Mastermind and funder of the town hall riots is now Florida's governor.

madfloridian

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Wed Nov-03-10 11:25 PM
Original message

Mastermind and funder of the town hall riots is now Florida's governor.

Edited on Wed Nov-03-10 11:40 PM by madfloridian

I have been wondering all day how the hell that happened. The media failed us miserably on this except for a few brave columnists. How this man became our governor is something we have to find out before more harm is done to this state.

My first thought is that even if the media had come out hard against him, it would not have made any difference. The teaparty supporters had their minds made up and hardened, and nothing anyone said would have mattered.

Rick Scott: Multimillionaire, Mastermind of Town Hall Riots

Rick Scott, multi-millionaire lover of Medicare fraud (Photo: open.salon.com)

If you’re wondering who is primarily responsible for organizing the barbaric efforts to sabotage the Democratic town halls across the nation, wonder no longer. The man’s name is Rick Scott, and he is in charge of the Web site Conservatives For Patients Rights. He is a multimillionaire ex-hospital CEO whose company was charged with the largest case of financial fraud committed against the government in United States history.

Yes, the former CEO of the Columbia/HCA hospital system was at the helm during a span of 10 years when his company defrauded Medicare for $1.7 billion dollars. They were found guilty and that amount has been repaid – yet the conservative GOP pick Rick Scott to lead them into battle for responsible medical spending? Payday loans with no faxing and short term loans used responsibly help in a pinch, but I’m talking responsibility on an entirely different level.

Something stinks here, and the people deserve to know

According to various sources, Scott’s company was so brazen that they stamped certain documents with warnings that those documents should not be shown to Medicare auditors!
The practice that appears to have gotten Rick Scott’s company in trouble is something known as “upcoding.” Essentially, hospitals under Rick Scott’s watch were treating patients for minor ailments, then charging the Medicare exorbitant fees for much more serious (imaginary) illnesses. In addition, they reported the costs for things like employee functions, holiday parties, catering and other things unrelated to the expense of treating patients. Knowing this, would you trust Rick Scott to tell you what is or isn’t too expensive when it comes to health care? And the man’s level of honesty! He told CNN’s Rick Sanchez (see video below) that he “had no idea” about upcoding

Who funds Medicare, by the way?

It’s you! Taxpayers! If you didn’t know before, you know now. Rick Scott was at the helm of a company that stole massive amounts of money from the American people. And he is against Obamacare because he (and likely his buddies in the industry) want to maintain the status quo. Use your brain. If you know there’s going to be a Democratic town hall about healthcare in your area, organize like-minded friends and go there, if for no other reason than to fight back against the mob organized by dishonest multi-millionaires like Rick Scott.

Oh, here’s a little tidbit that you can think of what you will. Scott, a lawyer, was once a co-owner of the Texas Rangers baseball club… with George W. Bush.

The brave Hiaasen brothers, Carl and Scott, spoke out passionately against this man.

Rick Scott touts CEO experience in run for Florida governor

SCOTT MCINTYRE | Times “If (investigators) found any merit in these allegations .?.?. they would have certainly charged me, or at the very least questioned me — neither of which ever happened,” Scott said in a statement. Here, Scott addresses the Republican Party of Florida Executive Meeting at the Grand Hyatt on June 18. At right is his wife, Ann

By Scott Hiaasen and John Dorschner, Miami Herald

As he meets Republicans around Florida, Rick Scott, the new front-runner in the Florida governor's race, has been greeted with applause — and with blunt questions about his past. At a recent GOP breakfast in Tampa, Scott was confronted — not for the first time — about his role in the scandals at Columbia/HCA, the huge health care company that Scott ran for 10 years. Scott resigned in 1997 amid an FBI inquiry that ultimately led to the company paying a record $1.7 billion in criminal and civil fines for Medicare fraud. It's the paradox of Scott's upstart campaign: The novice candidate has touted his stature and experience as the get-things-done CEO of what was once the nation's largest for-profit health care company, while also trying to distance himself from Columbia/HCA's notorious legacy of fraud.

The strategy has worked so far. Thanks largely to a $16 million advertising blitz he financed himself, Scott — who moved to Florida seven years ago — now leads in the polls over fellow Republican Bill McCollum, the state attorney general and former congressman.

"As I have said repeatedly, Columbia/HCA made mistakes, and I take responsibility for what happened on my watch as CEO," Scott said in a written statement Friday. He has denied knowing frauds were taking place while he was there, and he was never charged with any crimes.

However, federal investigators found that Scott took part in business practices at Columbia/HCA that were later found to be illegal — specifically, that Scott and other executives offered financial incentives to doctors in exchange for patient referrals, in violation of federal law, according to lawsuits the Justice Department filed against the company in 2001.

Very long article. Be sure to take time to read the list of violations at the end of the article. This is Florida's new governor.

And Carl Hiaasen has some more recent words about Rick Scott.

Scott is either incompetent or a lying crook

Even by Florida’s shaky standards, Rick Scott stands out as one of the most outlandish characters ever to pop out of the woodwork.

His presence makes this year’s governor’s race a momentous I.Q. test for voters. A man who couldn’t run an honest company now wants to run state government. Duh. It’s one of those you-can’t-be-serious stories that just might come true.

Scott is brimming with oversized promises but, by his own admission, he struggles with the concept of commitment.

"I don’t know what the def – your definition or anybody’s definition of an ‘agreement’ is, or an ‘offer’ is, or ‘promise’ is," he testified in an evasive 1997 deposition.

Well, it did come true. Almost like a nightmare.

In case you missed it here is the video of two minutes of that deposition.

Your head will spin.

I am truly worried about my state right now...concerned mainly for the rights of women and the harm that will be done to education.

Crist vetoed a bill that would have harmed teachers seriously, and he vetoed a bill that would have required women to get and pay for an ultrasound before even an early stage abortion.

Scott will never do that. The Republicans in the legislature (they own it) will be free to make up any weird bills they wish, and they can be confident there will be no veto from Rick Scott.