Legal Commentary

I Think He?s Shrill

By Michael Froomkin

There is no state, no nation, no planet, and no universe where it should be legal to pay off a Legislature directly.

There is no government in which a sworn lawmaker should be able to take unlimited payoffs from those seeking favorable treatment.

And yet this is now precisely the law of Florida.

In Sunday’s column I called the Florida Legislature "the Whore of Babylon" for passing a law last week that legalizes its own bribery.

…

It is now legal in Florida for the leaders of our House and Senate, of both the Republican and Democratic parties, to operate what are laughably called “leadership funds.”

If you are an interest group in Florida, a corporation, a lobbyist seeking favor, you go to these “leadership” funds run by lawmakers ?

And you pay them.

– Howard Troxler, St. Petersburg Times, Let's say it again: They are for sale . (Spotted via the Buzz)

So it turns out it’s not just Florida’s Governor who can turn people into slavering wrecks, it’s the legislature too. And although these votes were dominated by the GOP, they were also plenty of Democrats going along with it all.

Full post as published by Discourse.net on March 29, 2011 (boomark / email).