Jeb Bush Has Spent the Last Seven Years Getting Filthy Rich

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/jeb-bush-has-spent-last-seven-years-getting-filthy-rich

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush (R ) has made headlines for resigning from a number of boards – both non-profits and corporations. The media has widely recognized the moves as aimed at preparation for a 2016 presidential run. The very same week, he announced that he will be in Greenwich – a tax haven and center of monied elite – to fundraise for his political action committee. The Greenwich fundraising meeting is just a bookend to seven year that Bush spent on one goal alone: making huge amounts of money for himself from corporations that will eagerly seek access to a possible future President Bush.

A Quest To Improve His Suffering Millionaire Life

Bush ended his final term as Florida's governor in 2007, having turned Florida's political future far to the right. His net worth had declined by about $700,000 – as he entered the governor's mansion in 1999 with a net worth of $2 million and he left at around $1.3 million; The New York Times's Michael Barbaro writes that Bush left “public office seven years ago with a net worth of $1.3 million and an unapologetic determination to expand his wealth, telling friends that his finances had suffered during his time in government.”

One of the first corporations that handed Bush a board position (and that of paid consultant) was a start-up called InnoVida. From December 2007 to September 2010, the start-up paid Bush $468,901 for consulting and “reasonable expenses.” But the young building materials manufacturer hit bankruptcy in 2011, and its owner was arrested for $40 million in investment fraud in 2012. The following year, Bush repaid $270,000 of the funds he was paid by the company.

Attaching himself to firms as they were on their way out seems to be a trend for Bush. He sat on the board of Swisher Hygiene, a soap maker, which its executives later acknowledged “their financial statements were unreliable and their accounting practices inadequate” as the company collapsed. Lehman Brothers hired Jeb Bush as a consultant in June 2007, and in the summer of 2008 he tried to convince Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim to invest in the firm – it collapsed just months later, part of the larger financial crisis.

[Enrique]

1. through hard work I'm sure

seriously, what's a day in the life of "consultant" Jeb Bush.

[DetlefK]

3. Convincing people that your opinion is worth their money.

[Enrique]

7. somethng makes me think it's not his opinion that has value to his clients

it might have something to do with his influence, and his potentially very great influence as future president.

[unblock]

2. in what way is greenwich a "tax haven"?

center for monied elite, sure. but "tax haven"?

um, it's an hour or so from new haven....

or maybe someone misread the following:

http://blog.ctnews.com/politics/2015/01/04/jeb-bush-picks-greenwich-as-possible-springboard-for-white-house-bid/

Proof that not all of Greenwich winters in Florida, a popular tax-Haven for Connecticut residents, Bush will be hosted by an assemblage of relatives and political allies with ties to his father and brother.

[WinkyDink]

9. You've got it: Someone didn't read the original correctly.

[bobGandolf]

12. I was wondering that myself....thought

for a second there might be an island off the coast named Greenwich, that I never heard of.

[n2doc]

4. The Arbusto Family, having the opposite of the Midas touch. n/t

[Fred Sanders]

5. Because the GOP always nominates the richest white guy willing they can find. Jeb knew that. He is

just not rich enough yet. Rich means blessed...it is their scorecard.

I bet they go with Mitt again, still the richest white guy willing.

[hatrack]

6. But Mitt, while even richer, doesn't have that golden glow that only the name "Bush" can provide

[arthritisR_US]

10. That may be true but he has those special

underpants.

[FSogol]

11. Plus, Cheney gave a big thumbs up to Jeb. You just can't buy that kind of support!

Actually, you can buy it.

[WinkyDink]

8. So has Bill Clinton. What's good for the goose,.....

[randomelement]

13. Looks like he has that old 'W' touch

Just glancing through the article - he's the kiss of death

Let's see .... there's:

bankruptcy, fraud, more bankruptcy, more fraud (“their financial statements were unreliable&quot
I see "collapsed" used a few times ..,.

Please note I am not saying he caused these - it's just reminiscent of 'W' and his 'anti-Midas' touch

[Octafish]

14. Law Professor wonders if the Bushes are a 'Continuing Criminal Enterprise.'

"Yeah. See. This."



What a smart guy said:

The Bush Family: A Continuing Criminal Enterprise?

Gary W. Potter, PhD.
Professor, Criminal Justice
Eastern Kentucky University

The S&Ls, the Mob and the Bushs

During the 1980's hundred of Savings and Loan Banks failed. Those bank failures cost U.S. taxpayers over $500 billion to cover federally insured losses, and much more to investigate the bank failures (Pizzo, Fricker, and Muolo, 1989; Brewton, 1992; Johnston, 1990). More than 75% of the Savings and Loan insolvencies where directly linked to serious and often criminal misconduct by senior financial insiders (Pizzo, Fricker and Muolo, 1989: 305). In fact, less than 10 percent of bank failures are related to economic conditions, the rest are caused by mismanagement or criminal conduct (Pizzo, Fricker and Muolo, 1989: 305).

A good example of the Savings and Loan failures can be found in the activities of Mario Renda, a Savings and Loan insider who often worked in close collaboration with organized crime (Pizzo, Fricker and Muolo, 1989: 123-126;302). Renda served as a middle man in arranging about $5 billion a year in deposits into 130 Savings and Loans, all of which failed (Kwitny, 1992: 27). Many of these deposits were made contingent on an agreement that the Savings and Loan involved would lend money to borrowers recommended by Renda, many of whom were organized crime figures or people entirely unknown to the banking institution involved (Kwitny, 1992: 27).

SNIP...

Prescott Bush: The Yakuza’s Frontman

Finally, and perhaps most seriously, the Bush family pioneered the practice which has now become commonplace of collaboration between corporate and organized criminals. Prescott Bush, uncle of the current President and brother of the former President, played a key role in helping the Japanese Yakuza extend their financial and real estate holdings to the United States. In 1989, Prescott Bush made arrangements for a front company for Japanese organized crime groups to buy into two U.S. corporations and to make a sizeable real investment in the U.S. (Helm, 1991a: 1; Isikoff, 1992: A1). West Tsusho, a Japanese corporation, was identified by Japanese police officials as a front company for one of that country’s largest organized crime syndicates. Prescott Bush was paid a fee of $500,000 for his help in negotiating West Tsusho’s purchase of controlling interest in Assets Management, a U.S. corporation (Helm, 1991a: 1; Isikoff, 1992: A1). Bush also assisted the Japanese mob in investing in Quantam Access, a U.S. software company, which was ultimately taken over by the Japanese (Helm, 1991b: 10; Isikoff, 1992: A1). Both companies ultimately went into bankruptcy (Isikoff, 1992: A1; Moses, 1992).

George Bush Sr.: Shutting Down the Organize Crime Strike Forces

Despite assessments from senior law enforcement officers and experts on organized crime that efforts to control organized crime would be crippled, in December 1989, the administration of George Bush, Sr. abolished all 14 regional organized crime strike forces (McAlister, 1989: A 21; Struck out, 1990). The organized crime strike had been created as independent entities so they would not be subject to political influences or bureaucratic wrangling within federal law enforcement. In the two decades of their operation the strike forces had secured convictions of major organized crime figures in several U.S. cities (Struck out, 1990). It is at the very least curious to note that the federal strike force in Miami had been responsible for indicting Miguel Recarey, the man for whom Jeb Bush had intervened with regulators. Organized crime strike forces had similarly indicted Mario Renda, the organized crime liaison to the S& L’s, as well as several other key figures in the Savings and Loan Fiasco (Pizzo, Fricker, and Mulolo, 1989: 112, 120-123, 303, 337).

CONTINUED...

http://critcrim.org/critpapers/potter.htm

That's the way a professor of criminal justice puts it. Me, to get a better handle on War Inc's first family, Bartcop first called them the "BFEE" for short.

[Initech]

15. Any millionaire or billionaire who claims to be suffering needs a kick in the ass.

Jeb Bush should be behind bars along with the rest of his war criminal family.