E-Mails Show Jeb Bush Foundation Lobbied For Businesses, Including One Tied To Bush

[xchrom]

http://www.thenation.com/blog/172551/e-mails-show-jeb-bush-foundation-lobbied-businesses-including-one-tied-bush

A public interest group has released the results of a multi-state Freedom of Information Act request concerning the lobbying efforts by the Foundation for Excellence in Education (FEE), the nonprofit led by Jeb Bush. The e-mails confirm previous reporting showing that Bush’s policies are designed to benefit businesses seeking to privatize public education—particularly the companies that finance Bush’s nonprofit.

What’s new in this release, however, is the revelation that Bush could be using his education reform crusade for personal gain.

In one e-mail from last year, Bush’s top aide at his foundation, Patricia Levesque, communicated with school officials to urge them to use a company called SendHub, a start-up that uses cloud computing and text messages. Bush, according to TechCrunch, has a modest "five figure" investor with SendHub. Garrett Johnson, the founder of SendHub, previously worked for Bush and still serves on the board of Foundation for Florida's Future, another Bush-run education nonprofit.

In November of 2011, I published my first investigation with The Nation and The Nation Institute concerning the rush of for-profit education technology companies to enact radical “virtual schools” across the country. In the reporting, we uncovered that many individuals associated with the education reform universe—even those ostensible leading major philanthropic foundations—are closely tied to the for-profit interests who stand to gain from these policies. Levesque, we reported, was quietly receiving funds directly from for-profit education tech companies while also serving as the executive director of Bush’s nonprofit.

[mother earth]

1. Campaign finance reform will never be tackled, corporations are profitting big time from their

influence. Jeb knows this all too well, he is seeking them out, guess we know who's the GOP candidate in 2016. Florida is always "confused" come election time...but Jeb's not confused. He knows this oligarchy well.
Citizens United, ALEC, it's all set up for powerful monied interest groups. That's the real power in this country, never berfore has it been so blatant.

It doesn't matter who wins, dem or gop, the real power dictating law, reeling in profits, is behind the scenes.
Except, certain families are ALWAYS on the top of the profit pyramid, and have zero remorse about these endeavours.

[UTUSN]

2. R#7 & K for, Poppy: "My boys have a right to make a living" - adding, for them and for me n/t