Posted on 05/27/2004 7:07:52 AM PDT by Terriergal
Late at night, in the closing days of the legislative session, lobbyists, state workers and even some lawmakers gathered in offices at the State Capitol to drink beer, wine and liquor, KMSP-TV reported Wednesday night. The station showed trash cans full of beer, wine and liquor bottles and suggested that at least some the alcohol of might have been provided by lobbyists. Lobbyists are not allowed to give gifts to legislators. "What's troubling me is the coziness of the lobbyists and lawmakers," former House Speaker Ernest Lindstrom said after watching hidden-camera video taken by the station. Lindstrom, a Republican who was speaker in 1971 and 1972, said he had never seen such things before because he prohibited lobbyists from bringing alcohol into the Capitol. "The appearance of impropriety -- it weakens the whole process and causes people to feel like they're disappointed in their Legislature." KMSP said state policy forbids state workers from drinking on the job, even during rest breaks and overtime work. The station taped someone carrying a cooler into the office of Senate Majority Whip Linda Higgins. The Minneapolis DFLer was on the Senate floor at the time, in the final hours before adjournment, but several people were in her office drinking. KMSP said most of them were lobbyists. One lobbyist was sitting behind her desk, drinking a beer. Higgins issued a written statement to KMSP saying it was unfortunate that its news team was "failing to focus on the dedication of members and staff who work round the clock ... to pass important legislation." The statement did not address the station's questions about alcohol in her office. When a KMSP reporter cornered her at the DFL State Convention last weekend, Higgins would not say whether the liquor in her office came from lobbyists. Higgins declined comment when reached by The Associated Press. The station said it also saw lobbyists, state workers and lawmakers drinking in the office of Senate President James Metzen, DFL-South St. Paul. KMSP said it never saw Metzen drinking, and that he did not respond to requests for comment, but Rep. Scott Wasiluk, DFL-Maplewood, came over to his office while the House was in a late-night session. "I came to raid your whisky," Wasiluk said. "That's what it's there for," Metzen replied. The station showed Wasiluk back on the House floor for a vote on a health care issue, looking sleepy. It also showed him at another point misunderstanding what was taking place on the floor as he monitored the session on TV from Metzen's office. Sleep expert Dr. Mark Mahowald said the combination of sleep deprivation and alcohol hurts decision-making ability. "So we have people making very important decisions who are not functioning as well as they could ... If you add alcohol to that, their decision-making will be even more impaired," he told the station. House Minority Leader Matt Entenza, DFL-St. Paul, told the station he hadn't seen a lot of drinking at the Capitol. Shown the tape of Wasiluk, he said: "Everyone is better off if we stay focused and stay to business." Wasiluk issued a statement to the station saying: "I sincerely apologize for my recent behavior. If the public feels additional laws should be passed to improve public confidence in the work of legislators, I would vote for it." Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson, DFL-Willmar, told the station he didn't think the drinking was widespread. "In the last week of the session, I never ... smelled alcohol on any of my colleagues," he said. Shown a table full of bottles the station had recovered from Capitol trash bins, House Speaker Steve Sviggum, R-Kenyon, had a concise response. "Uff da," he said. (Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
5/27/2004
I'm hoping she loses her seat.
Surprise! We ARE!
I must have missed it in the story - but that the heck is a DFL ??
Must have been a video-conference with Ted Kennedy!!!
I'm shocked I tell you, shocked.
People need to get over the notion that having a beer is akin to shooting up with heroin. If these legislators and staff had a couple of beers with their late night pizza, so what?
In Minnesota the Democrat party is known and the DFL(Democrat, Farm and Labor) Party.
I think it's the hypocrisy....if ANYONE ELSE DID IT they'd be strung up. The laws are the problem...and these are the LAWMAKERS doing their usual....breaking the very laws they make.
And.,...if it were the lobbyists buying the booze....that makes it even worse!
"If these legislators and staff had a couple of beers with their late night pizza, so what?"
Agreed.
NY legislature -- passing out interns like hookers
Minn legislature -- passing out like winos.
Why is it that every state legislature seems to confirm the worst stereotype of the state?
Lobbyists buying booze for politicians = dog bites man
Does Minnesota have a LWI law? (Legislating while intoxicated)
Time to put a full court press on our legislators on this. They tried to fry Arlen Lindner for words. These folks should resign for this crap. Let's get the ball rolling!
But God help you in that liberal hellhole if you light up a smoke with your drink....
What would your employer do if you decided to throw a bash in your office during the workday?
This wasn't a few beers, there were several large trash cans full.
"A cooler however..."
A sixpack w/ice in a playmate maybe? Maybe a case in larger cooler for 12 people? Who knows. If it's an after hour party among staff what is the big deal?
I saw this on the news last night. It sure would explain why nothing got done..
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