"Karl Rove is after much bigger game.
A few months ago Mr. Rove compared his boss to Andrew Jackson.
As some of us noted at the time, one of Jackson's key legacies was the "spoils
system," under which federal jobs were reserved for political supporters.
The federal civil service, with its careful protection of workers from
political pressure, was created specifically to bring the spoils system
to an end; but now the administration has found a way around those
constraints.
We don't have to speculate about what will follow, because
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."
What's interesting about this network of contractors isn't just the way
that big contributions are linked to big contracts; it's the end of the
traditional practice in which businesses hedge their bets by giving to
both parties. The big winners in Mr. Bush's Florida are companies that give
little or nothing to Democrats. Strange, isn't it? It's as if firms seeking
business with the state of Florida are subject to a loyalty test.
The above is an excerpt from: Victors and Spoils
The New York Times
November 19, 2002
By PAUL KRUGMAN
nytimes.com
Copyright The New York Times Company
Full story on SI: Message 18252710
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Dorine, I thought you'd be interested in what Paul Krugman said about Jeb Bush. With all those
big political donations, Mrs. Jeb Bush won't have too worry about smuggling clothes into the US again.
I bet one of Jeb's friends will help her out.---Mephisto |
