Thurman: McCollum's Response Can't Cover Up Failure to More Aggressively Fight Medicaid Fraud

Following Florida gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink's call to for more aggressive action to crack down on rampant Medicaid fraud, and criticism by fellow Republicans, Attorney General Bill McCollum's election year ploys fall short. Any knee-jerk response from Bill McCollum does not cover up a record of dropping the ball on policing Medicaid fraud which costs Florida up to $3.2 billion a year.

"Florida is losing billions of dollars to runaway Medicaid fraud, as our state is facing a Medicaid budget crisis - it is clearly time for strong leadership to crack down on this rampant fraud and ensure better use of our taxpayer dollars," said Florida Democratic Party Chair Karen Thurman. "Unfortunately, Bill McCollum's failure to more aggressively crack down on Medicaid fraud has helped allow these con-artists to steal billions of dollars from our state, and his election year attempts to cover up his failures on Medicaid fraud are too little, too late."

Although Bill McCollum employs more staff to investigate Medicaid fraud than any other state in the country besides New York, Florida's Medicaid Control Fraud Unit currently ranks 39th in the nation for Medicaid fraud convictions per staff position and 25th in the nation for efficiency in fighting Medicaid fraud. Meanwhile, OPPAGA estimates Medicaid fraud accounts for anywhere between $785 million to $3.2 billion of the annual Medicaid budget.

McCollum's failure on Medicaid fraud is so glaring that his fellow Republicans criticized him in the Miami Herald last week. Senator Durell Peaden, who chairs the Senate health budget committee, "faulted the U.S. Attorney's Office and McCollum's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for not focusing enough on Medicaid fraud." Senator Peaden even said, "[Bill McCollum] needs to get his butt in gear." (Miami Herald, 3/4/10)

Republican Senator Don Gaetz, who sponsored legislation last year that gave fraud investigators more tools, "agreed more enforcement could help," specifically saying "It's time we send in the sheriff." And legislation sponsored by Senator Joe Negron (SB 8) and supported by Senate President Jeff Atwater acknowledges that "Medicaid fraud in Florida is epidemic, far reaching, and costs the state and the Federal Government millions of dollars annually."

In these tough economic times, the number of Floridians on Medicaid has risen resulting in Medicaid costs that will hit $19 billion in 2010 - about 28 percent of Florida's budget. Yet, an analysis by the state's own Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) estimates that as much as $3.2 billion is lost each year on Medicaid fraud.

Bill McCollum's Failure To Effectively Crack Down On Medicaid Fraud:

McCOLLUM'S MEDICAID FRAUD CONTROL UNIT IS THE SECOND LARGEST IN THE COUNTRY BUT FLORIDA WAS 39TH IN THE COUNTRY FOR NUMBER OF CONVICTIONS & 25TH IN THE COUNTRY FOR MONEY RECOVERED

According to a January 2010 report issued by the Health and Human Services Department, Bill McCollum's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) lagged behind dozens of other states in the number of convictions and dollars recovered in Federal Fiscal Year 2008:

McCollum's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit Employed More Staff than Every Other State Except New York. Attorney General Bill McCollum's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit employed more staff than any other state with the exception of New York. Florida's MFCU included 201 staff positions, compared to 191 in California, and 187 in Texas.

Number of Convictions by McCollum's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit Was 39th In Country. The number of convictions per staff positions by McCollum's MFCU was 39th in the country. For instance, while Florida had 82 convictions for their 201 staff positions, Ohio had 94 convictions with only 45 staff positions.

Under McCollum, Florida Was 25th In the Country for Fraud Dollars Recovered for Every Dollar Received. In FFY 2008, Florida received $18 million in federal grants to fight Medicaid fraud, and McCollum's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit recovered $121.7 million -- for a total of $6.76 recovered for every federal dollar received. By comparison, Texas received $15.25 million in Medicaid fraud grants and recovered $164.3 million for a total of nearly $11 recovered for every federal dollar received.

(Source: Department of Health and Human Services, SMFCU Statistical Information, FFY 2008)

McCollum Has Not Effectively Tackled Medicaid Fraud- What Would You Do With Up To $3.2 Billion In Fraud?

From FDP:

Florida taxpayers are being swindled out of as much as $3.2 billion each year by people committing Medicaid fraud, yet Republican Attorney General Bill McCollum is failing to do much about, as the Miami Herald reported today. Even though McCollum's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit is the second largest in the country, Florida ranks 39th in the country for number of convictions per staffer and 25th in the country for money recovered per federal dollar received.

"Florida taxpayers are being ripped off by as much as $3.2 billion a year in Medicaid fraud and Bill McCollum is failing to effectively tackle the problem. We need leadership on this issue-If Florida taxpayers could recover the potential billions lost, how could we use it?" Florida Democratic Party spokesman Eric Jotkoff asked. "Bill McCollum deserves to know the answer to that question. So, we're surveying Floridians by e-mail and will share with Bill McCollum what we find out."

In the Herald story, McCollum even admitted that "there is room for improvement" and his fellow Republicans called him to task for his lack of action. As Republican Senator Durell Peaden put it "[Bill McCollum] needs to get his butt in gear. All he's doing is chasing pedophiles around. If he'd spend half the time on Medicaid fraud, we'd be in better shape."

What Could Floridians Get With $3.2 Billion?

A) Erase Florida's Budget Shortfall And Put The State On Sound Financial Footing
B) 640 Miles Of Highway Construction And The 128,000 Jobs It Would Create
D) 21 Solar Plants To Provide Clean Energy For 63,000 Florida Homes
E) 168 Miles Of Light Rail Construction And The 100,480 Jobs It Would Create
F) A Brand New Mac Laptop Computer For Every Child In Florida Public Schools Grades K-12


BACKGROUND:

Erase Florida's Budget Shortfall And Put The State On Sound Financial Footing
Florida's 2010 budget shortfall is currently estimated at approximately $3 billion. (Tampa Tribune, 3/1/10)

640 Miles Of Highway Construction And The 128,000 Jobs It Would Create
The American Road and Transportation Builders Association estimates a cost of between $4-$6 million dollars per mile of highway construction. Taking the $5 million per mile, the state could add 640 miles of new highway construction. (FAQ, American Road & Transportation Builders Association)

According to a 2001 report, for every $1 billion spent on infrastructure spending, an estimated 40,000 jobs are created. $3.2 billion in infrastructure/highway spending could result in approximately 128,000 new jobs. (Release, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 10/6/01)

21 Solar Plants To Provide Clean Energy For 63,000 Florida Homes
In October, 2009 Florida Power & Light opened North America's largest pholtovoltaic solar power plant in Arcadia, Florida-- $3.2 billion would build 21 more of these solar plants, providing clean energy to more than 63,000 homes and create more than 8,400 desperately needed construction jobs. (Sarasota Herald Tribune, 10/14/09)

168 Miles Of Light Rail Construction And The 100,480 Jobs It Would Create
According to estimates, the city of Baltimore averaged $19 million per mile for construction of their Light Rail Project. At that cost projection, $3.2 billion would fund 168 miles of light rail projects in Florida. (Light Rail Now, 8/2000)

314 jobs are created for each $10 million invested in transit capital funding. A $3.2 billion investment in Light Rail would provide approximately 100,480 jobs directly related to rail in Florida. In addition, transit operations spending provides for a direct infusion to the local economy with more than 570 jobs created for each $10 million invested in the short term. (Benefits of Light Rail Transit, Hampton Roads Transit, 2009)

A Brand New Mac Laptop Computer For Every Child In Florida Public Schools Grades K-12
In 2010 there are approximately 2,587,554 students in the public school system in Florida. $3.2 billion would provide every single public school student in the state of Florida, from K-12, a 13 inch 2.26 GHZ Macbook Pro. (Statistics, Florida.Educationbug.org, 2010)

Bill McCollum's Long Record of Keeping His Political Cronies from Getting Caught

From FDP:

Today's news of Miami Lobbyist Marco Rubio's lavish personal spending spree on his Republican Party AmEx is just one more reason Floridians deserve an independent investigation of this abuse. Yet Washington Politician Bill McCollum is doing what he always does when corruption should be investigated - nothing. Bill McCollum's failure to call for an independent investigation is only the latest time Bill McCollum has treated his political cronies as above-the-law and above concern for any ethical standards.

"When politicians do questionable business in shady corners, they need to look no further than Bill McCollum to protect them from the sunlight and the consequences of their actions," said Eric Jotkoff, Spokesman for the Florida Democratic Party. "A career politician protecting other career politicians, Bill McCollum helped his political cronies sweep their ethical messes under the rug in Washington and now he's at it again in Tallahassee. A life-long politician like Bill McCollum doing his best to cover up the misconduct of his fellow politicians is the last thing Florida needs as governor."

McCOLLUM's RECORD OF PROTECTING FELLOW POLITICIANS , HELP THEM SWEEP ETHICS COMPLAINTS UNDER THE RUG:

McCollum Won't Call For Independent Investigation into RPOF Spending and Doesn't Want to Open Party Books. Bill McCollum has refused to call for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the secret contracts and accusations of misused money at the RPOF. McCollum has also objected to the RPOF turning over credit card statements and opening the party books for public scrutiny. (Miami Herald, 02/05/10 and St. Petersburg Times, 02/18/10)

McCollum Has Refused To Open RICO Investigation into Disgraced Former Speaker Ray Samson. As far back as December 2008, McCollum has been publicly called on to open a RICO investigation covering the actions of the former House Speaker Ray Sansom. For over a year, McCollum has refused to do his job and investigate alleged corruption. (FDP Email, 12/29/08 and St Petersburg Times, 01/21/09)

McCollum Voted Repeatedly To Protect Gingrich From Ethics Investigations; Gingrich Later Admitted To Violations. In 1995, McCollum voted twice to protect then House-Speaker Gingrich from a special investigation by outside council. Then McCollum twice opposed allowing the ethics committee to release the report. That same year Gingrich admitted that he lied to the Ethics Committee and was found to have violated House ethics rules by using tax-exempt organizations to promote the Republican Party. (CQ; Vote 833, 11/30/95; CQ; Vote 287, 6/27/96)

McCollum Voted to Make It Harder to File Ethics Complaint Against Legislators. In 1997, McCollum voted to adopt "new rules that make it more difficult for outsiders to bring ethics complaints against lawmakers, and easier for lawmakers to dismiss complaints that are brought. Critics of the new rules charged that they increase the likelihood that serious misconduct will not be investigated and violators will go unpunished." (Vote 413, 9/18/97; Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 9/19/97; New York Times, 9/19/97)

Putnam’s hypocrisy continues

Last week, a national news online political magazine called out U.S. Representative Adam Putnam for his hypocrisy on asking for special stimulus dollars after railing against the stimulus bill. (Even Wikipedia joined in the action.)

We thought we had seen it all.

But earlier week, President Obama signed into law one of the best consumer protection bills in recent memory. This new law will protect credit card consumers by eliminating retroactive rate increases, ensuring the consumers are fully made aware of charges, and outlawing some of the gimmicks that unscrupulous banks use to trick unwary customers into bad deals.

So it makes sense that Adam Putnam would support its passage… doesn’t it?

For sure, we can expect Putnam to tell us how he supported this bill and voted “Yes” on final passage.

Of course that would be the position of someone who is running for the Florida Cabinet and the title of that post contains the words “Consumer Services”…

But what will Putnam say about his votes to kill the bill in committee, to kill it with procedural votes, or amend it into uselessness?

When the spotlights were dim and Putnam thought nobody was looking, he attempted to kill this good pro-consumer measure.

But when the lights came on and the public was watching, Putnam did what he knew he HAD to do.

Is that hypocrisy?

You decide!

…and the way you can decide is by taking a moment and joining our efforts to end the political career of this veteran of Washington double-speak.

Join us today and help us put an end to the hypocrisy.

Sincerely,

Scott Maddox

Link

Thurman: McCollum's Role in GOP Scandal Necessitates Independent Investigation

Today, Florida Democratic Party Chair Karen Thurman demanded that Governor Charlie Crist use his authority to start an independent investigation into the Republican Party of Florida's alleged corruption by appointing a Special Prosecutor, as new information that has come to light raises questions about Attorney General Bill McCollum's potential prior knowledge of corruption at the state GOP and his conflicts of interest in this case.

"Exactly what did Bill McCollum know about Jim Greer's secret sweet-heart deal to leave his job and precisely when did McCollum know it?" asked Thurman. "Since McCollum's conflicts of interest serve to question McCollum's motivation not to investigate or get all the facts out on the table, only an independent investigation by a Special Prosecutor can legitimately determine if crimes were committed by Republican politicians and party officials. McCollum's central role in the timeline of the case, and his refusal to take action, taint the integrity of this potential investigation. At this time, only an independent review will carry any merit. This is the only way to ensure Floridians have justice and officials are held accountable for their actions."

Addressing Governor Crist directly, Thurman added, "Governor Crist, the ball is in your court. Please don't repeat the mistake you made when you refused to order an investigation into disgraced Speaker Ray Sansom. On behalf of all Floridians, I ask you today to do your duty and appoint a Special Prosecutor."

New accounts in the press over the last two days illustrate a 'back-and-forth' on whether there was a secret severance package deal finalized for the outgoing chair of the Republican Party of Florida. News accounts suggest Bill McCollum had some, yet to be detailed, knowledge of the alleged corruption at the Republican Party. Since McCollum chose to not make public the financial and other questionable practices of the state party, his ability to fulfill his responsibility as Attorney General and hold an investigation has become highly questionable.

While Attorney General Bill McCollum refused to call for a larger investigation, the controversy grew and members have had time to possibly try and cover up possible wrongdoing. The truth will not be known without an investigation independent of McCollum.

PARTY OFFICIALS ADMITTED THERE WERE NEGOTIATIONS FOR A SECRET DEAL FOR OUTGOING CHAIR'S 'SEVERANCE BUT DENY IT WAS EXECUTED-OTHER OFFICIALS SAY DEAL WAS SANCTIONED AND EXISTS

"Back And Forth Over Whether" Outgoing RPOF Chair Got "A Secret Deal" Continued Yesterday. The St. Petersburg Times reported that "the back-and-forth continues over whether the outgoing chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, Jim Greer, cut a secret deal to get severance and legal protections." [St. Petersburg Times. 02/18/10]

RPOF Officials Acknowledged There Were Negotiations To Pay Greer A Secret Deal As Severance-But Insist The Deal Was Never Excecuted. Yesterday , RPOF officials acknowledged "that there were negotiations to continue paying Greer his yearly $130,000 salary and other benefits as severance. But they said the agreement was never formally 'executed.' Greer's ouster was precipitated by lavish spending, subpar fundraising and a grassroots rebellion." The Sentinel reported, "the existence of a secret severance deal agreed to by Thrasher could damage his candidacy". [Orlando Sentinel, 02/17/10]

Outgoing RPOF Vice-Chairman Insist The Deal Was "Sanctioned" And "An Agreement Was Formed, And Exists". According to outgoing Vice-Chairman Allen Cox, "Greer critics ... sanctioned a severance package that would pay Greer his $130,000 salary, health coverage and other perks in exchange for leaving with 11 months to go in his term". In a letter, Cox stated, "I believe that an agreement was formed, and exists, and the truth will be revealed when Greer seeks its enforcement." [Orlando Sentinel, 02/17/10 and St. Petersburg Times. 02/18/10]

McCOLLUM ADMITTED TO BEING "AWARE OF NEGOTIATIONS" BUT DENIED KNOWING "ANY SPECIFIC DETAILS" OF SECRET DEAL FOR OUTGOING CHAIR-YET McCOLLUM WAS CENTRAL TO GREER'S OUSTER, HAD A COPY OF THE CONTRACT AND HAS BEEN KEEPING THE CONTROVERSY "QUIET"

McCollum's Office Admitted To Being "Aware" of Severance Negotiations But Denied Knowing "Any Specific Details". According to the Sun-Sentinel, on February 8, 2010, a campaign spokeswoman for McCollum said, " 'We were aware of [severance] negotiations taking place as Chairman Greer announced his resignation. We were unaware of any specific details.' " The severance package in question was reported to be $130,000, roughly Greer's annual salary, along with health insurance coverage. [Sun-Sentinel, 2/8/10]

McCollum Was Central To Ouster Of Greer And Johnson, Has Tried To Keep The Matter In The Dark. On January 9, "McCollum was given a copy of the two-page contract at the GOP's annual meeting in Orlando...He immediately told Cannon and Haridopolos about it..." and, "They stormed over to GOP headquarters, and Greer and Johnson vacated the office soon after." The Orlando Sentinel reported on February 12, that McCollum, "was a driving force in ousting former chairman Jim Greer and Executive Director Delmar Johnson." "Attorney General Bill McCollum...has been deeply involved in the controversy, while trying to keep it quiet." [Orlando Sentinel, 2/9/10; St. Petersburg Times, 2/9/10; Orlando Sentinel, 2/12/10]

McCollum: Calls for Sunshine, Keeps his Cronies' Misdeeds In the Shadows

From FDP:

Florida Democratic Party Releases Web Video Highlighting McCollum's Hypocrisy

Despite repeated outcries from Democratic and Republican leaders, a flood of calls from taxpayers to the Attorney General's corruption hotline, and newspaper editorials demanding action, career politician Bill McCollum still refuses to investigate potential corruption with state GOP finances and party-provided credit cards for legislators, in direct contrast to McCollum's previous calls for transparency in government.

Today, the Florida Democratic Party released a web video highlighting McCollum's hypocrisy, which can be viewed here:

http://www.fladems.com/page/content/McCollumShadows/

"Why is Bill McCollum so scared of putting some sunshine in these dark corners? Good things never come out of shady places," Florida Democratic Party spokesman Eric Jotkoff said. "Bill McCollum likes to talk the talk, but he doesn't walk-the-walk when it comes time to confront his political cronies in Tallahassee. Does Bill McCollum stand by his previous calls for honesty and transparency in politics or will those words amount to nothing more than empty political promises?"

BILL McCOLLUM: TALKS THE TALK WHEN IT COMES TO BRINGING SUNSHINE TO DARK CORNERS

McCollum Called For Transparency-In-Government New Year's Resolution In December 2008. In a press release from the Office of the Florida Attorney General, on December 30, 2008, "Attorney General Bill McCollum today called on local governments, sheriffs and school districts to make government transparency their New Year's Resolution and to commit to providing enhanced access to information before Sunshine Sunday in March." [Office of the Attorney General of Florida, 12/30/08]

McCollum's Office Reiterated Call For 'Transparency Resolution' In March 2009 Press Release. A press release from McCollum's office on March 17, 2009 stated, "In December, the Attorney General called on local governments, sheriffs and school districts to make government transparency their New Year's Resolution and to commit to providing enhanced access to information." [Office of the Attorney General of Florida, 3/17/09]

McCollum: Open Government is 'Right Of The Tax-Paying Public.' In a press release from the Office of the Florida Attorney General, on December 30, 2008, Attorney General Bill McCollum stated, " 'As Florida is a national leader in providing public access to government records, merely responding to requests is no longer sufficient in light of the technological advances which make it infinitely easier, cheaper and more efficient to do so. Open government is not only good government; it is the right of the tax-paying public.' " [Office of the Attorney General of Florida, 12/30/08]

Transparency A 'Priority' For McCollum's Administration. In a press release from the Office of the Florida Attorney General, on August 31, 2009, Attorney General Bill McCollum stated, " 'Florida has a proud tradition of leading the nation in open government and transparency, which are the keys to building and maintaining public trust in the institutions of government. I am honored to help promote and protect that access, a responsibility which will continue to be a priority of my administration.' " [Office of the Attorney General of Florida, 8/31/09]

McCollum Called Government Accountability 'Vital.' In a press release from the Office of the Florida Attorney General, on March 17, 2009, Attorney General Bill McCollum stated, " 'It is vitally important that Florida's citizens have access to their government and can hold government accountable. Our Sunshine laws were created to provide that transparency and accountability, and our public entities should strive for nothing less than full compliance.' " [Office of the Attorney General of Florida, 3/17/09]

BILL McCOLLUM: INSTEAD HE HELPS HIS POLITICAL CRONIES KEEP MISDEEDS FROM COMING TO LIGHT

McCollum Refused To Ask For Inquiry Into GOP Financial Scandals. McCollum said he won't ask for inquiry until an audit of the RPOF is complete and he gets direction from the new party chairman to move although Gov. Charlie Crist last week said that party officials should open the books now. [Palm Beach Post, 2/15/10]

McCollum Continues To Stall A Criminal Probe Into His Own Party-McCollum's Hometown Newspaper Asked "Why Wait? "A former general counsel for the state GOP told the Sentinel that the spending might violate a state law against a party chairman or treasurer making a 'false or improper accounting' for political money. And some leading Democrats have pointed out that some Republican legislators could have charged luxury items to party-issued credit cards to evade a state law that bans gifts to elected officials. Attorney General Bill McCollum, the GOP's leading candidate for governor, has said he would rather wait for Mr. Greer's successor to lead an audit of the party's finances. Mr. McCollum said he would notify authorities if the audit suggests 'potential criminal activity.' Why wait, and why let an in-house audit dictate the next step? Top Republicans should welcome an independent investigation. A thorough, credible probe either will exonerate the party, or point out what it needs to fix, and whom should be held accountable." [Editorial, Orlando Sentinel, 02/17/10]

St. Petersburg Times Calls Out McCollum's Refusal To Hold RPOF Accountable "Now Attorney General Bill McCollum, despite knowing about the secret contract and the transferred funds for more than a month, is resisting calls for an external inquiry. He's content to let the next state party chairman, due to be elected this weekend, conduct an internal audit before calling the authorities in. Surely many of the entities that the attorney general investigates wish they were given such leeway to clean up their books. McCollum's office is likely not the appropriate state agency to investigate - a state attorney, statewide grand jury or the Florida Department of Law Enforcement would seem more likely - but his answer suggests he's more interested in saving the party embarrassment than getting at the truth. Once again it's clear Tallahassee can't be counted on to police itself. State and federal investigators should conduct an independent examination." [Editorial, St. Petersburg Times, 02/17/10]

McCollum Said Only 'Party Regulars' Should See Audit Of RPOF Finances, Not Good To Have Party Business Open To The Public. According to the Orlando Sentinel, on February 10, 2009, Bill McCollum said he doesn't think party business should be a public matter and that releasing AmEx statements for past cardholders was a decision that should be left to the next chairman. "That might be a question for the Legislature to decide since the Legislature makes the rules for parties," McCollum said. "Right now, the party matters are totally internal ... I don't think it's good for any political party to be having everything that's done inside the party open to the public and the press." said he did think "party regulars" were entitled to the information. [Orlando Sentinel, 2/10/10]

McCollum Initially Dismissed Calls For Broader Investigation Into Sansom's Actions-Now 15 Months Later Details Revealed Scrutiny Justified. Initially, Attorney General Bill McCollum, "dismissed a call for a broader investigation into Sansom's dealings with a state college." Now, "15 months have passed since the scandal involving Sansom and Northwest Florida State College erupted in late November 2008, after Sansom took a $110,000-a-year, unadvertised part-time job at the college on the same day he became speaker of the House." It is now know that "During the 2007 legislative session, Sansom, as House budget chair, inserted $6 million into the state budget to fund an emergency operations training center the college would operate at Destin Airport. Documents and interviews by state investigators indicate the center was also to be used as an aircraft hangar by Destin Jet owner Jay Odom, a close associate of Sansom and a major contributor to the state Republican Party." [St Petersburg Times, 1/21/09 and Florida Freedom Newspapers, 02/08/10]

Candidate McCollum Calls for Transparency, Career Politician McCollum Refuses To Let Sunshine In

From FDP:

Republican gubernatorial Candidate Bill McCollum likes to talk about his support for openness and transparency, but Career Politician Bill McCollum covers his cronies in times of scandal, as proven this week.

"Bill McCollum continues to duck and dodge taking action in his role as Attorney General in favor of his political allies, again. Whether its partisan misdeeds or questionable credit cards to lawmakers, Bill McCollum's last priority is the taxpayer and his first priority is his political cronies. Why is Bill McCollum protecting the status quo and the political elite instead of working to bring some transparency to the way business is run in Tallahassee? Why is Bill McCollum afraid of a little sunshine in these dark corners?" Eric Jotkoff, Florida Democratic Party spokesman asked.

When two candidates to replace McCollum as Florida Attorney General called on him this week to open an investigation into whether or not spending scandals at the Republican Party of Florida that included doling out credit cards to legislators constituted a breach of a 2005 ban on gifts to lawmakers, McCollum refused. In fact, the former Congressman refused to join a litany of other Republican statewide candidates in calling for the GOP to open its books to public scrutiny.

McCollum's politics-as-usual was editorialized against in the Sun-News, Friday, this way:

McCollum drew the line at transparency in government at the party door. He has publicly stated that the finances that are in debate, the party's finances, are not for the review of the common man. It's none of our business because it's party business, so to speak. As if the common man is only to pull the lever for a party no longer representing the people who vote for them. The common man is to ignore the doings behind that curtain, and the great and powerful Oz will tell you what to believe. The party has become more important than the voter. What is McCollum afraid of? Is he afraid that the public will be upset with the extravagant spending in a time when 10 percent of Floridians are looking for a job?

Read the full editorial, here http://www.newssun.com/opinion/edt-0212-mccollum

Will Bill McCollum please let a little sunshine in? What's he afraid of?