An anonymous, alert reader was kind enough to bring a recent article to my attention. I found the page-long work in the Aug. 16, 1999 issue of Newsweek and was immediately thrown into a melancholy state of deja-vu. The article outlined a “business venture” that involved the State of Texas Governor’s office in 1998.
According to Michael Isikoff of Newsweek, Texas regulators launched an all-out investigation into Texas funeral homes last year when Service Corporation International (SCI) Inc.’s funeral homes were reported to have allowed inexperienced and unlicensed apprentices to embalm bodies at two SCI parlors. The head of the corporation is Robert L. Waltrip, a tough-talking Texas tycoon, who owns more funeral homes than anybody in the world. Of course, Waltrip has been close to the Bush family for years and is a trustee for President Bush’s presidential library. In addition, SCI donated over $170,000 to the older Bush, and significant thousands to the younger Bush’s gubernatorial campaigns during the last two cycles. So when the state began investigating reports that gnats and maroon-colored fluid oozed out of mausoleum caskets, Waltrip went to shut the investigation down.
According to Newsweek, Waltrip called Eliza May, the chief funeral regulator, and told her to “back off.” When May replied that she would not do so, Waltrip told funeral commission chairman Charles McNeil, “I’m going to take this to the governor.” The rest goes downhill from there. The governor was reported to ask Waltrip, “Hey Bobby, are those people still messing with you?” Excuse me governor, do you mean those pesky regulators hired to keep your Texas population safe? Well, apparently he did, because it wasn’t long after that Bush aides began deluging Eliza May with calls asking her to halt the investigation. When she continued to perform her job, she was fired, right after she had requested an investigation into SCI campaign funds to the governor. Her case is now in court. And so is SCI, where Bush’s attorney general may allow the company to avoid all fines.
So, am I really all that concerned about mausoleums in Texas? No, but look at the picture we are uncovering. Bush is running a campaign that is based on his abilities to bring change. But where is the change? Upon Bush’s election, the only change that would take place is the party on each side of the battle line. For the next four years, we would have the Republican administration on the defensive, and the Democrats shooting at the easy targets of a good ol’ boy president covering up investigations for his friends. It doesn’t change anything.
Anyone in America can understand the disgrace that recent White House scandals have caused our nation. It is embarrassing and a waste of the government’s time. But instead of hearing about tabloid-like stories from the Oval Office, we’ll have to deal with Bush taking care of Bush people. We would certainly hate for a little special prosecuting to hurt any of Bush’s deep-pocketed cronies.
If we want change, then we, the American people, are going to have to look for a man or woman that doesn’t have a foul trail of bad deals, and “secret” friends following them. They’re out there. There are much more intelligent candidates, who have plenty more executive experience than Bush, with pasts that are squeaky clean compared to GWB’s. Bush just isn’t the person we need. The funeral home debacle is just the tip of the iceberg. The man has dodged moral questions since the beginning. The pressure is being turned up.
Republican and Democratic opponents alike have pages of stories that start out, “It’s not what you know, but who you know,” coming from Bush’s terms in Texas. If you really want change, let’s go looking for it, instead of praising yet another slick talking head. Bush is no better for the oval office than Monica Lewinsky was. Don’t believe me? Just keep watching.
Paul Woody is a junior majoring in communication and political science.
