Comments on: What about ticket access?

By: Daniel Z.

Daniel Z. — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 19:03:40 +0000

First and foremost, we need to get rid of corporate contributions.

By: baton rouge du nord

baton rouge du nord — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 17:29:38 +0000

I’m working on a blog entry about how we can have REAL ethics reform that does not appear to be addressed by the bills, but my day job keeps interfering.

By: Daniel Z.

Daniel Z. — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 17:04:51 +0000

Well yes, the entire ethics plan proposed by Bobby Jindal is a smokescreen. It does not handle many of the serious flaws in the system and he will most likely give a “Today is a great day for Louisiana” speech (like the one I suggested in an earlier post) and many people will say “see, look at how wonderful he is”.

That being said, I just don’t want the people who complain that legislators get access to tickets to be fooled into believing that the elimination of free tickets means that they also stop getting access to tickets that they can purchase.

By: baton rouge du nord

baton rouge du nord — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 16:33:05 +0000

Ok, perhaps I have gotten too darned cynical in my old age. My first thoughts are that these guys are going to take some spoils out of the state’s fisc one way or another. A discounted ticket or a $50 meal from a lobbyist are some of the least harmful ways of legislators getting the spoils. Somebody probably gets a disproportionate amount of access to the legislator, but that’s probably about all you get for a ticket or a meal.

Now, there is no guarantee that they won’t take the tickets, the meal, and anything else they can get their hands on.

I go back to what I have been saying. Ethics reform, in and of itself, does nothing. What we need to do is make certain that LA is getting good value for the money it spends on state contracts. Limiting legislators’ perks and/or their ability to do business with the state does not directly further that goal. At best, it will limit opportunities to fleece the government. At worst, it may preclude good people doing business with the state.

This whole ethics reform thing is a smokescreen. The leges will be able to say, “see how ethical we are?” Jindal can say, “hey, I really kicked some butt on this one. I have done well!”

And the parting on the left are now parting on the right.