Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : The Donkey's Inn -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: TigerPaw who wrote (3129)	3/4/2002 12:43:53 PM
From: Mephisto	Respond to of 15516

Praise for Bush policy questioned By Tamara Lytle and Lori Horvitz Washington Bureau Posted March 2 2002 WASHINGTON · Gov. Jeb Bush, mwho has staked much of his legacy on improving education in Florida, a few weeks ago gleefully touted a study praising his school policies. The report by the Manhattan Institute think tank "provides further evidence that Florida is truly making a positive difference in providing greater educational choice for Floridians and improving student academic achievement," Bush said in a Jan. 22 statement shortly after the study was released. What he didn't mention was that the chairman of the Manhattan Institute also is a top executive of Alliance Capital Management, a Wall Street investment firm that lost almost $300 million of Florida's pension money by investing in Enron stock as it tumbled. Another Alliance Capital executive, Lewis Sanders, also serves on the think tank's board. That relationship has led to conflict-of-interest questions about Bush's role in protecting Florida's pension fund, because he is one of three trustees charged with overseeing the state's retirement system. The Florida pension fund kept Alliance Capital on the job, earning millions in fees, even though it had invested poorly for 18 months. Alliance Capital was fired in December after its disastrous decision to invest more and more in Enron stock as the price was dropping. Now critics are saying Alliance Capital should have been fired sooner and are suspicious that Bush may have not done enough to monitor the company connected to such a glowing report of his education plan. The study, released Jan. 22, was one of two in the past year by the conservative-supported Manhattan Institute praising Bush's education reforms. It singled out Florida as one of the country's leaders of school choice under Bush. "When you have political oversight of things like state pension funds, the fact the governor is getting political support from them, it definitely raises a question of whether there was a quid pro quo there," said Bill Allison of the nonpartisan ethics watchdog Center for Public Integrity. "It looks like the ulterior motive was cozying up to the governor of Florida to keep a business arrangement beneficial to them going." The reports' author and Bush's office strongly dismiss the criticism. Katie Baur, spokeswoman for the governor, said he had "absolutely not" gone easy on Alliance because of the support for his education plan. "That is an incredible stretch. What does one have to do with the other?" Baur said. "It's part of the whole incendiary atmosphere surrounding Enron." The Manhattan Institute studies were written by Jay Greene of Fort Lauderdale, a senior fellow of the think tank. Florida's State Department of Education paid for part of the February study; the think tank also contributed. The chairman of the think tank is Roger Hertog, who also is vice chairman of Alliance Capital. Greene said he doesn't know Hertog and was not pressured to report favorably on Bush's plan. "He may be chairman of the board of the Manhattan Institute but he's not my boss in any real sense," Greene said. Tamara Lytle can be reached at 202-824-8255 or sun-sentinel.com. tlytle@tribunecom.

To: TigerPaw who wrote (3129)	3/4/2002 12:47:51 PM
From: Mephisto	Respond to of 15516

So Jeb squandered Florida pension money so that he could buy a report about his education program from the people who invested and lost the pension money. Jeb's report sounds as reliable as the one EXXON tried to pull off. Remember? EXXON cited research institute that said global warming didn't exist. And didn't they think they were clever. The names of the researchers were all characters in the old tv sitcom MASH!!!! Dorine would be furious. I wonder if she knows how Jeb lost pension money in order to buy a favorable report on his education bill from the people who lost the money! LOL Hopefull, the state pensioners will sue JEB BUSH!

To: TigerPaw who wrote (3129)	3/4/2002 1:07:03 PM
From: Mephisto	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 15516

TP, Blood and guts W and his staff have gone off the deep end. They are war crazy. They are participating in conflicts all over the globe. We don't know what they are up to and neither does Congress. This is a serious situation, TP. W talks about attacking Iraq. Does he think Iraq and others will just sit there and take it? I think he is so stupid that he doesn't think of the consequences for the US. If we attack them, most likely we are going to be attacked in some way. The situation is serious, TP. See: Message 17147452