Republican Senator Alberta Darling Too Long At Public Trough

There are three things that never look good.

Fish at the market that no longer has that pink-fresh look.

The over-weight man who tools around Madison on a motorcycle wearing a thong and cape.

And a politician at the Wisconsin State Capitol who has a powerful position on the budget writing committee but was so ethically impaired as to consider holding an expensive fundraiser at the eleventh hour as the document awaited completion.

Joint Finance Committee co-chair Republican Senator Alberta Darling had scheduled a $500 to $1,000 per head fundraiser on Thursday a mere block from the Capitol where the budget process is in the final phase before being voted on and sent to the full legislature.  To add even more concern about this event Darling was to have been joined by Republican Representative John Nygren  who is also co-chair of the JFC.  Weighty and consequential decisions on everything from funding for transportation, the UW-System, and K-12 schools are front-and-center and as such there are special interests always hoping to sway the power-brokers.

Late on Wednesday Darling postponed the fundraiser.  But we still need to ask how could such a dreadful idea ever been hatched in the first place?  And what does this say about the political process and the way our state budget is crafted?

There is no way even a third grader could not see the lapse of judgment surrounding this mess!  The conflict of interest is so obvious and brazen that it is shocking to read about.   That is saying a lot given the number of unbelievable stories that have resulted from this budget.

Even with the postponement of the fundraiser there is no good that comes to the budget-writing process or to the party who would have benefited from what was rightfully described as a “shakedown” in the making.

It is only common–sense to denounce this fundraiser and also the whole idea that members of the legislature should raise money during the budget process.  It is just too easy for chicanery to rule when special interests have cash in hand and members of the legislature have fingers extended like hungry raccoons..  When the dollars start to flow from monied-interests is when the bests interests of the citizenry are forgotten as those elected to serve the voters become more interested in obtaining funds for another election.

There is no Democratic or Republican, liberal or conservative position to take over this matter.  This all comes down to what type of process do the voters expect and deserve when it comes to crafting the most important bill that passes out of the statehouse every two years.

The budget-writing process should transcend the all-out aim of making money based on a policy vote.

Like it or not that is exactly what Darling was doing with her shameless fundraising idea.  The River Falls Republican placed herself, her colleagues, and the budget-writing process in a negative light.  The fundraiser was postponed only because many brought the matter to light and made the GOP feel the heat.  But this whole ordeal proves Darling has been too long at the public trough and forgotten who she works for and why.

The voters need to remind her in the next election.