Your Government . . . My View

Legal Corruption in Florida Politics

It has been said many times and in many situations, if you want to understand why government does things certain ways…..just follow the dollar.
Campaign financing in the state of Florida has become legally corrupt, compliments of the Florida Legislature.
Florida law prohibits legislators from accepting meals and gifts from a lobbyist. The law also limits campaign contributions to $500.00.
But, here comes the legal corruption. There is no limit on the amount of cash legislators can collect, from various special interests, in various fundraising committees the lawmakers create to advance broadly defined public purposes. Helping one another get re-elected is their most important purpose.
Lawmakers defend the growing practice of using these type committees. They can use the money for personal expenses such as travel and meals, etc.
The St. Petersburg Times recently reported that, "A special report by the Times/Herald bureau revealed that dozens of legislators from both political parties collected $6 million from special interests during the last campaign cycle for their own slush funds. They spent a significant portion of it on themselves for travel and meals, and they moved big sums between various political committees to back their friends and attack their enemies. There are no limits on the contributions to these committees of continuing existence and no oversight. They pose an enormous threat of corruption and influence peddling and they ought to be shut down."
Folks, this is legal corruption that allows well heeled special interest groups to, in fact, buy the legislation they desire. Most of the time this is to the detriment of regular citizens.
Let’s look at just a few examples:
Hospital Corporation of America donated $269,000.00 in the past two years to these slush fund committees. Why so much money from HCA? They are seeking to change the way more than $1 billion in hospital money is awarded each year.
U.S. Sugar Corp. donated $365,000.00 to lawmakers and other political groups this election cycle. Do they want something or do they just like the legislators? U.S. Sugar is trying to sell a large amount of land to the state for about $1.3 billion. They have hired 41 lobbyist to help in this effort.
AT&T contributed $151,000.00. They are seeking favorable phone legislation this year.
These are just three examples of companies who want something from the legislature. Their investments pay off when our legislators enact laws that favor them.
In many cases, it is impossible to track who really donated money to a committee or a legislator. No law prohibits the practice, and legislators themselves write the campaign finance laws.
As long as state politicians accept unlimited contributions from these committee slush funds, the $500.00 contribution limit to individual political campaigns is meaningless. It’s ironic that a lobbyist is prevented from directly buying a legislator a meal, but that same lobbyist can write the legislators slush fund a check for $10,000.00.
These slush fund committees have very little to do with free speech and everything to do with buying influence.
It would be simple to clean up this legal corruption. The Florida Legislature can pass a law that says the $500.00 limit on contributions to individual campaigns also applies to these slush funds.
Money talks and it talks much too loud in Tallahassee. Influence buying is too rampant.
The HCA’s, U.S. Sugar’s, AT&T’s, etc., buy what they want, while most citizens have no real voice with their elected representatives.
Incumbents stay in office by raising large sums money from these special interests.
A line from a Bob Dylan song says…"Steal a little and they throw you in jail, steal a lot and they make you a king."
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Hatcher Publications.