It would appear that Governor Taft is trying to employ the Scottie Mclellan Defense..lie, hide and cover up.
Asides from the on going purge of under performing fund managers, this week has seen a couple of significant developments in coingate and all things related.
Follow me beyond the break for the round up.
First, documents. No one wants to give them up. Not the BWC and not the governor. The Ohio supreme Court just told the BWC to stick it, in a 5-2 decision (luckily 5 of the Supremes had to recuse themselves and have stand-in hear the case). The BWC excuse for not wanting to do this is quite funny.
toledoblade.com :
COLUMBUS -- Ruling in a lawsuit filed by The Blade, the Ohio Supreme Court yesterday ordered the Bureau of Workers' Compensation to release all transaction records from the $50 million rare-coin investment that Tom Noe controlled.
In a 5-2 decision, the high court rejected the state's argument that the records -- which show the sellers, dates, and purchase prices of coins in the state's inventory -- are "trade secrets" exempt from the Ohio Public Records Act.
Trade Secrets. hehe. I guess the secret is how to swindle the state and not get caught. since they did get caught, i think that defense fell apart. Oh well.
The documents should be released immediately for public inspection, wrote Democratic Justice Alice Robie Resnick of Ottawa Hills for the majority.
Justice Paul Pfeifer, a Republican, added in a concurring opinion: "From the outset, the Bureau of Workers' Compensation's `trade secret' argument seemed more a delaying tactic than a legitimate legal issue."
Petro, running for governor, is also running for cover.
toledoblade.com :
Mark Anthony, a spokesman for state Attorney General Jim Petro -- a Republican who is seeking his party's nomination for governor next year -- said the state will not ask the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision.
Mr. Anthony referred other questions to the bureau, saying: "We're their lawyer, not their spokesman."
Be interesting to see what all is in these documents. Next week should be interesting to see what develops.
The other case, which i talked about a short while ago, was State Senator Dann going after documents from the Governor (Mr Popular)- eerily similar to Armando in his call, it revolves around "what did he know and when did he know it ?
Taft claims he knew nothing of this FUBAR until the blade broke the story, everyone else is guessing the truth is something different.
Apparently we ain't allowed to know the answer to this because of "executive privillage"
COLUMBUS - Gov. Bob Taft asked the Ohio Supreme Court yesterday for a "protective order" to prevent a Democratic state senator from questioning him and Chief of Staff Jon Allison under oath about failed investments at the Bureau of Workers' Compensation.
the blade, on a roll, gets snippy..
John Robinson Block, publisher and editor-in-chief of The Blade, cheered the Supreme Court decision, but said Gov.Bob Taft needs to release weekly reports he has received from the bureau, dating to 1999.
Mr. Taft has claimed he does not need to release the information, citing executive privilege.
"We're pleased with the court's decision [ed: the BWC case] and hope Governor Taft will convince his underlings to release records and stop violating Ohio Public Records law," Mr. Block said.
"We are confident of our legal position."
underlings. hehe. the final smack down comes from a Blade editorial
toledoblade.com :
Our natural reaction, however, and that of the public, is to wonder what Mr. Taft has to hide relative to what he knew about the rare-coin investment and when he knew it. He says he didn't become aware of the BWC's two rare-coin funds until he read about them in The Blade in April. Do the weekly reports he clutches close to his chest suggest otherwise?
Maybe the governor should be careful what he wishes for. To invoke executive privilege would be to invent a tool for similar abuse by the next governor, and the way things are going, that could certainly be a Democrat.
Go Blade !
So moving from the blade, to the Dispatch - and this caused quite a stir here in Ohio, all my work colleagues were talking about it Monday.
the BWC has been massively overpaying hospitals for care provided to injured workers - over $300 million in excess.
www.licopac.org :
The Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation has become a cash cow for hospitals, paying them half a billion dollars more than it cost to treat injured workers during the past seven years.
Those expenditures -- often more than double the actual cost of care -- far exceed what private and other government insurers pay for comparable treatment.
The excessive payments easily top the $300 million the bureau may have lost in bad investments in recent years, a shortfall that has become the focus of multiple investigations.
Although hospital officials disagree that they're reaping unseemly profits, employers and unions both say the payments are outrageous.
"This one slice of health-care service is really being gouged to bring a wholly disproportionate amount of profit for nonprofit hospitals,"
said Dave Regan, president of the Service Employees International Union District 1199, representing 27,000 health-care workers in Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia.
When you add up this entire scandal, from missing coins to hedge fund failures and everything in between and then add on this massive price gouging we are looking at well over $600 million dollars, just from one state run organization.
Final quick hits. The Ohio GoOpers are trying to recruit Kasich
politicalwire.com :
Former Rep. John Kasich (R-OH) "is being urged by some influential Republicans to run as a reform candidate for governor" in Ohio "next year because he is untainted by Statehouse scandals," the Columbus Dispatch reports.
Kasich "has told supporters he would run only if the field is partially cleared for him, enough campaign money is available and the party commits to ending pay-to-play politics."
A source close to Kasich put the chances of a run at "25 to 30 percent."
Kasich by the way really really really doesn't like Blackwell.
And where is good ole Tom Noe ? In more hot water, trying to sell his jeep to his sister-in-law, for $14K. Why $14k ? because he is prohibited from selling anything over $15k by court order...trouble is for Tommy Boy, someone noticed and put the sale on hold....awwww.
Hehe. It's going to be a GoOper Bloodbath in Ohio judging by the folks I talk to who have been consistent Republican voters.