For a long time, I have been amused to read the comments from those who consider me to be some sort of left-wing radical. If I write something bad about a Republican, I am immediately branded part of the "liberal media." All of this happening while I have consistently written about the problems Democrats have had with the law and with accepting gifts from lobbyists and campaign contributions from special interests.
My reporting on the $9,000 plus Rep. Mike Talboy, D-Kansas City, has received from lobbyists this year (nearly $5,000 more than the nearest representative) drew the ire of the Tony's Kansas City blog, which is mostly my fault. As has been my practice, I sent Tony the link because that is something I have consistently done when I have a story I believe may interest a blogger.
This is part of Tony's post:
And phony teabag ethics don't win out in downtown.
Also, I find GOP propaganda regarding ethics from the same people willing to kick most of the State off Medicare a little confounding.
But go ahead and believe this is a big deal . . . Unlike the paper of record TKC is happy to link Republican smear tactics and challenge them head on . . . And anybody who believes this is a big issue or will influence an election is far too childish and naive for Kansas City politics.
Judging from that passage, Tony has not been a reader of The Turner Report, which has criticized the decision to pare thousands off the Medicaid rolls and has been especially critical of those who feel it is their God-given right to be rude and overbearing at town hall meetings.
I am concerned about Tony's passage which says there is nothing wrong with Mike Talboy accepting all of those gifts because Talboy is a good guy:
Furthermore . . . These attacks are stupid and prey upon misguided people because they only represent Talboy keeping really good track and REPORTING all of his interactions with lobbyists.
But here's the most important fact for me . . .
KANSAS CITY NEVER FAULTS A POLITICO FOR MAKING OR ENJOYING CASH!!!
It may not be right, it probably represents a corrupt culture but it's a fact of life.
Kansas City accepts success by any means necessary.
Tony's post received several comments, many from readers who tried to correct Tony's erroneous perception of The Turner Report, including this one:
The Turner Report just hates lobbyists in general, nothing other than that.
Actually, as hard as it may be for some to believe, I don't hate lobbyists. In fact, I acknowledge they serve a valuable purpose for our system. That being said, I have a strong belief that our elected officials should accept no gifts from lobbyists and that lobbyists should not be involved in collecting campaign contributions from their clients for politicians.
Eliminating these things would still leave lobbyists with a considerable advantage over the rest of us. They are located in Jefferson City, for the most part, with easy access to our senators and representatives. They normally have more research material available on issues and more money to conduct such research. Let the business be conducted in the office, and if they have to meet over a meal, let the politicians pay for their own food and drinks.
It wasn't long ago that a Missouri politician said, "People think these lobbyists are somehow giving gifts and providing benefits for lawmakers, and that simply isn't the case. If you simply eliminate the practice, it clears up the question."
It's time for the politician who spoke those words, Sen. Gary Nodler, R-Joplin, to back them up with some action. All Nodler has to do is steer a bill like that through the General Assembly and I will never write about the gifts that he, Mike Talboy, or any other state legislator receives ever again.
8 comments:
You are starting to sound like your political God...it's Bush's (I mean Nodler's) fault
Why doesn't your man Gov. Nixon get a bill written and push it through?
It's Bush's fault that he doesn't do it, right?
What rock did you crawl out from under? I notice you did not post any comments on my posts about Gov. Nixon and the e. coli coverup, my many posts on his political contributors, or the posts I had about the awarding of license fee offices to James Montee. But if the words "Gary Nodler" pop up, all of a sudden, it is the usual "he's a liberal" nonsense. Go back into your hole until I write those magic words "Gary Nodler" again.
Am I the only one that fantasizes about making out with Randy? Seriously?
Randy Turner loves the sort of big government which lets him influence the minds of ordinary citizen's children, as his attempts to influence their parents' minds at the newspaper office ended in failure. Turner has a genuine hatred of ordinary citizens 'impolitely' trying to influence the regime which rules over them as subjects, hence his hatred for free speech at the town meetings and the activist at the governor's office.
Randy Turner is not a liberal, but rather a collectivist of the left. Using unaccountable police intimidation upon people who don't want their childrens' minds twisted by these leftists without children of their own is perfectly acceptable to parasitic government workers wanting to be paid for turning children into fearful drones and tax slaves.
Let's understand that Randy Turner is simply a socialist propagandist for Civil War who wishes to have his victims mentally and morally disarmed before they get in their licks. Once you figure out that it is the same old 'liberal'/socialist press, only repackaged in a new-media blog then you figure out Randy Turner, regardless of his outraged squeals to the contrary.
I think it's you, Randy, who is sensitive to Senator Nodler...that names sets you off in a rage.... you really get excited.
There are a number of people about whom I have written extensively over the past few years, some of them even more than Gary Nodler, but Nodler is the only one who has attack dogs trained to respond to everything that is written or said about him.
I make a point to respond when you attack Senator Nodler. I see him now and then but have probably never had more than 20 words exchanged between us at one time....so if you think I'm an attack dog for him, you have another think coming.
You just are weak kneed enough or a bit paranoid and think someone is sending a pack of dogs after you...wrong...wrong..wrong.
Just like those who claim people who show up at town meetings to speak their piece are part of a group, you see a coordinated effort to defend Mr. Nodler....only the Union goons and liberal activist are organized at these meetings...
Some people aren't afraid to speak out all on their own...I happen to be one of those people...I don't need anyone to tell me what to do or say.
But you have to remember that Turner likes to preach that everyone has a right to an opinion but when yours goes against his, well that is a different story. Randy you just don't get it do you? You attack others so you have to realize that people are going to attack back when they passionately express their opinion. You really have the blinders on. So go back to your world of conspiracy theories and porn or whatever does it for you. I can almost see you trying desperately to track every IP address then looking at a map trying to figure where all of your haters are. I have news for you; they are everywhere. You should be used to it by now.
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