errors forced the state to scrap a felon voter list a company was paid millions to compile.

Two months later, the Bush Administration canceled $176-million in technology contracts after discovering a former official may have improperly communicated with a vendor, prompting an ongoing criminal investigation.

Last month, a Florida Supreme Court justice appointed by Bush blasted the private lawyers hired to defend death row inmates for performing "the worst lawyering I've seen."

But none of those problems compare to a single contract that threatens to undermine Bush's six-year legacy of hiring companies to do government work.

The rollout of the People First personnel system, run by a Cincinnati company called Convergys that had never had a government contract before, has caused paycheck and benefit problems for thousands of state employees - including legislators who sit in judgment of Bush's agenda.

http://www.sptimes.com/2005/02/19/State/Disappointments_wear_.shtml


It seems that FL lawmakers don't like privitization so much when it effects them directly, especially when they don't get their paychecks.

"Congresswoman with sick mom-in-law driving force behind Canadian drugs vote Jul. 25, 2003

WASHINGTON (AP) - A lone congresswoman, who was worried about her mother-in-law's expensive drugs, was responsible for the U.S. House of Representatives' vote to allow Americans to buy prescription medicine abroad.

U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson a Missouri Republican switched her vote on a Medicare drug bill last month and obtained the IOU she needed to have House leaders agree to bring the importation bill to a vote early Friday morning. The deal pitted her against opposition from the White House, Republican leaders and the influential pharmaceutical industry.

Ask why she is so passionate about the issue and Emerson is likely to tick off a list of her mother-in-law's prescriptions, which cost $600 to $800 a month.

"Not only do we hardly have any money left in her savings but I'm helping out, too," Emerson said. "


http://mediresource.sympatico.ca/channel_health_news_detail.asp?channel_id=136&menu_item_id=4&news_id=1953

Vote with your WALLETS
BUY BLUE
:kick:

They can only feel their own pain.

Too beautiful for words. I could hardly believe my eyes. Great article! Although it was excellent from beginning to end, this was especially appealing:

Last month, Supreme Court Justice Raoul Cantero complained that Bush's use of private lawyers in North Florida to defend death row inmates was a joke and required more of the court's time. The private lawyers were supposed to save $1.7-million annually.
(snip)

I was appalled when _{Jeb Bush} announced he was nominating Raoul Cantero, the GRANDSON of the brutal, corrupt Cuban dictator, Fulgencio Batista, who moved to Spain, taking along a hefty part of the Cuban National Treasury as he fled. I was certain Cantero would be as corrupt and diseased as the _Bushes but with this stern observation, he has proven even a despised and feared dictator's grandson has standards, too.

Crowd celebrating the Cuban revolution,
El Quijote de la Farola by Alberto Korda

Jerry Regier, secretary of the Department of Children and Families, resigned after revelations that he and some top technology officers accepted favors from lobbyists seeking business with DCF.

Secretary of State Glenda Hood abandoned a list of voters suspected of being felons, developed by Accenture under a $2.2-million contract.

In September, the State Technology Office canceled two contracts after its new leader discovered her predecessor had inappropriate communication with a BearingPoint representative.

The controversy over the privatized personnel system, People First, began in October after the Legislature's auditor general found no backup plan if Convergys failed. Meanwhile, errors caused thousands of employees to get less money in their paychecks.

One has to wonder if this will diminish his chances of being the next _Bush pResident. Probably not, as long as they keep using their election tools, like Diebold and Choicepoint.

It was hilarious seeing Regier go down the tube, when you remember how much noise they all made about his "Christian" saintliness, his great piety when _{Jeb Bush} announced he was placing him at the head of the truly goddawful Florida DCF. _{Jeb Bush} had to point out at the time, when people protested his stupid idea, that he was starting to see "soft bigotry that is emerging against people of faith.'' Ha Ha Ha.

hand out big payoffs to his friends in the private sector. I was once a state of Florida employee. I left as Jeb was trashing my dept. (DCF)

What he and his rethuglican friends in the legislature forget is that they already paid state employees rock bottom salaries. there was absolutely no way you could privatize anything the state employees did and expect to see more tax dollars saved.

the privatized prisons here are a mess. so is everything else they have privatized.

this has all been a boondoggle to give their friends state dollars while telling the public services would be improved and money saved. both are big lies.

Just try to use their web site to find a job. They've got to be kidding.

There's one way to kill the personnel rolls or hire your buddies, keep the public from knowing which jobs are available.

Looks like Brother Bush may be turning his back on Jeb the same way he's turning his back on the rest of us. He got what he wanted... a Florida win... twice. So, no need for Jeb anymore.

These are things that * could have easily backed him up on and probably gotten through, or at least protected the Jeb appointed bastards that were fired.