RE: [MLUG] Open Document Format in Minnesota?

["Hargus, Diana" <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

>-----Original Message-----
>From: EMAIL:PROTECTED 
>[mailto:EMAIL:PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jerry Gamblin
>Sent: Monday, January 22, 2007 1:47 PM
>To: MLUG Members
>Subject: Re: [MLUG] Open Document Format in Minnesota?
>
>On 1/22/07, Mike Miller <EMAIL:PROTECTED> wrote:
>> On Mon, 22 Jan 2007, Jerry Gamblin wrote:
>>
>> > Here are two articles:
>> >
>> > 
>http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/11/26/romney_administ
>> > ration_reviewing_trips_made_by_technology_chief/
>> > http://politics.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/11/26/225231
>> >
>> > You can use google and find one that you think is unbiased 
>yourself 
>> > if you dont like these. What it boils down to is that OSS 
>supporters 
>> > paid for trips to Japan, Brazil, Ottawa, San Francisco 
>while he was 
>> > backing a huge move to OSS. You cant tell me that on the 
>surface it 
>> > isn't a conflict of interest.  It is very similar to the golf 
>> > junkets a senator is serving time in jail for right now.
>>
>>
>> Thanks.  Of course this was not mentioned in the article you 
>sent earlier.
>>
>> Maybe you think it is OK for senators to be paid by lobbyists.  I 
>> don't think it is OK, especially not when there is a quid-pro-quo -- 
>> that is definitely illegal.  What happened with Quinn was definitely 
>> *not* similar to the case with Delay.
>>
>> It sounds like Quinn was asked to speak because he was in favor of 
>> open standards and not the reverse.  I find it remarkable that you 
>> seem to want to impugn the man's integrity.  Why?
>
>I am in favor of using Cisco ASA framework as a standard 
>firewall/ids/ips solution for Missouri State Government.  
>Would it be OK with you if Cisco flew me to Japan, Brazil and 
>Europe to tell people how great their product was and then 
>came back and signed a contract for $5-$10 million dollars for 
>them to supply the technology to the state?
>

Depends on if you share with us or not  :P 

Seriously though, I see Mike's point and I do have a problem with
lobbyists 
and other money laundering schemes.  If I were to set up a scheme like
those 
they use, I would be in jail so fast my head would spin.  I am somewhat 
surprised that someone doesn't try stopping them (lobbyists) via RICO or

some other obscure law somewhere in the system.  If he were to be paid
the 
ame amount but provided his own transportation and lodging, would the 
conflict still exist?  It comes back to responsibility and the effect of
a 
quid-pro-quo situation on any decisions that are made.  As the CIO, he 
should have recused himself from any software decisions of this sort, 
especially those concerning OSS v Proprietary, else you end up with an 
illusion (real or imagined) of undue influence peddling.  It is
impossible 
(or nearly so) to find someone that is unbiased in some fashion.  

In the end, it is a matter of individual trust and responsibility.

Diana 
 
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