Saturday, October 10, 2009

GOVERNMENT STINK BIG


When I wrote in this space yesterday about the eHealth money scandal, I hadn't read the front page story in the Vancouver Sun.

What I missed was quite a lot.

The headline alone gets the blood going:

Man at centre of health scandal was under house arrest when hired

He got job overseeing $9-million budget while prohibited from handling other people's money

Jim Taylor was hired as director of communications systems at the Fraser Valley health region in April 2000 -- a month after he was sentenced to two years less a day for defrauding the White Rock Sea Festival Society, which went bankrupt.

Kevin Falcon said he wasn't sure why Taylor was hired by Fraser Health when he had a fraud conviction.

Taylor is accused of fraud and breach of trust, former assistant deputy health minister Ron Danderfer of breach of trust and Dr. Jonathan Burns (foto above) of fraud and influence pedaling.

Danderfer oversaw the multi-million dollar electronic health initiatives.

Guess what?

His wife was a senior official at the Ministry of Children and Families and both his son and daughter are government employees.

Danderfer and his wife were both suspended two years ago.

Their salaries are all paid by your taxes.

Could this be any more corrupt?

All of those Board of Traders are convinced that the Campbell regime is so competent at minding the store.

Surpise!

This is an old story of government contracts awarded to friends, paybacks and kickbacks, jobs for family members, billing irregularities and over-billing.

This is what is happening in an almost identical scandal in Ontario.

This is what happens when governments and bureaucrats have access to unlimited public funds and very checks and balances around them.

This is tax money.

6 comments:

Jeff Taylor said...

WHAT IN THE HELL IS HAPPENING IN B.C THESE DAYS. Every time I catch up on my B.C news ( I now live in Toronto - for better or for worse) I'm dumb struck with the various Provincial Liberal Gov't stories. It's getting to the point that I'm even beginning to think I can't read or even that I'm losing my mind ! Who is running the place ?! Who's minding the store as they say ?! Seems that there's one scandal or near scandal a week. Last week I have to admit I tuned my laptop onto the GIANT '98 (LOL) to listen for items that I have been reading to see if my ears would confirm what my eyes have been constantly reading month after month. No luck there. The morning show guy says everything is perfect, and the afternoon show girl just keeps on talking about Twitter and FaceBook. Go figure !

Anonymous said...

“This is an old story of government contracts awarded to friends, paybacks and kickbacks, jobs for family members, billing irregularities and over-billing.”
____________________________________

Does anyone really think that the higher ups in Government really cars about the hacks they hire as long as they're not caught with their hands in the cookie jar? Not a whit, as long as they seem to do the job and the votes keep rolling in . . .

Anonymous said...

When Jim Taylor was hired in April 2000, the NDP were the government led by Ujjal Dosanj.
When there is a change of government the top civil servants keep their jobs, unlike the U.S.A.

Chris M said...

A simple criminal record check needs to be done on everybody who has the potential to defraud the taxpayers(yes,the taxpayers).
The money does not belong to the government (any government)
It belongs to the people.
It appears all level of governments have forgotten the fundamentals.
Elected by the people,for the people.
Not for all their buddies.

Anonymous said...

The only positive about all these scandals is that if there's enough of them perhaps the voters will see the light and realize what a bunch of crooks we have running this province. I must admit to having a certain perverse joy everytime a new rock is turned over and we see the latest creepy crawlys exposed to the light.

Anonymous said...

David, Im at a loss for words. Im 56 years old and I had supported the NDP all of my life. Both federally and provincially. A few years ago it became apparent that the NDP was trying to beome a middle of the road provincial party. They distanced themselves fro the trade union movment. Then came Ujjal. Enough was enough. I am not an environmentalist so the green party was not an option. I have voted Liberal the last 2 provincial elections. I have no idea what I will do as I have argued endlessly defending Gordo and his band of MLAs. Even with the mounting piles of corruption and bad news I will still not vote for Carol ( big yawn) James. I hope that the NDP return to the labor unions with promises to erase all anti union scab legislation. I hope that they come up with a charismatic leader with a vision for a better BC economy. They will not do this and I will be forced to vote for ? ????