Re: Rep. Morgan Carroll's HB07-1074 re: 527 Reform

[Ralph Shnelvar <ralphs@xxxxxxxxx>]

Ivan:

On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 17:34:00 -0700, you wrote:

>Ralph,
>
>Ouch!  "institutionalize political retribution?"  Isn't that a little harsh?

Hardly.  Remember Deanna Hanna?

Read the attached article, below, that happened in Colorado last year.

Or click here:
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_4738943,00.html

This is what a stupid ligislator did openly.  How much of this goes on
covertly?  We will never know because we can't know.

Worse, the law is set up in such a way that Hanna's actins are
"reprehensible but not criminal".

What were you saying, Ivan, about being harsh?



>The point of the bill is to identify yourself if you avail yourself of free
>speech to tell lies about someone.  Instead of giving information, 527s have
>become multimillion dollar gossip sessions.

Right ... and that is the way it should be.

Politics has always been full of lies.  From the very beginning of this
Republic newspapers have printed lies that they knew were lies.  The
antidote to lies is open and free expression and not political control.

527's are the last bastion of free speech left.  They may be gossip mills
designed to destroy opponents, but at least they don't have the power to
destroy the contributors of opposing positions.

But, of course, when this legislation passes, they will.






No indictment for Deanna Hanna
'Reparations' bid called reprehensible but not criminal


By April M. Washington, Rocky Mountain News
May 31, 2006
A Jefferson County grand jury issued a report Tuesday condemning former
state Sen. Deanna Hanna's demand for $1,400 in "reparations" from a Realtor
group as "reprehensible."

But the panel decided her actions did not rise to the level of an
indictment.

"They didn't find probable cause to charge her," said Pam Russell,
spokeswoman for the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office. "They
didn't believe she broke any laws. It's finished."

The grand jury's report found Hanna had "acted improperly" in the
solicitation of funds from the Colorado Realtors Association, which backed
her opponent in the 2004 election.

Two months ago, the Lakewood Democrat resigned amid a Senate ethics
investigation into a letter she sent to the Realtor group demanding the same
amount of money it contributed to her opponent's campaign.

Hanna wrote, "My reparations request stands. It is my hope that you will
make our relationship whole again.

"There are going to be some very important issues ahead of us."

Hanna could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

In a written response to the grand jury, Hanna wrote that the report
"reflects the judgment that what I did was foolish, but not criminal."

"Their words also remind us, appropriately, that elected officials must be
ever vigilant to avoid so much as the appearance of impropriety."

Hanna went on to say that she makes no excuses and therefore will "forgo the
temptation to quibble over some of the language used in the report."

She thanked the grand jury for understanding that her intentions were
"ill-conceived, but not sinister."

The Jefferson County District Attorney's Office launched its investigation
in March after it received numerous complaints that a state senator
attempted to commit bribery.

The grand jury investigation ended April 27, but the release of the report
was delayed because Hanna had 10 days to respond, Russell said.

Pete Maysmith, executive director of the government watchdog group Colorado
Common Cause, credited the grand jury for understanding that the underlying
issue was one of trust and not whether Hanna committed alleged bribery.

"We were never focused on the question of illegality," said Maysmith, who
pushed for Hanna's resignation. "It was pretty clear that her actions
violated the public's trust."

"Our concern is, what does this say about our system when a member of the
legislature conditions a vote for a campaign contribution?" he said.

The grand jury report caps off a 2006 legislative session overshadowed by
ethics scandals and complaints.

Rep. Joe Stengel, R-Littleton, resigned as House Minority Leader after
coming under scrutiny for drawing state pay last year while vacationing in
Hawaii and taking the bar exam. He repaid $891 in questionable pay.

The House Ethics Committee later dismissed the complaint against him.

House lawmakers appointed an advisory panel to recommend ways to tighten the
legislature's ethics process and keep it free of politics. The panel plans
to release its report in about a week.

Excerpts fromgrand jury report-and the response

? GRAND JURY:

"The grand jury is mindful that political campaigns require money and that
many candidates for public office must solicit contributions in order to
conduct their campaigns. Nonetheless, the grand jury finds that any demand
for a political contribution from a sitting public official - whether to
"repair a relationship" or for any other political purpose - is improper and
contrary to the public interest and may constitute an abuse of the
official's authority."

"Although no indictment is to be returned, the grand jury finds that Hanna's
conduct as a public official in this matter was reprehensible."

"(Hanna's) assertion that she had 'a choice' with respect to how she
appproached the Realtor organizations was intemperate and inappropriate, and
implied that she could exercise her discretion in a manner unfavorable to
the Realtors if her demand for a contribution was not met."

? HANNA'S RESPONSE:

"The grand jury's report bears testament to the powerful moral intuition of
our community. If reflects the judgment that what I did was foolish, but not
criminal."

"I thank the grand jury for their ability to understand my intentions were
'ill-conceived' but not sinister."

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