Kentucky Republican, along with two libertarians, claims First Amendment right to accept bribes

[riversedge]

Source: TPM





Travis Gettys

28 Sep 2015 at 08:11 ET



A Kentucky Republican lawmaker and two libertarian candidates are claiming a First Amendment right to accept gifts from lobbyists.

State Sen. John Schickel and a pair of Libertarian Party hopefuls filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court intended to overturn state ethics laws that limit campaign contributions to $1,000 and prohibit lawmakers from accepting gifts from lobbyists and their employers, reported the Lexington Herald-Leader.

“This infringes on the legislator’s, lobbyist’s, and employer of lobbyist’s right to freedom of association, and freedom of speech,” Schickel argues in the lawsuit.

Kentucky passed ethics laws in 1992 after an FBI investigation, named Operation BOPTROT, revealed 15 elected officials — including then-House Speaker Don Blandford — in the state had been selling their votes.

Schickel complained in his lawsuit that current ethics laws prevent him from attending “holiday parties, hosted by longstanding friends, who are lobbyists or employ lobbyists.”

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/2015/09/kentucky-republican-along-with-two-libertarians-claims-first-amendment-right-to-accept-bribes/

[LittleGirl]

1. IOKIYAR

It's Okay If You're A Republican. bastards. idiots.

[sofa king]

2. The codification of crime.

When the criminals start at the top, as with Citizens United, we shouldn't be surprised to see avalanches of corruption lower down the mountain.

[merrily]

8. Exactly. Corporations are people; money is fully protected speech.

Don't violate the first amendment right to speech by that munitions manufacturer.

I often post that I am non-violent. So, I will not say another thing in this post about Scalia. Use your imagination.

[Stryst]

15. Oh....

THIS is what they meant by "trickle down economics"!

[DhhD]

3. They would have us believe that fascism circumvents the Constitution; that the first Amendment

is the real Constitution of the U.S.

[DetlefK]

9. WTF? You forgot that the Second trumps the First!

[davidpdx]

4. Corporations are people and politicians can accept bribes

What's next, money falls off of trees?

[get the red out]

5. The sun doesn't shine bright

In my old Kentucky home

[RKP5637]

6. I call it the "Kim Davis Effect!" Cracks in authority and a glimmer of light to do

as one pleases. Unrelated in content, but the same as to the effect. One should do as they damn well please. It's a very dangerous precedent that's trying to be set.

[thesquanderer]

7. If money is speech, then this logically follows. (n/t)

[Punx]

10. Another Logical Outcome of Citizens United

I'm talking to you, Alito.

Well, at least if it's out in the open, we know who's bribing whom. Of course I'm sure the lawmakers' privacy will need to be protected and we won't know.

[Ferd Berfel]

11. THIS is where the SCOTUS Fascist 5 has take us

A complete disregard for democracy and integrity. THIS is where the SCOTUS Fascist 5 has take us.

[valerief]

14. Bingo!

[procon]

12. Thank you, Supreme Court Justices!

By ruling that that money is speech, us poor, stoopid citizens don't even need to bother with voting because we don't have any spare cash on hand to compete with the vast wealth of all those corporate funded lobbyists in bribing our elected representative so they'll take up our cause. Sure, it's probably far more efficient to just eliminate all us whiny, capricious voters and then just auction off politicians to the highest bidding lobbyists. Maybe they could make it into a reality TV show hosted by The Donald (assuming he isn't our next president... where's my dang heart pills?) and give it a catchy name like, "Bet the House", or "Oligarchy R Us"...

[Javaman]

16. +1.

I agree with what you said. while what these halfwits did was clearly illegal, the ruling by the Supremes does case a "gray area" upon it.

we are a banana republic

[eppur_se_muova]

13. Yeah, AL already has something like this ...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1016132701

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1016132699

[0rganism]

17. fantastic, let's just be completely up-front about it from here on out

we can stop beating around the bush, pretending to enforce campaign finance laws and political corruption standards, and just move straight on with establishing our plutocracy.

[Jack Rabbit]

18. Is this the logical conclusion to which Citizens United leads?

There is no such thing as a bribe. Mr. Schickel is merely listening to corporate free speech.

Silly me, I've been ridiculing Citizens United for claiming there is no evidence that bribes campaign contributions influence any politician's decisions. Mr. Schickel is telling us that they do, but what's wrong with that? That's the way the system is supposed to work.

And I'm a retired kamikaze pilot.

[Baitball Blogger]

19. You know they had to go there because they're doing it.

That's the benefit of white privilege. Instead of accepting responsibility for the laws they are breaking, they take the offensive to show why the laws don't work for them.

Here's the thing. If you are pulling a government check, you are a public servant and must abide to the rules to ensure that everyone's rights are protected. If you can't do that, go back into the private sector.

[elleng]

20. They also have a 'first amendment' right to GO TO PRISON.

[Qutzupalotl]

21. Money is speech, and he was just listening.

[packman]

22. Great Budda on a bouncing ball

You gotta love em' - I wish the Founding Fathers were still around to slap them silly. In one way you just have to admire their unabashed chutzpah - A first amendment right to accept gifts from lobbyist . Why stop there? The potential is limitless - right to main, kill, rape , pillage, do unnatural experiments, spit on the sidewalk, etc. , etc.