Cynical Reality
May 2, 2002
By R. B. Ham

So George W Bush is now an advocate for expanding mental health coverage. The informed reader will understand my cynicism. In my humble opinion, this is both a cynical political maneuver and a covert inside business deal.

Bush: Mental illness deserves equal treatment

If you were just a regular Joe who gets his news/propaganda almost exclusively from network news, it would appear that the Bush Administration is attempting to reach out to the vast middle with an example of "compassionate conservatism".

I'll admit I don't know the details of New Mexico Senator Pete Domenici's bill - on the face of it he wants to remove the stigma of mental illness (one of his eight children, a daughter, suffers from schizophrenia - it seems to be a personal crusade for the man) and have it viewed by the medical insurance community the same way as a physical illness.

More power to him, I say.

Unfortunately, my cynicism will not allow me to get too swept up in this feel good PR move. I feel certain that the political angle of moving to the center is a ploy - plain and simple. Look, everybody! George W Bush cares! He really does!

Deception is as deception does.

What's the ulterior motive?

You don't have to look too far. Guess what? Good old Poppy Bush, and by extension his family's evil empire, stands to make out like a robber baron on this deal.

Last summer, the former President became a major player in Beverly Enterprises , one of the US's largest providers of inpatient facilities.

Who are Beverly Enterprises Inc.?

Beverly Enterprises is a leading nursing home operator in the US, with more than 500 facilities in about 30 states and the District of Columbia. Its Beverly Healthcare division operates nursing homes as well as assisted-living centers; this accounts for more than 90% of revenues. The Beverly Care Alliance unit provides rehabilitation therapy services and also operates outpatient therapy clinics, hospice centers, and home care facilities. Beverly is focused on controlling costs as managed care continues to squeeze profits and health care costs continue to rise.

Thanks to I AM SPARTACUS at DemocraticUnderground, here are some details about Poppy's involvement with this private health care company.

Don't be astounded - earlier this year, when the current President Bush pushed his education bill that he cosponsored with Ted Kennedy, it became known that brother Neil Bush, of the Silverado S&L scam fame, has holdings in a private educational computer company that could very well be getting tax payer dollars to install their systems into classrooms across the United States.

Neil Bush debuts group here for CEOs

President's Brother Neil Crisscrosses Globe Promoting New Business Venture

When it comes to the Bushes - there's always an angle. Mixing public policy with private business and benefiting from both ends. That this isn't obvious to everyone and that they continue to get away with these blatant conflicts of interest is a tribute to the vacuousness of today's media. The supposed watch dogs for the public interest are well fed and watered, they are docile and subservient. It is sad beyond imagining.

One can only imagine the state we'd be in if not for the Internet - the last bastion of free speech and genuine dissent.

In the meantime, I wait for that brave junior reporter - languishing behind the paid for whores of a mainstream media conglomerate - to dig deep enough and be lucky enough to expose the murky dealings of the Bush family and their war mongering cronies of the Fundie/Moonie neo-conservative movement. The truth about 9-11, the truth about the pipeline deals, the truth about the schemes behind this Global Chessboard of Oil Politics.

It's all well and good that many of us have come to accept this cynical reality.

What's needed is the general public to wake up - before it's too late.