Sleaze By Any Other Name

   “Unsavory influence money that undermines good government.”
    That's what Herald Columnist Fred Grimm calls* money spent to curry the favor of various elected officials and public agencies. (*In his column today 10/8/09)
    However the tax-funded North Broward Hospital District calls it public dollars for “Governmental Affairs.”
    What's more, the giant health care conglomerate pays some $250,000 to salary its “Vice President for Government Relations” – who doubles as a registered lobbyist in Tallahassee every year.
    But there's more:
    During the past ten years, the District (dba Broward Health) has spent nearly $8 million to lobby the sleazy darkside of government in the Sunshine State.
    Also, the current decade saw the District's “Government Affairs” budget more than double – going from $383,070 in 2000 to $1,099,173 this year.
    Again, in promoting what it calls “Powerful Medicine,” Broward Health bankrolled a political SWAT team of 13 lobbyists to work back rooms of this year's Florida Legislature.
    And finally, the District is a major dues paying member of the Florida Hospital Association, which maintained its own political SWAT team of 25 lobbyists in Tallahassee this year.
    And so it goes,” as the late Kurt Vonnegut used to write.
    Oh yes.
    Students of Gibbons may recall how it became a common and corrupt practice to lavish denarii on administrators, Senators and even the divine Emperor himself to juice the machinery of government during the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (which could be what today's GrimmRant's about.).
Source for District "Government Affairs" Funds -- Broward Health Annual Budgets.
Source for Florida Lobbyist Numbers - myflorida.com

 You can email me at – johndegroot@live.com