Logisticare Update

On Monday, the Blunt administration released a Request for Proposals with the innocuous title “Department of Social Services, Children's Division”. Upon closer review, the RfP turns out to be for transportation services for abused and neglected children and other children in state custody.

Now, the white-bread sounding RfP sure raises a couple of questions. Did the Blunt administration downplay the bid details of the RfP to allow Blunt favorite, Logisticare LLC of Atlanta, Georgia to bid on another state contract while they are under investigation for the death of another Missourian, a renal transplant patient who was scheduled to be picked up and taken to St. Louis at 4:00 am? His ride never arrived, and he was found dead about 8:00 pm in his living room, with his bags packed.

Common sense would dictate that LogistiCare be banned from bidding on more state contracts while they are under investigation, and transportation services for elderly and medicaid patients needs to return to the county level. Outsourcing and privatizing such services might appear to be a money saver at first blush. But how many Missourians are pushed out of jobs when a company from Atlanta takes over a state function. Besides that, they aren't invested in the community the way a county board of commissioners is.

We have gone too far when we eliminate jobs and economic development funds, when we award private, out-of-state companies contracts to provide government services when they are not answerable to the constituency. Some government is good. Too much is bad, but so is too little. The key is to find that middle. Right now, we are on the wrong side, and the Missouri congressional democrats need to be agressively attacking these devastating cuts.

Who knows? Maybe they'll even grow a set and get that damned Hancock Ammendment repealed! Pay some taxes already, Missouri! Fix the roads, take care of the sick and old, and educate the children. Those are the reasons to have a government, and they are not being lived up to by the current crop in Jeff City. Time to pick up a broom and start sweeping up the rubble and throwing out the trash.

Any Democrats who don't stand up now, can pack their bags and leave in January 2007 with the new Republican majorities. Believe me, we have seen how that worked out, and we realize now that there was a reason it had never happened before. One party controls three branches and they over-reach, plain and simple. (I do not deny the Democrats would over-reach too if they were in all three branches - but they would try to do too much, rather than cut off Granny's Oxygen supply. )

House and Senate members are facing an angry electorate in 50 weeks, and every single house member is up for re-election. Just like the big boys, they face their constituents every two years. Republicans are running away from Blunt as fast and as far as they can go. But many have already sealed their fates, and the Republican bicamaral majority will not hold.

If Blunt keeps falling, we may see an impeachment in 2007, especially if he gets indicted in the DeLay imbroglio.

How delicious would it be if we got two?