Jeb Bush defends FEMA Carnival Cruise Costs

Recently there have been reports about the cost benefit of this ridiculous act IMHO. Back in Black, Lewis Black of TDShow for one covered it and said it costs way more than it would to send the evacuees on a Caribbean cruise - did he say for 6 months? I can't remember exactly. Anyway, it's a waste not to mention the last place flood victims want to be is on a boat, again IMHO.

So, the Bush family immediately and publicly begins to defend their CORPORATE FRIENDS.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=223x416

<snip>

Gov. Jeb Bush said Miami-based Carnival ''responded as a good corporate citizen'' when it agreed Sept. 2 to give the Federal Emergency Management Agency three ships for six months to house evacuees from Hurricane Katrina. <snip>

FEMA had hoped to fill the ships with 7,100 evacuees, but it found few takers and opened them up to workers helping with relief efforts.

About 2,750 police officers and firefighters live aboard the Sensation and Ecstasy in New Orleans, while 1,100 evacuees are on the Holiday in Mobile, Ala., according to Carnival. That gives the ships an occupancy rate of about 54 percent. <snip>

Good Job Brownie!

allegedly offered ships for free, but FEMA's bureaucracy couldn't handle that. Doesn't say much for Carnival or the gov't; it's all about the bottom line and who's making what.

In 2008 I HOPE we can change that.

sent the ships...loaded with passengers...for 6 months worth of 1 week cruises.

and did they mention that Greece was offering ships for FREE???
But why do that when you can waste tax money by making sweet deals with your big donor cronies.(Carnival Cruise Lines, who owns those ships is big Repuke donor. Are you suprised?)


Back in Black, Lewis Black of TDShow for one covered it and said it costs way more than it would to send the evacuees on a Caribbean cruise - did he say for 6 months?

this administration burns money, throws it out the door, loses it, misplaces it, can't account for it being gone...I wish they would accidentally lose some in our direction.

Maybe if we become a corporation they would...chances are really good I'd say.

...they also have the Florida Lottery account. The CEO named in this article brags about flying aboard Air Force One.

Florida Lottery's ad company is big GOP contributor

When the contract was up for bid, other firms viewed the current holder's tightness with the party and concluded, why bother?

By ADAM C. SMITH, Times Political Editor
© St. Petersburg Times
published October 26, 2002

-snip-

Ric Cooper, chief executive officer of Cooper & Hayes, inherited the lottery account in 1997 when he moved to Florida to become president of the firm that won the contract in 1996 under then-Gov. Lawton Chiles. Cooper became a generous Republican contributor, starting during the tail end of Jeb Bush 's successful 1998 gubernatorial campaign, when he gave the Florida GOP $35,000.

All told, Cooper has given more than $336,000 to the state and national GOP since then, including $25,000 to the Republican National State Elections Committee six days after winning the new lottery contract this year and $25,000 to the Florida GOP eight days after winning the contract. In September Cooper hosted a fundraiser for Bush in Miami.

Democrats have seized on examples of big donors getting state assistance or contracts to paint Jeb Bush as a "pay to play administration."

-snip-

Cooper, who did not return phone calls seeking comment, also has contributed to some of Bush's pet causes, as has his biggest client, Carnival Cruise Lines.

more: http://www.sptimes.com/2002/10/26/State/Florida_Lottery_s_ad_.shtml

Since this story ran, Cooper & Hayes has been acquired by DDB Worldwide and is now known as Cooper DDB.

The Cruise line people spread a lot of money around Washington to get this sweetheart deal, and as Lewis Black showed, it is a sweetheart deal.

This is typical of the way Bush does business. Before Bush sent the first aid to New Orleans, he had a fat, no-bid contract to Halliburton to do work there in the reconstruction and recovery.

Bush is the worst, the most corrupt president since Harding.


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Gee, that's curious. I would also dispute the word "give" above.

Bahamas? Is Florida or the U.S. even receiving
tax revenues from the company?

Do they use union workers?