Will Rick Scott finally end up in prison?

[malaise]

http://www.examiner.com/article/former-florida-gop-chairman-s-honest-confession-or-political-retaliation
<snip>
Mr. Greer has claimed HB1355 was deliberately designed to suppress voting among groups that tend to support Democratic candidates. He said, “The Republican Party, the strategists, the consultants, they firmly believe that early voting is bad for Republican Party candidates. It’s done for one reason and one reason only … we’ve got to cut down on early voting because early voting is not good for us.”

Jim Greer has suggested there is absolutely nothing state Republicans would not do in following their obsession with retaining power, and the reason given of reducing voter fraud and to save money was simply a marketing ploy.

Jim Greer’s statements about the motivations for the party’s legislative efforts under HB1355 are backed by former Governor Charlie Crist. Crist has said party leaders approached him during his term about changing early voting in an effort to suppress Democratic turnout. By executive order, Crist extended early voting hours in 2008 to address long lines during that presidential election. He has said, “People have fought and died for our right to vote, and unfortunately our legislature and this governor have decided they want to make early voting less available to Floridians rather than more available.”

Before signing HB1355 into law, Governor Rick Scott said he wanted to make voting easier and to eliminate voter fraud. Despite long lines and waits of up to nine hours to vote in the 2012 presidential election, Governor Scott indicated he was “Very comfortable that the right thing happened”; however, under media and political pressure, he has asked Ken Detzner, Secretary of State, to look into the problems and to recommend changes if necessary.

Video at Huffpo
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/26/jim-greer-florida-voting-laws_n_2192802.html

[spanone]

1. k&r... he should have been imprisoned after the biggest medicare fraud case/HCA

Columbia/HCA fraud case details
On March 19, 1997, investigators from the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Health and Human Services served search warrants at Columbia/HCA facilities in El Paso and on dozens of doctors with suspected ties to the company.[25] The Columbia/HCA board of directors pressured Scott to resign as Chairman and CEO following the inquiry.[26] He was paid $9.88 million in a settlement. He also left owning 10 million shares of stock worth over $350 million.[27][28][29] In 1999, Columbia/HCA changed its name back to HCA, Inc.
In settlements reached in 2000 and 2002, Columbia/HCA pled guilty to 14 felonies and agreed to a $600+ million fine in the largest fraud settlement in US history. Columbia/HCA admitted systematically overcharging the government by claiming marketing costs as reimbursable, by striking illegal deals with home care agencies, and by filing false data about use of hospital space. They also admitted fraudulently billing Medicare and other health programs by inflating the seriousness of diagnoses and to giving doctors partnerships in company hospitals as a kickback for the doctors referring patients to HCA. They filed false cost reports, fraudulently billing Medicare for home health care workers, and paid kickbacks in the sale of home health agencies and to doctors to refer patients. In addition, they gave doctors "loans" never intending to be repaid, free rent, free office furniture, and free drugs from hospital pharmacies.[4][5][6][7][8]
In late 2002, HCA agreed to pay the U.S. government $631 million, plus interest, and pay $17.5 million to state Medicaid agencies, in addition to $250 million paid up to that point to resolve outstanding Medicare expense claims.[30] In all, civil law suits cost HCA more than $2 billion to settle, by far the largest fraud settlement in US history.[31]

[malaise]

10. Shouldn't these criminals be banned from public office?

[malaise]

14. Read the Report from the Palmbeach Post - Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/early-voting-curbs-called-power-play/nTFDy/
<snip>
Wayne Bertsch, who handles local and legislative races for Republicans, said he knew targeting Democrats was the goal.

Another GOP consultant, who did not want to be named, also confirmed that influential consultants to the Republican Party of Florida were intent on beating back Democratic turnout in early voting after 2008.

In 2011 Republicans, who had super majorities in both chambers of the legislature, passed HB 1355, which curtailed early voting days from 14 to eight; greatly proscribed the activities of voter registration organizations like the League of Women Voters; and made it harder for voters who had changed counties since the last election to cast ballots, a move that affected minorities proportionately more than whites. The League and others challenged the law in court, and a federal judge threw out most of the provisions related to voter registration organizations.

Various voter registration organizations, minority coalitions and Democratic office holders are now demanding investigations either by state or federal officials.

On Oct. 26, The Post published a story citing a deposition by Florida GOP General Counsel Emmett “Bucky” Mitchell IV in litigation between Florida and the U.S. Justice Department over HB 1355. Mitchell described a meeting near New Year’s Day 2011, in which he was approached by GOP staffers and consultants to write the bill that would become HB 1355.

He said the meeting had followed other conversations with those same GOP officials and consultants since the fall of 2010.
----------------
Someone is going to prison for this.

[spanone]

15. i hope they are prosecuted....the bastards...it's called voter fraud. nothing less.

[meow2u3]

19. It's actually called conspiracy against rights (and other crimes against democracy and civil rights)

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/1973j

(a) Depriving or attempting to deprive persons of secured rights
Whoever shall deprive or attempt to deprive any person of any right secured by section 1973, 1973a, 1973b, 1973c, or 1973h of this title or shall violate section 1973i (a) of this title, shall be fined not more than $5,000, or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/241 18 USC § 241 - Conspiracy against rights]

If two or more persons conspire to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or because of his having so exercised the same; or
If two or more persons go in disguise on the highway, or on the premises of another, with intent to prevent or hinder his free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege so secured—
They shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and if death results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, they shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death.

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/245 18 USC § 245 - Federally protected activities

(b) Whoever, whether or not acting under color of law, by force or threat of force willfully injures, intimidates or interferes with, or attempts to injure, intimidate or interfere with—
(1) any person because he is or has been, or in order to intimidate such person or any other person or any class of persons from—
(A) voting or qualifying to vote, qualifying or campaigning as a candidate for elective office, or qualifying or acting as a poll watcher, or any legally authorized election official, in any primary, special, or general election;
(B) participating in or enjoying any benefit, service, privilege, program, facility, or activity provided or administered by the United States;
(C) applying for or enjoying employment, or any perquisite thereof, by any agency of the United States;
(D) serving, or attending upon any court in connection with possible service, as a grand or petit juror in any court of the United States;
(E) participating in or enjoying the benefits of any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance; or

[Ilsa]

16. I wonder how many nurses and ancillary

Healthcare workers lost their jobs to pay for Columbia/HCA's criminal acts?

[MrMickeysMom]

21. Couldn't be more truth than what you said...

There it is in a nutshell, folks. I remember this because I was practicing in FL and a lot of regulations were necessary as a result of what Scott did and as a result of what the Frisk family did when "running" HCA. I worked in one of their hospitals at the time.

Seriously, he's already a fugitive from crime of one kind, no doubt learning from the first criminal experience so that he can slick his way out of this one.

[spanone]

23. that's former tennessee senator bill frist family HCA....they have their names all over nashville

remember doctor/senator frist? he was the one who did a video diagnosis of terri schiavo...

rick scott ran the criminal enterprise that the frist family owned

[MrMickeysMom]

24. You bet I do...

Frist was fond of experimenting on cats, as I recall hearing... That's enough to piss me off.

The hospital would give the "Frist award" yearly for the best employee, and I'd think, "I couldn't lower myself enough to deserve it."

[flamingdem]

2. I am definitely going to attend the trial

with popcorn

[malaise]

11. I may fly in

to share the popcorn - butter please

[flamingdem]

13. The DU contingent is over there!

Pass the butter!

[malaise]

18. Ha

[Liberalynn]

3. He should

will is probably another matter.

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. When is that fucker up for re-election?

Or has he termed out?

[onethatcares]

6. 2014

off year election.

I live in sunny Florida and for some reason I can't find anyone that will admit to voting for him.

He now has another investigation he's trying to whitewash. It has to do with the Citizens Insurance Program. Seems the mucketies were riding high on the hog and their high riding was the subject of
an ethics committee. Sadly, the ethics committee was fired, pricksnot says he'll have someone look
into it.

We really need the feds in on this state and the way it's run.

We're paying for a nuke plant that will never be built, the legislature fired the three pro consumer members on the public service commission to make room for power company lackeys and we will pay billions for a plant that was broken by Progress Energy on top of another that may never break ground.

I can't wait to get out of here but my wife wants to stay close to the h2o so it'll come down to who dies first.

[Angry Dragon]

8. a lot of states have H2O

[malaise]

9. I'm sure I read something about recall or impeachment

By the way deliberately suppressing the vote is a crime so the fugger may really be heading for prison.

[Blue Owl]

5. Jail is almost too good for the likes of that numbskulled gollum

n/t

[Angry Dragon]

7. I would vote for prison

Vote republican, vote for prison

[ellenfl]

27. hopefully, a private prison. poetic justice. eom

[hollysmom]

12. oh please oh please oh please

My florida friends would love this

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. It's ok, Rick is a republican...

Des that answer it?

[malaise]

20. LOL - Charlie Crist coming up on Rachel after the break

Let's see

[nadinbrzezinski]

22. That was a great interview.

[malaise]

25. Yes indeed

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#49987773
Intro

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#49987866
Interview

[clyrc]

26. I wish

But I won't hold my breath. I couldn't believe Alex Sink lost to this guy, even after all the other Florida messes.

[trueblue2007]

28. THROW HIM IN JAIL. don't pass GO