The Linear Canvas

The Workers Compensation investment loss in Ohio has been a story that was very slow at being fully exposed. At first, the reported cost was just in the twelve million dollar range. Then a few days later, it was over two-hundred million dollars. I guess they were just softening the blow for us a bit.

It was later revealed that several state officials had known that the deficit was more than two-hundred million dollars, since before the presidential election. Regardless of whether the governor was aware of the shortfall or not, there were other “public” employees that allowed the election to proceed and six months to elapse without revealing that they were involved with and/or had knowledge of the investment account deficiency.

If the public had known about the political ties involved and monies lost prior to the election, it would have been much harder for the media to proclaim victory in Ohio for the presidential administration in November 2004. I suspect that a pattern of misbehavior has been exposed in the state administration that could well extend to higher levels of government. The levels of financial corruption that exist in our national government today, no doubt are replicated in state and local governments throughout the nation.

Even if the “Coingate” scandal is not a part of a larger conspiracy to steal state fund monies to reward the political elite, it is indicative of a larger problem that rewards politicians for favoritism and corruption. What is interesting is that this Workers Compensation money was acquired from businesses and corporations, the entities that are supposedly the beneficiaries of the current government deregulation and tax reduction strategy. Now the involved politicians are biting the hand that feeds them. That comes as no surprise to me.