Posted on 05/02/2005 10:25:23 AM PDT by gorush
Lawmakers Pay $5 For All-They-Can Drink/Eat
POSTED: 11:51 am CDT May 2, 2005
MADISON, Wis. -- The state Ethics Board has fined the Tavern League of Wisconsin $2,500 for a reception it held for lawmakers in March.
About 100 state officials attended -- nearly half were lawmakers -- and paid $5 for as much food and beer as they wanted.
The reception came to light after state Sen. Russ Decker, who attended the party, was pulled over for drunken driving in Middleton.
News 3 and Channel3000 will have more information later today.
D or R?
OWI laws are only for the commoners.
If you have to ask...
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1389851/posts
Same law here in Texas, if you are a drinking establishment the staff can not legaly serve you if they feel you are intoxicated so by the buffet being an all you can eat/drink party they violated the law.Probably a serve yourself keg.
You're right, of course!!! I just KNEW he was a dem, since the party affiliation wasn't mentioned, but I checked anyway, and sure enough he is.
It's unforgivable that the media continues to omit this fact whenever one of their pals is in trouble. But at least they're consistent!
The Tavern League was stupid for setting up this event. $5 all you can drink? Someone was drunk in the planning department, apparently.
As for Decker (D, by the way), he blew barely above a .08. I'm not defending him for being an idiot, but recall how Wisconsin was held hostage by the fed. highway money unless it changed it's OWI standard to .08. Not that it matters, but Decker voted against it.
Yes, he broke the law...and deserves to lose his license for a while, but public flogging is not necessary. This wasn't 1/10th what the Peg Lautenschlager case was. That slap on the wrist is pretty common, by the way. My no-name coworker got the same treatment on his first OWI.
And the Tavern League most definately deserves a fine--for pure stupidity. They need to do it better and cleaner than the other guy...they're the TAVERN LEAGUE after all.
If they don't say - you know it's D.
I'm lost. Why are they being fined if the Senator didn't get a DUI?
He was drunk as a lord but he had no responsability getting that way because he and the other lords have written the laws to blame tavern wenches and their master.
when will we ever have drug testing for pols? Or it is jusy for the little people?
Soon we will have to take a breath test to be served. I suspect this politician shifted the blame. What a bunch of horse feces.
Tavern League been taking people down and pouring booze down em for years. I know this excuse would work real well on my wife. We are becoming a nation of wimps. Particularly our government officials.
Lawmakers Pay $5 For All-They-Can Drink/Eat
POSTED: 11:51 am CDT May 2, 2005
UPDATED: 12:52 pm CDT May 2, 2005
MADISON, Wis. -- The state Ethics Board has fined the Tavern League of Wisconsin $2,500 for a reception it held for lawmakers in March.
About 100 state officials attended -- nearly half were lawmakers -- and paid $5 for as much food and beer as they wanted.
Wisconsin's lobbying law, which is considered one of the strictest, forbids lobbyists and organizations that hire lobbyists from to give food, drink or other favors to lawmakers.
"The Ethics Board is committed to enhancing the integrity of a legislature process in which decisions are made on the merit of ideas, not the quality of shrimp served or the merits of cocktail sauce," said Ethics Board Director Roth Judd. "I want Wisconsin's citizens to know our state officials are not receiving special favors."
The reception came to light after State Sen. Russ Decker , who attended the party, was pulled over for drunken driving in Middleton.
According to an Ethics Board investigation, the costs for the reception was almost $8,000, and the Tavern League donated more than $300 worth of beer, which would have retailed at more than $1,000. Based on these totals, the actual costs per guest should have been between $27 and $30. ( Read: Ethics Board Full Report pdf )
Under a plea deal, Decker will lose his license for six months and pay a fine, but keep the drunk driving arrest off his record.
Lots of my friends who have had DUIs would have loved a deal like that. Hell when you think of what he will save on insurance it is a slap on the wrist. Imagine he will have no problem finding someone to drive him around (at tax-payer expense).
how can you tell when a dimocrap is intoxicated?
they always sound stupid to me.
My former Rep...what a dork..
Peg 'The Keg' Lautenschlagger' bery bery nice to heem...
The blame the TL the same way they blame guns...
Though Peg was careful to make sure that she offered all retired cops be allowed to carry concealed for life in WI
(Naturally Peg's family is protected her current spouse being
an X cop an all)
Welcome to the slippery eel of WI politics...down and dirty
as usual....
It's not a democracy its a democratocrazy dammit!
IMO
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