When I found out... that I... had been accepting... gifts... from lobbiests... well, I was furious. Furious! This is exactly the sort of thing I promised myself, my family, and my constituents, that I would never do! I can't begin to tell you how absolutely over-the-top pissed I was. I took immediate action. I fired off urgent memos to myself, my staff, my advisors, my accoutants, and my attorneys, and laid down the law. That's it! No more! I am hereby swearing off... swearing off, do you hear me?! any... further... gifts of this type, of this sort, of this nature... for the remainder of my time as an elected official! No ifs ands or buts, you got that straight?
These clowns that accept largese on behalf of labor unions, environmentalist wackos, trial lawyers, etc are the same people who trash and smear businessmen for paying bonuses and holding corporate events.
LibSpeak
Access to all, but favors by bills passed to benefit lobbyists interests costing taxpayers millions.
The access to "regular citizens" (commoners) reaps no benefits only lies of no problem with accepting thousands from those that get millions of commoners money.
...all-expenses-paid 10-day trip to Madrid, Spain, last spring valued at $10,372.93, thanks to the largesse of the San Francisco-based California Foundation on the Environment and the Economy.
And gee now we have 30 million in the "stimulus" package for a harvest mouse in California.
In December, at the height of budget negotiations, trial lawyers and unions representing carpenters and firefighters who had a deep interest in the outcome of the budget footed a $13,440 bill to cover the Senate Democratic retreat at the posh Wine and Roses Hotel and Spa in Lodi.
Gosh no problem there. The unions don't get any specaial treatment in California.
Sen. Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley, a leader in the campaign finance reform movement, said it's unavoidable that interest groups step in to fund caucus outings.
Of course it is unavoidable. Without special interest groups wining and dining you lavishly how would they get the taxpayers money from you? It has to go to someone, why not to those that gave you a massage and total spa treatment for your hard working body and ego.
"Gifts are insidious because they're pervasive and subtle," Heller (executive director with Consumer Watchdog) said. "When politicians are willing to accept gifts, they start to tread on the muck and that's when things get dirty."
Muck, dirt.
Politician wallowing grounds.
It’s easier to ignore that debt when you are in Spain.