[StBernard] St. Bernard Hospital CEO tries to sell Parish Council on hospital millage's merits

[Westley Annis]

Here are the facts that have come out this meeting and a couple of meetings
with various business groups in the parish:

- Without the tax, the hospital still makes a good profit.
- there is much debate whether or not the hospital will draw "specialties" 
- many in the medical profession and hospital industry believe it will still
draw specialists without the extra $9 million, simply because there will be
a need in the parish and professionals will come to where there is a need.
- a question was raised that if the hospital doesn't get this additional tax
money, then patients won't receive a hospital bill under the current billing
system?????
- there is something to be said for first learning how to walk before you
run.
- the hospital district is largely comprised of several politicians. former
politicians and/or politicos.

So with those points in mind, do you think it's such a good move to give
political people on a hospital board $9 million dollars of which several
million will NOT be specifically dedicated and would basically be used as a
"slush fund?"

Can someone say "political favoritism," "politics as usual" and "corruption
on the way?"