We podcasted about it.
Jim (21:35) “We have a citizen legislature which requires our public servants to have second careers…and so, Phil Hamilton, with his background in education, one would only presume that he would be affiliated with higher education, like ODU.”
Waldo continued the discussion on Weekend Virginia and spilled it over onto his blog.
Vivian strikes a familiar theme.
Shaun takes it to a new level though.
In addition to calling out Deeds, McClellan, and M. Warner as examples of using government to further personal benefit, Shaun argues a defense for keeping the citizen legislature. He cites three reasons to maintain the legislature as a temporary gig:
- No legislature will be made ethical by providing it with more money.
- Just who else is on the state dole?
- The bigger the government the bigger the lure.
And goes onto say:
“The problem is the culture, that somehow legislators are expected and somehow entitled to a slice of the pie. Let’s face it, when you have so many people at the trough, with so much money being squeezed out of taxpayers and doled back out, is it so hard to see the temptation?
“I would prescribe the exact opposite — avoid the near occasion of sin. Personally, I would shorten the session. And I’d reduce every delegate’s and senator’s pay to zero and cut their staff to nothing. Why? Because I do believe that public service is just that — a service to the public.”
During our most recent discussion, I mentioned to Shaun that I thought Hamilton fell from grace so easily because I believe this is neither the first time he has done something like this, nor the first time something like this has happened in the GA. I’m betting that you haven’t heard much from our delegates about this because, frankly, many are probably worried they’re culpable as well – if not complicit in the behavior.
Therefore, I’d like to first see an investigation across the board in the GA to see if I’m right.
How widespread are these deals?
That’s the logical first step. Before we begin using Hamilton’s example to leap to conclusions about the nature and compensation of service in the General Assembly – and call for widespread reform of a 400 year institution – we should probably have a firm understanding of what we’re dealing with first.
