By all accounts, the performance given by country music legend George Jones June 10, 2007, at the Ameristar Casino in Kansas City was a rousing success and Rep. Shannon Cooper, R-Clinton, had eight tickets to that event, worth $440, courtesy of lobbyist Betsy Morgan.
Though Missouri Ethics Commission documents show that Ms. Morgan's clients who footed the bill for the tickets were the Missouri Beverage Association and the Missouri Railroad Association.
Another of Ms. Morgan's clients, which was not mentioned on the disclosure form, is Ameristar Casinos.
In fact, Shannon Cooper received $1,696.88 in gifts from Ameristar lobbyists William Gamble, Jorgen Schlemeier, Sarah Topp, and Betsy Morgan in 2007.
This might not be such a big deal. After all, each time The Turner Report prints its Hall of Shame listings for legislators who take the most in lobbyists' gifts, there are many who probably are just taking the freebies to be taking the freebies, no matter how distasteful that may be to some of us.
But in this particular instance, Cooper is proposing legislation that will directly benefit Ameristar Casinos.
On Thursday, Cooper filed a bill which would remove the loss limit for casinos and limit competition for casinos currently operating in Missouri. HB 2043 has many items concerning the placement of gambling funds in education, but the key parts of this legislation, mentioned in the last sentence, would give the casino interests everything they want.
In addition to the George Jones tickets, as noted in the Oct. 1, 2007, Turner Report, Sarah Topp paid for a cruise for Cooper and other legislators while they were attending the National Association of State Legislators meeting in Boston.
On May 18, Jorgen Schlemeier paid for $329.23 worth of travel for Cooper, According to the Ethics Commission documents, the cost was split between Ameristar Casinos and four other Gamble & Schlemeier clients.
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It should be mentioned that Cooper's bill has a segment which should endear him to legislators on the other side of the aisle. The bill eliminates the need for gamblers to have photo identification. As you might recall, Sen. Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis tried to gamble at the Isle of Capri Casinos in Boonville, using the identification of Rep. Joseph Aull, D-Kansas City, at the behest of lobbyist Lynne Schlosser. Smith, Aull, and Ms. Schlosser have all been charged with misdemeanors and their cases are pending.
Who says the Missouri Legislature is incapable of bipartisan action?
2 comments:
I think the loss-limit removal is pure common sense. People are adults - if they lose, they lose. I don't have any problem with it at all. Clearly most states that have legalized gambling agree.
Randy - you are a moron of the greatest proportions. You claim to know the law but have no clue.
Ms. Morgan has to report the clients that pay for the entertainment etc. Your sophomoric assertion that because her clients, and that of Gamble and Schlemeier also include Ameristar Casinos that every dollar they spend on anyone comes from Ameristar Casinos is as stupid as your other ramblings.
We should thank you however for continuing to demonstrate that you are either ignorant of the truth or can't be trusted in anything you write. Actually the answer is c all of the above.
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