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
It's illegal to drink beer in an office? Is it illegal to eat a ham and cheese sandwhich too?
What would your employer do if you decided to throw a bash in your office during the workday?
Many employers do serve refreshments on occasion. Again, we're not talking about snorting cocain, dropping acid or guzzling Tequila from a funnnel. This discussion is about a couple of coolers of cold beer, for an unknown number of employees.
OK if it was for 10 employees that would be a bit much. But if it was for 60 or 70 employees to have one beer each, then you would need several trash cans.
It's illegal to drink on Capitol grounds, yes! And it totally inappropriate!
Your comparison to doing cocaine doesn't wash here Dan. They were partying in the Capitol, during session, not with their staffers, not with other legislators but with LOBBYISTS!
This isn't "serving refreshments on occasion." This was a full out drunk fest. It wasn't a couple of employee's having a beer. It was lobbyists and legislators getting hammered on our dime.
Drinking beer in an office is illegal in Minnesota???
see solson's post above
Democrat-Farm-Labor party.
I thought I heard Joe Soucheray say they tried to find some Repubs drinking, but they couldn't.
The problem was the attitude - they were cramming to try and get something done and drinking whiskey and harder stuff. how well do people work when they're sitting around drinking. The attitude of the people in the story was what was irritating.
You obviously didn't see the story. It wasn't just 'having a beer with pizza' - it was much more than that. Gifts of alcohol are illegal from lobbyists to lawmakers. And that is what was happening. Large coolers full. And they'd complain nothing was getting done. Some of the lawmakers sat in their offices and chummed around with lobbyists and drank and were absent from things they were supposed to be voting on.
No. That probably explains why this is the 'state where nothing is allowed' (unless you're an elected official).
No doubt!
And I noticed they didn't recycle.
Read the title and the story again. they were *in session.*
I think you should see the story. The written story doesn't do it justice.
It's funny how people don't get it. I'm not a teetotaller by any stretch. I love to have a glass or two of wine to wind down. But I wouldn't drink if I had to think straight and decide important legal matters.
Gasp! Good catch! That could be the one cardinal sin that exceeds lighting up a smoke with your cocktail.
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.
Yeah I saw that one! ergh.
lol!
One idiot that was busted said. We need a law. Why does he need a law to stop him. Typical demorat response - I hate God, I have no morals. So make a law.
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