The July/August issue of the Washington Monthly has a lengthy article on the relationship between the GOP and lobbyists, "Welcome to the Machine" (via Eschaton). Among other things, the piece explains how privatization is a means of rewarding GOP contributors, and how Florida is a leader in this insidious practice. While privatization "may or may not save taxpayers much money, it will divert taxpayer money out of the public sector and into private sector firms, where the GOP has a chance to steer contracts towards politically connected firms."
"Anyone who doubts this eventuality need look no further than Florida. There, as New York Times columnist Paul Krugman pointed out last year, Gov. Jeb Bush, the president's brother, has outsourced millions of dollars worth of work formerly performed by government employees to private contractors. There's little evidence that doing so has improved state services, as the governor's own staff admits. But it has vastly improved the financial state of the Florida Republican Party. According to an investigation by The Miami Herald last fall, '[t]he policy has spawned a network of contractors who have given [Bush], other Republican politicians, and the Florida GOP millions of dollars in campaign donations.'"
The cited Krugman article, "Victors and Spoils", had this to say about Florida: "Jeb Bush has already blazed the trail. Florida's governor has been an aggressive privatizer, and as The Miami Herald put it after a careful study of state records, 'his bold experiment has been a success — at least for him and the Republican Party, records show. The policy has spawned a network of contractors who have given him, other Republican politicians and the Florida G.O.P. millions of dollars in campaign donations.'"
So, when "Jeb!" dreams about emptying state buildings of employees, he is at the same time dreaming about his pockets being filled with campaign cash.
White House Resident In A Jovial Mood As Cash Flows - Although U.S. troops are in harms way, expiring at a rate of one per day, and the GOP back in Washington is ripping off troops with families, Bush was in a jovial mood. W's "best applause line concerned medical malpractice and elimination of what he repeatedly called 'frivolous lawsuits' by lawyers 'fishing for a rich settlement.' The crowd was packed with physicians - many of them Indian - who party insiders said had been invited to the event at the suggestion of campaign Co-Chairman Zach Zachariah, an Indian and Fort Lauderdale cardiologist. Pankaj Vyas, an internist from Raleigh, N.C., when asked what drew him to Tampa for the event, responded with two words: 'Tort reform.' He and others roared approval when Bush promised to 'cut down on the frivolous lawsuits which ... drive up the cost of health care.'" See "President Fattens Funds, Draws Critics In Tampa".
With "Good Democrats" Like This . . . "Bush appeared with [Ruth] Westheimer, the celebrity sex-advice doctor, at a reception for top campaign fundraisers before his speech. 'Everybody knows I'm a good Democrat,' Westheimer said. But she was asked, she said, to accompany Bush in Miami and Tampa by two friends, Karen and Jeff Saull of Vero Beach, who ``help with all my charities'' and are investing in publication of her latest book. In Miami, the [ ]resident knelt for a photo beside the diminutive Westheimer. Westheimer said Bush didn't ask her for any advice in her area of expertise, and she didn't give him any."
"Jeb!'s" Two Cents - "Gov. Bush accompanied his brother at every stop, eliciting the president's usual jokes about their strong-willed mother, former first lady Barbara Bush. 'We both share the same political consultant: our mother,' Bush said, drawing a laugh from the 600 people attending the first fund-raiser. 'Her fees are low, but her opinion is plentiful.' He also praised his wife, Laura, saying 'She is, by far, the best thing I've got going.'" See "Fund raising, Florida style".
In the Meantime, "Jeb!" Claims He Increased School Funding - "School officials are trying to plug a $60 million shortfall after the state tied half of its budget increase this year to reducing class sizes to comply with the new constitutional amendment." See "Teachers' 'step' raises in jeopardy".
Don't We Need A Special Session On This? "An uproar over a Florida summer camp for nudist children prompted state Rep. John Quinones, R-Kissimmee, to say Monday he hopes to take the lead in fashioning a state law restricting how and when kids may be in the buff." See "Lawmaker aims to button up children away at nudist camp".
Pay As You Pollute - "Environmentalists are decrying a deal between the state and Tropicana Products that allows the citrus company to pay a prearranged fine any time it violates state and national clean water standards. " See "Environmentalists oppose Tropicana deal".
Florida Times Union Accuses The Florida Senate Of Threatening "Access To Health Care" - "Yet another failure has been chalked up in the Florida Legislature, further raising doubt as to whether the people of Florida will continue to have access to health care. If not, the blame will rest squarely on the Florida Senate, which refuses to consider ad- equate caps on non-economic damages." See "Another F".