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The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

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State legislators accessible, ethical

Earlier this month, The Capital Times ran a story about an event put on by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the largest business advocacy group in the state. The article criticized the luncheon where, for $5,000, a company or organization could support WMC and “buy” a table with a state legislator.

Upon hearing about the event with retired Lt. Colonel Oliver North, so-called “nonpartisan” government watchdog groups cried foul. In the Capital Times article, Mike McCabe, executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, was quoted as saying, “Of course donors are buying access to lawmakers. Average citizens can’t even get in their lawmakers’ office doors, but for a couple of grand, you get to sit next to a legislator.”

Even though Mr. McCabe is not a widely liked figure around the Capitol, he knows as well as I do that all he has to do to meet with his representative or senator or their staff is make a phone call, stop in, or send an e-mail. The idea that it is impossible for normal citizens to be heard in state legislators’ offices without writing a big fat check is not true.

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The purpose of this luncheon was to raise money for the group responsible for advocating on behalf of business in this state. While WMC is vilified by environmentalists and the teachers’ unions, the group works hard to keep businesses in the state and attract more to come here. Just like a liberal group, it needs money to function. Jim Pugh of WMC said, “People don’t pay $75 a head to sit at a table with a legislator. They pay that much to go to a good event. There’s going to be 1,000 people there and there are only 132 members of the Legislature, if every one of them attended.”

One legislator who certainly did not attend was Democrat Sen. Tim Carpenter from Milwaukee. The same day The Capital Times ran the story, Sen. Carpenter put out a press release inviting ordinary citizens to join him in the basement lunchroom of the capitol for a “brown bag lunch.” This is a great idea, and from his press release one would think that maybe it is the only way to meet with a senator.

But he is not. Such outreach is common among state legislators. My own state senator, Dave Zien, has held “office hours” in his district regularly, and they typically run from five in the morning until usually around 11 at night. Based on my experience in his district, I know that he travels to truck stops and coffee shops to meet with ordinary citizens. The Capitol is filled with hardworking legislators who are more than happy to talk with their constituents about questions or concerns.

Anyone who has done fundraising in his or her life knows that is easier to raise money when there is a recognizable face to identify with. It was not about “buying access,” it was about raising money for a cause that these business leaders support.

While I admit that specifically advertising a certain amount of money to eat lunch with a state legislator can appear questionable, it was certainly not meant to serve a wrongful purpose and, according to the State Elections Board, it was definitely not illegal. The legislators even had to pay for their own meal.

No matter what has been said in the past few years, Wisconsin still has a clean system of state government. The Legislature has its faults, but through some campaign-finance reform and ongoing ethics oversight it will continue to get better. When some “non-partisan” watchdog decides to attack a perfectly legal event and tells citizens how dirty these politicians are, it is no wonder so many people don’t vote. It seems it is always easier to be heard when you are pointing out the bad, but I just thought this would be a good opportunity to recognize the good that so many don’t get to see.

Matt Seaholm ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in political science.

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