The People don’t have the dollars to compete with lobbyists. We must out-organize the lobbyists if we are to get our so-called public servants to understand they serve ALL of us–not the few who can bribe them with campaign donations and other trinkets. After all, we pay legislatures through our hard-earned tax dollars but must demand accountability: A pound for a pound!
A report from Progress Missouri
Missouri Ethics Commission (MEC) records show that state legislators, statewide officials, judges and local officials have accepted more than $10,810,500 in gifts from lobbyists since 2004. On average, that’s $900,000 — every year — in free meals, booze, trips, lodging and other gifts. Almost all of these gifts go to members of the General Assembly and their staff members.
This report compiles and analyzes the lobbyist gift records, shines a light on glaring loopholes in state law that allow millions of dollars worth of freebies to be reported opaquely, and provides regional data for top gift recipients across the state.
Read the full report here, The Jeff City Gift Culture. See if you notice any familiar beneficiaries of bribes.
