Always entertaining and informative. As a retired lawyer who served for 6 terms in the ShateHouse and worked on the Ethics Committee for 12 years, I dare say some of your criticism of lawyers was off target. When I first served, I was in the minority party, there were so few lawyers, that the Repub's in the majority, gave me several bills to floor manage.
I do not know the lawyer % today.
I know that the legislator's job is a hybrid of full and part-time. Different elected officials interpret their job as 24/7; others do not. The pay works for single people, independently wealthy, or others whose businesses allow them to work Jan-May and in the fall. Farmers come to mind. Pay only "work "for legislators who can work this unusual schedule.
I do recommend tightening campaign reform and greater reporting. I recommend transparency on the jobs legislators hold other than as elected official (see Polk County supervisors). I do recommend greater transparency on campaign contributions and connection to voting
The bigger issue is the collapse of our logo as a guide post. We need better advocates, not only lawyers, in the whole process, from advocates to D leaders.
Always entertaining and informative. As a retired lawyer who served for 6 terms in the ShateHouse and worked on the Ethics Committee for 12 years, I dare say some of your criticism of lawyers was off target. When I first served, I was in the minority party, there were so few lawyers, that the Repub's in the majority, gave me several bills to floor manage.
I do not know the lawyer % today.
I know that the legislator's job is a hybrid of full and part-time. Different elected officials interpret their job as 24/7; others do not. The pay works for single people, independently wealthy, or others whose businesses allow them to work Jan-May and in the fall. Farmers come to mind. Pay only "work "for legislators who can work this unusual schedule.
I do recommend tightening campaign reform and greater reporting. I recommend transparency on the jobs legislators hold other than as elected official (see Polk County supervisors). I do recommend greater transparency on campaign contributions and connection to voting
The bigger issue is the collapse of our logo as a guide post. We need better advocates, not only lawyers, in the whole process, from advocates to D leaders.
keep going....