Company with bushco ties sold prop pumps profitting on post-Katrina scam...

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RETRACTION: I had originally titled this thread Jeb Bush profitted on death and destruction. He sold the pumps that failed in New Orleans based on a mis-reading of the source on my part. I have since attempted to clean up my mess, the details of which are below. Please accept my humble apology.

Spinning off of Are_grits_grocerie's post here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6410266&mesg_id=6410266


Seems a company with bushco ties made a hefty profit selling prop pumps in a scam to bilk taxpayers out of $.5 Billion dollars, a deal that resulted in the installation of replacement pumps, post-Katrina, that literally melted when put to the test...

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/8/28/773519/-New-Orleans-Pumps-Unsafe-.-.-.-on-Katrina-Anniversary

The MSM, including the New York Times and the New Orleans Times-Picayune, have not covered an independent evaluation recently released by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) that there are serious safety and reliability issues with hydraulic pumps that were installed in New Orleans after Hurrican Katrina. http://www.osc.gov/FY%202009%20A.html (the OSC report is the fifth from the bottom.) As the OSC told President Obama:

There appears to be little logical justification for: (1) restricting the emergency pumping capability . . . to only the untested hydraulic pump systems, (2) not requiring the installation of a reliable pumping system which would adequately protect New Orleans, (3) spending hundreds of millions of dollars to install forty MWI hydraulic pumps which are scheduled to be replaced at a cost of $430 million within 3-5 years. . .

http://www.osc.gov/FY%202009%20A.html

MWI is owned by J. David Eller, once a business partner of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in a venture called Bush-El that marketed MWI pumps.

...snip...

I hope some sort of legal or civil action is persued against MWI.

[Wilms]

1. Indeed you, as you said, may be "spinning".

I think these pumps were sold after, not prior to Katrina.

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2. Upon a careful re-reading, you are correct. I am editing my post to reflect this. My bad. Sorry.

Also, to elaborate on onenote's comment below, it is vague as to whether or not bush was a partner at the time of the sale or if he had been a partner further back.

Welp. I pretty much blew this one, though it is still interesting, in lieu of jeb bush involvement, that someone with bush ties sold these worthless pumps.

If anyone feels it necessary, feel free to un-rec this on the grounds that I foo-barred it.

[BrklynLiberal]

4. In any case..BushCo made money from the tragedy...

[Wilms]

6. Not careful enough. It's still misleading.

"From 1989 to 1993, Bush and Eller co-owned a company, Bush-El, that marketed MWI pumps"

http://www.sptimes.com/News/71899/news_pf/State/Some_say_probe_tests_.shtml

So they marketed the pumps way prior to the NO sale. And that venture stinks enough without diluting the argument with these inaccuracies.

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7. Thanks. I take responsibility for the confusion. Sorry. I won't take any un-recs personally. :^/ n/t

[Wilms]

5. wrong spot - delete

[onenote]

3. does jeb have a financial stake in MWI?

All the article says is that bush and eller (owner of MWI) "once" were partner in a business venture. I looked it up and bush claims to have sold his share in that business venture in 1994.

Before I'm going to stick my neck out repeating claims that jeb "profitted" off of actions taken 14 years after he got out of his partnership with Eller, I'm going to need some evidence that he has had some ongoing interest in ELler or MWI.

Otherwise, this is just a softball that Jeb can hit out the park, making himself look like the victim of baseless allegations. Making jebbie into a victim is not my idea of a good strategy.

[Subdivisions]

8. 'once' ... I agree. I missed that one little word. I feel foolish. I'll try

to be more careful in my reading.

In my own defense though...I so despise the bushies that I saw something that wasn't there in my desire to see justice for the crimes of that vile family.