getting up to date on Jeb's crimes (watching Fl. crumble)

http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/news/opinion/9566165.htm

OurFlorida: center of coziness

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Cozying up to politically well-connected private enterprises is Jeb Bush's obsession, in keeping with the ideology that private enterprise is always better and smarter than public service. Privatization will be the legacy he leaves behind in our "pay-to-play" town. Pity the next governor, be she a Republican or a Democrat, who has to clean up the mess.

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Kim Bahrami, who was No.1 in the State Technology Office, left her job abruptly in February, for example, and by July had a fabulous new executive position with BearingPoint, the company to which she had awarded a $126 million contract.

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The state auditor's office thinks the contract, which did away with 150 state jobs, might have been illegally bid as well. That wouldn't be surprising given the way the state's bidding processes have been worked over during the Bush administration. In addition to irregular methods of evaluating one bid over another, which has been one of the state auditor's concerns, it's almost impossible for losing bidders to legally challenge a contract anymore.

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Last week when the chief of the Department of Children & Families finally resigned, it was after several weeks of treading political waters, trying to explain away cozy relationships with a major DCF private contractor.

Secretary Jerry Regier, as well as two top administrators, are now off the state payroll because of ethical slippage - staying at the beach house and going to birthday parties and otherwise not keeping an arms-length businesslike distance from executives of Vector Solutions Inc. The company holds more than $9million in state contracts thanks to decisions Regier and his team make.
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(another is the 86.7 mil. contract with Accenture and Bearing Point)


Jeb is damaging Fl. more then the hurricanes

I simply couldn't believe. I am well aware of what the efficiency of private contractors has cost the taxpayers there.

I know someone who PERSONALLY who witnessed the bills FEMA paid for flagmen.... now sit down.... $50.00 per hour.... no kidding. And you wonder why there is no healthcare... why there is homelessness... and why the system is so mucked up.

Imagine what was charged for heavy equipment and the like.... and it continues.

which includes whatever the flagmen actually receive, plus benefits, general and administrative overhead and negotiated profit. The actual worker is probably getting around $15/hour.

man to stand and wave a flag?? It is outrageous to me.... right or wrong.

people die and/or get injured. Do you want an untrained low-wage person doing it?

are nothing to write home about.... and there have been little or no accidents surrounding them.

It's just that I have witnessed personally the contracting that goes on in the state of Fl, and it is sad how public money is wasted..... that's all.

I have even been suspect of persons within governmental institutions purposely mismanaging and screwing things up so there is an excuse to privatize certain state run services. I'm a pretty good judge of what is going down and why... so don't be surprised by this observance of mine.. and don't consider me paranoid... it's not like that.

Once.. we had a meeting, a crew meeting.... to let us know that U.S. Filter was being considered for taking over quite a bit of the state run outfit I was a member of.

I asked the head honcho... something like this... "are you aware Mr. ***** that many of U.S. Filter's board of directors also sat on the board for Azurix?? And are you aware of the fact that Azurix privatized California's water systems several years back driving the price of water through the roof???"

Azurix also tried to privatize Florida's water systems several years ago as well.... that would include the canal systems and have a direct effect on agriculture's water usage as well.

Then I went home... did some googling.... and found this.... printed it up.... passed it around to most of the field stations... sent it in emails to key personnel who are in the loop.... and the next meeting was shall we say... held in a different tone where U.S. Filter was concerned. Now... read these links... and realize that the top dog in this huge state run outfit, was standing there and telling us that this company was able to do better than we.... and that he was bound by some such law or something to consider their bids.... now... what I would like to know... is who, from what Florida city... recommended them to this organization. It would just make my day to know if it came from Tallahassee.

http://www.againstcorruption.org/BriefingsItem.asp?id=8668

In June 2001, a politically prominent New Orleans' lawyer, who was formerly a member of the Sewerage and Water Board (S&WB), was indicted in an alleged bribery scandal involving the exchange of cash and legal services for political favours. Lawyer Sal Anzelmo, together with three former executives of Professional Services Group Inc, the company that once ran the city's wastewater treatment plants, were indicted in connection with an investigation of Professional Services Group Inc. and Katherine Maraldo, head of the S&WB committee in charge of the agreement with the treatment plant.

http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/release.cfm?ID=683

Companies Vying for New Orleans’ Water and Sewer Systems Linked to Criminal Behavior, Corruption, Poor Service

Records Collectively Include Bribery, Environmental Violations, Substandard Maintenance, Broken Promises and Questionable Ties to Government Officials

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The top three corporations competing to take over the city of New Orleans’ water and sewer systems have tarnished records that, combined, include connections to criminal wrongdoing, suspect relationships with government officials, infliction of environmental damage, failures to maintain equipment, and the delivery of substandard customer service, a Public Citizen report reveals.

I used to negotiate architectural and engineering design contracts for the CA Dept. of Transportation, and the costs of contracting out vs. hiring and retaining engineers was staggering. On the other hand, I was also involved in contracting out for the Dept. of Corrections for private 500 bed prisons, and those are cost effective and probably provide better care for the inmates. I've been involved with the State of CA's procurement and contracting processes for many, many moons, and on the whole, privatizing costs lots more taxpayer $$.

there is much more room for the buddy system, kickbacks and graft when privatization becomes the fashion of the day... it is in effect, government at its worst.... governors declare themselves czars, and do with your money as they see fit.

Nevermind that in the long run it often costs much more... the nice thing is that they have methods to employ to make it appear as if it was a good idea to go the privatization route.