Posted on 06/05/2002 4:19:39 PM PDT by Scott McCollum
A primer on World Tech Tribune.com's ongoing coverage of the Oracle Debacle:
Oracle, the second largest software maker in the world, is based in Redwood City, CA and sold the state of California a $95 million database contract that would reportedly save the state over $100 million. The contract was hastily approved by officials in the Davis Administration in May 2001.
After a year of scrutiny by California State Auditors office, the contract was determined to actually cost the state's taxpayers over $41 million over the $95 million price tag, with no savings during the outrageous ten year life span of the contract. Davis' office claims to know nothing of the deal, as do many of the governor's aides and other bureaucratic officials in the state government:
The Oracle Debacle (published at World Tribune, World Tech Tribune.com and discussed on the Sacramento-based Geoff Metcalf Show among others).
"Oracle's total campaign contributions to Democrat Lockyer (who has been instrumental in the pushing for tougher government sanctions against Oracle competitor Microsoft in their antitrust case) have added up to $50,000 in the past two years, but told reporters that it was purely Republican politics behind the calls from California lawmakers to bring in U.S. Attorneys to handle the Oracle investigation. 'I had nothing to do with negotiating the [state's] contract [with Oracle],' Lockyer said and told one reporter who brought up the $50,000 in Oracle campaign contributions 'I was wishing it was more.'
Imagine if Texas Senator Phil Gramm had told reporters the same thing when asked about Enron campaign contributions and the potential for conflict of interest due to his position on the Senate Finance Committee."
"'Full, fair, nonpartisan and nonpolitical investigations have always been the standard for this office,' Lockyer told reporters in a statement Wednesday. Lockyer, a staunch Democrat with 30 years experience as a cog in the California state Democratic party machine said 'Returning the campaign contributions from Oracle will help ensure that partisans don't undermine public confidence in the investigation, in an attempt to blame Republicans for his office's apparent impropriety."
Oracle Debacle v1.1: California software contract scandal
"California politicians, high-dollar Oracle execs and Gray Davis’ fall guys play out a courtroom drama worthy of a David Kelly/Steven Bochco production.
The scandal involving Silicon Valley-based database software behemoth Oracle and California Democratic Governor Gray Davis’ embattled tech office became more like an episode of a TV show – plenty of drama involving a powerful corporation, a politician running for reelection, big money changing hands, heated discourse during senate hearings, conflicting testimony, hastily called press conferences… Throw in some square-jawed actors and impossibly beautiful actresses pretending to be lawyers and put this show on Thursday nights at 8pm!"
The spin game is more like it.
Enter the regulars who think "good old fashioned capitalism" is at work here and the rest of us are just jealous we don't have a stake in Oracle, WalMart or Enron (oops, scratch Enron).
What the hell do these people like Larry Ellison care? California voters are 50% illiterate or ignorant and they can just bribe the pols whenever they need a get out of jail free card.
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