While one of Show-Me Institute head Rex Sinquefield's lobbyists was wooing St. Louis-area legislators with St. Louis Cardinals tickets and meals and beverages, according to Missouri Ethics Commission documents, his other lobbyist was plying St. Louis city officials in the same fashion.
Documents posted on the Ethics Commission website today show Travis Brown spent $170 for sporting tickets (most likely for the St. Louis Cardinals' Sept. 5 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates), and $28 for meals, food, and beverage, for both Mayor Francis Slay and Slay's chief of staff Jeff Rainford.
You would think all of these legislators and city officials could buy their own tickets and meals without having to have the tab picked up by the retired billionaire.
Why is this even worthy of aming a blog about? People buy dinner, drinks, lunch, and donate all the time! Rex is getting so much attention for it. HE wanted to be transparent and now people just can't leave it alone.
ReplyDeleteI think waht he stands for and what he is doing is great. We have needed someone like him in MO for awhile, and now he is here. Lets all be ahppy about whatever he can do to help our state.
Obviously Randy believes that anyone who’s politics differs from his own should be silenced. You will note that he never debates the merits of a view he disagrees with, rather he demagogues and makes personal attacks.
ReplyDeleteNah - just shows that Randy has never had a real job. If he had, he would know that people buy other people dinner, take to events and everything "evil" in the real world, not just politics or more specifically, not just the politics or politicians ou don't like.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure that I understand the validity of the 'complaints'. Every time a person submits his/her opinion, it is just that... their opinion. If they lean one way or another on any scale, it would be expected that such might be apparent in whatever they write. As far as if the tope was 'worthy' of blogging about, I have read some "way out there" things in blogs. Whatever a person wishes to blog about is worthy of mentioning. If I had a blog and wished to write about my big toe, it is my blog and I would definitely feel that my big toe was worth blogging about (Err... my big toe is just fine, thank you. It was just an example).
ReplyDeleteThis is my 'first time' to visit this blog. This said, it is Mr. Turner's blog. One would expect him to write on whatever subject he chooses. It would be the reader who is the 'guest' and would choose whether to visit the blog or not.
All of this aside, I have never fancied the way business/politics likes to broaden the line as to where exactly ethical turns to unethical. I feel it is atrocious that money is thrown about between people/business/entities that already have plenty in order to sway support, in whatever form support can be shown ($$$).
One example that never ceases to boggle my mind, is when groups throw great big business luncheons for people with too much money as it is, trying to convince them to donate to a good cause. Err... why didn't they just donate the money they spent on the luncheon to the cause and have a low-budget meeting explaining the need? Are those that 'have' truly so d*** selfish that they have to be wined and dined in order to do what is right? No wonder a recent study showed those with lower incomes donate 20% more of their income (should I add, much needed income with little to spare) to those in need than those with higher incomes donate!
Ok... I am starting to digress! The bottom-line is this is an individual blog. It is going to lean towards the opinions the 'writer' holds. Just as the comments posted by others are going to express their own biases. Makes sense, yes?