(Burning) Bus owner contributed to Perry, Democrat says (Rita evacuation)

[struggle4progress]

Aide denies governor waived rules, let vehicle operate before crash


12:00 AM CDT on Thursday, October 6, 2005


By STEVE McGONIGLE / The Dallas Morning News


A South Texas Democratic Party leader said Wednesday that he is concerned that political favoritism might have contributed to last month's fiery bus accident near Dallas in which 23 elderly hurricane evacuees died.

Juan Maldonado, chairman of the Hidalgo County Democratic Party, said he wondered whether contributions the bus company's owner made to Republican campaign committees led Gov. Rick Perry to allow the bus that burned to be operating.

"I'd hate for politics to be involved in a tragedy like this," Mr. Maldonado said in a statement released by his office in Pharr. He was reported to be traveling in Mexico and unavailable for further comment, his spokesman said.

According to federal campaign records, James Maples and his company, Global Limo Inc. of Pharr, contributed more than $11,250 to the Republican National Committee and Republican National Congressional Committee from April 2002 to June 2004. <snip>

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-buspolitics_06met.ART0.North.Edition2.18b8d96f.html



<edit:> State: Bus would have been banned

Brake inspection would have kept vehicle off road, report says
09:48 AM CDT on Thursday, October 6, 2005

By JASON TRAHAN / The Dallas Morning News

A bus that recently burst into flames, killing 23 people, would have been banned from the road because of its faulty brakes had it been inspected before the fire, a state official said Wednesday.

A Texas Department of Public Safety report, based on an inspection two hours after the bus burned Sept. 23 in the northbound lanes of Interstate 45 in Wilmer, found that brakes on the left rear wheel were "not maintained in good working order" and that a brake pad had "missing portions of lining" because it was so worn down.

"If one of our troopers had them pulled over and saw those brakes, the bus wouldn't have been going anywhere until it had been taken care of," said Tela Mange, a DPS spokeswoman. <snip>

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-buscrash_06met.ART0.North.Edition2.18b8c4da.html

[mattclearing]

1. Not sure I understand the correlation based on this snippet.

I'll read it in a minute, but is it saying that Perry somehow let them slide on safety regulations?

Edit: Ahhh...now I get it. Thanks.