Rather, the Noelle saga exposes more important things about our Governor. At one level, the events expose Bush's gross hipocrisy when we read that "Jeb Bush calls for jail time for nonviolent drug offenders as his daughter gets sent to rehab". See Ariana Huffington's "The latest Bush hypocrisy".
More importantly, we see that a company (that happened to be a Florida GOP contributor) that was improperly awarded a multi-million dollar state contract had given a job to Noelle before she was (most recently) busted, and then has been nice enough to hold it open for her while she resolves her situation. Read this extraordinary editorial (which we quote at length because it is no longer freely available on the web):
"It went from the Department of Education to the University of West Florida to Infinity Software Development Inc., but it was not a double-play combination. The state auditor general scores it as errors with $8.2 million in tax money. The auditor's report and Education Commissioner James Horne's response reveal the kind of business Gov. Bush has made state government. As the auditors tried to follow the money, they found that the university, in Pensacola, 'was awarded the project approximately two weeks before it submitted its proposal and approximately three months before it submitted its application packet.' The cart was moving long before the horse was hitched up. What happened is this:
"In 1999, Infinity called on the education department, pitching a Web site to help parents and students cope with the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. Three months later, the department gave the university $8.2 million to get it done, and West Florida paid Infinity $7.5 million to do it. The only paperwork the auditor found was in the packet the university provided after the deal was done. "DOE also advised us that, to the best of its knowledge, 'no documentation exists,' the auditor noted.
"The money, the auditor also found, came from an appropriation for contracts, but DOE handled it as a grant. The state didn't seek other bids. It's not as though Infinity bought special equipment for the job; 80 percent of the grant money is for salaries. Tallahassee-based Infinity is holding open a job for Gov. Bush's daughter, Noelle, when she becomes available." State Weaves Tangled Weave Over FCAT Contract, (Palm Beach Post, Feb 20, 2003, page 20A) [now an archived Palm Beach Post editorial].
To our knowledge this story has received absolutely no follow up since then.
"Florida Schools Fail To Meet New Federal Test Standards" - "Jeb!" is in the national media spotlght again, this time with MSNBC. The piece opens with a typical Bushie trait, bragging: "In June, Gov. Jeb Bush bragged that Florida schools were getting better, having moved 'from the back of the pack in 1998 to the middle of the pack" this year. Bush guessed that "based on our FCAT numbers for this year, we'll see continued progress.' Bush reported students at almost every grade level were scoring higher on the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test and that the state's schools are receiving higher grades under the state's assessment system." See "Florida Schools Fail To Meet New Federal Test Standards".
"Jeb!" Takes It In The Shorts On Malpractice Caps - Behind [Bush], top GOP senators could scarcely contain their glee: Finally, five and a half years into Bush's tenure, they had stared down the popular governor, the brother of a popular president, and forced him to blink. Said one privately: 'This is probably the first time he's ever been spanked.' Said another: 'I don't want to gloat. Well, yes I do.'" See "Malpractice deal ends Bush victory string". We expect there is more corporal punishment in Mr. Bush's future. In any event, this is apparently what is in the works concerning caps. See also "One more special session called".
And, while they are all smiles, the "Effect of [the] insurance agreement [is] unclear": "Gov. Jeb Bush and legislative leaders announced a deal Friday to overhaul the state's medical malpractice insurance system, but they could make no promises of when doctors' insurance rates might drop, leaving unclear what impact the bill could actually have on access to healthcare." See also "At long last, there's a deal" and "Give Compromise Its Chance"
Sales Tax Fight On Horizon - "Former Senate President John McKay hopes the voters will do what the Legislature could not - require lawmakers to periodically examine every one of the state's myriad sales-tax exemptions in the hopes of eliminating some of them." See "McKay backs sales-tax analysis". See also "Fresh attack on sales-tax exemptions is ready to go".
A New Mack? "Ritter, Mack consider entering congressional races". Beth Reinhard writes: "State Rep. Connie Mack, R-Fort Lauderdale, who after only three years in Tallahassee led an anti-tax coalition and was named deputy majority leader, is setting his sights on Washington. He is exploring a bid for the Fort Myers-based seat now held by U.S. Rep. Porter Goss, who is retiring. Mack was born and raised in Fort Myers and moved to South Florida in the early 1990s. . . . Other state representatives and Lee County commissioners are said to be eyeing the district as well. But none of them wields the fundraising power of the son of the former U.S. senator. The predominantly white, Republican district includes all of Lee County, more than half of Collier County and part of Charlotte County."