No matter who wins the White House this fall, high dollar corporate donors will have direct access to the President's ear. The pressure to privatizate more government services will likely grow. How might some of these requests influence policy? Below is one David Letterman like dream scene:
President John McCain sits in the Oval Office with the head of the Veterans Administration. The crimson faced Chief Executive spit out his nail-like words. "Your budget increase is shit. It's fucking unacceptable. How dare you bring this crap to me!"
"But sir, we have to pay for the benefits promised to the men and women who agreed to serve," pleaded the senior bureaucrat. "Their war injuries need lifetime treatment."
"We don't have to do any God damned thing. Fuck them and fuck you. Get out. Get the hell out! And don't come back. I'm privatizing your ass!" The Chief Executive barked out an order. "Get me Ken Mehlman on the line!"
"Ken, I need HCA to buy out the VA system. Don't worry, I'll make KKR a good deal on the purchase price and guarantee long term revenues. You can hold it a few years and spin it off for billions more than you paid. And yes, I'll veto any bill that increases the taxes you patriotic private equity boys pay on carried interest. Yes,, it is a new kind of capitalism."
President John McCain sits in the Oval Office with the head of the Veterans Administration. The crimson faced Chief Executive spit out his nail-like words. "Your budget increase is shit. It's fucking unacceptable. How dare you bring this crap to me!"
"But sir, we have to pay for the benefits promised to the men and women who agreed to serve," pleaded the senior bureaucrat. "Their war injuries need lifetime treatment."
"We don't have to do any God damned thing. Fuck them and fuck you. Get out. Get the hell out! And don't come back. I'm privatizing your ass!" The Chief Executive barked out an order. "Get me Ken Mehlman on the line!"
"Ken, I need HCA to buy out the VA system. Don't worry, I'll make KKR a good deal on the purchase price and guarantee long term revenues. You can hold it a few years and spin it off for billions more than you paid. And yes, I'll veto any bill that increases the taxes you patriotic private equity boys pay on carried interest. Yes,, it is a new kind of capitalism."
