Dear Mr. Randy George: Massachusetts needs you!

Defending continuation of widespread crime and corruption in Alabama, you were quoted here:

Randy George, president of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, told legislators that the $25 limit would cause jobs losses and possibly closures at some Montgomery restaurants. He said several people considering opening restaurants in the capital city have put those plans on hold until the Legislature makes a decision.

Your argument in defense of Alabama's noticeable lack of ethics is creative and one that hasn't occurred to Massachusetts' leaders on Beacon Hill.

Massachusetts needs this kind of 'creativity' to defend patronage, privilege and campaign contributions buying jobs and votes.

It seems curious that you have overlooked the jobs requiring additional FBI agents, prosecutors, the attorneys, the court personnel, prison personnel and so on. Please consider including them as well, after all, those are pretty high paying jobs that are sorely needed in this economy.

P.S. House Speaker "Racino" DeLeo will consider job applicants based on family ties or generous campaign contributions. It probably helps, when you go for your job interview if you genuflect. Your application should be expedited because Massachusetts has a long and proud history of House Speakers leaving office under indictment.

Don't worry about the cost of housing. Former Lt. Governor Jane Swift has contacts who can locate cheap housing for you.





Ala. governor urges end to 'culture of corruption'

Outgoing Gov. Bob Riley sought to end his eight years in office with a legacy-making achievement by getting legislators to pass his ethics proposals and end a culture of corruption in Alabama politics.

Riley spoke to the new Republican-dominated Legislature shortly after he called the lawmakers into special session Wednesday to consider his proposals.

"You can literally change the course of history for Alabama during this special session," he said.

That history includes three former legislators who were convicted or pleaded guilty to corruption in Alabama's two-year college scandal, as well as two former legislators and two current legislators who are awaiting trial on charges accusing them of selling votes on pro-gambling legislation.

Riley wants to limit gifts, including meals, to public officials to $25 on one occasion, give more clarity to campaign donations by banning the transfer of money between political action committees, give subpoena power to the State Ethics Commission to investigate public officials, and ban legislators from holding a second state job.

Riley, a Republican, said the election Nov. 2 that gave Republicans control of the Legislature was a mandate to change Alabama politics.

"You have the opportunity to permanently end the culture of corruption once and for all," he told legislators.

The Legislature's Democratic majority is offering its own package of ethics bills, some of which is similar to Riley's. They include requiring nonprofit groups that run political ads to disclose where they get their money.

The Legislature's new Republican leaders said they would take up Riley's bills first, with the goal of passing his bills and ending the special session next week.

Much of Riley's package is taken from bills that have died repeatedly in past legislative sessions. His bill to ban PAC-to-PAC transfers has been repeatedly passed by the House, only to die in the Senate.

Riley urged lawmakers not to repeat history, but to be remembered as Alabama's greatest Legislature.

Jim Sumner, nonpartisan executive director of the Ethics Commission, said Riley's package would put Alabama at the forefront of state ethics laws.

Many present and former public officials lined up at a legislative hearing Wednesday night to praise some of the bills in Riley's package, but longtime Realtors lobbyist Danny Cooper got strong applause when he urged legislators to place the first limits on what lobbyists can spend entertaining public officials.

"I want you to restrict and limit what I can do to convince you to vote for or against legislation in the future," he said.

Alabama currently has no limit, but lobbyists must report to the Ethics Commission when they spend more than $250 in one day on a public official.

Randy George, president of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, told legislators that the $25 limit would cause jobs losses and possibly closures at some Montgomery restaurants. He said several people considering opening restaurants in the capital city have put those plans on hold until the Legislature makes a decision.

Riley's bills will come up for their first votes in House and Senate committees on Thursday.



Riley spoke to the new Republican-dominated Legislature shortly after he called the lawmakers into special session Wednesday to consider his proposals.

"You can literally change the course of history for Alabama during this special session," he said.

That history includes three former legislators who were convicted or pleaded guilty to corruption in Alabama's two-year college scandal, as well as two former legislators and two current legislators who are awaiting trial on charges accusing them of selling votes on pro-gambling legislation.

Riley wants to limit gifts, including meals, to public officials to $25 on one occasion, give more clarity to campaign donations by banning the transfer of money between political action committees, give subpoena power to the State Ethics Commission to investigate public officials, and ban legislators from holding a second state job.

Riley, a Republican, said the election Nov. 2 that gave Republicans control of the Legislature was a mandate to change Alabama politics.

"You have the opportunity to permanently end the culture of corruption once and for all," he told legislators.

The Legislature's Democratic majority is offering its own package of ethics bills, some of which is similar to Riley's. They include requiring nonprofit groups that run political ads to disclose where they get their money.

The Legislature's new Republican leaders said they would take up Riley's bills first, with the goal of passing his bills and ending the special session next week.

Much of Riley's package is taken from bills that have died repeatedly in past legislative sessions. His bill to ban PAC-to-PAC transfers has been repeatedly passed by the House, only to die in the Senate.

Riley urged lawmakers not to repeat history, but to be remembered as Alabama's greatest Legislature.

Jim Sumner, nonpartisan executive director of the Ethics Commission, said Riley's package would put Alabama at the forefront of state ethics laws.

Many present and former public officials lined up at a legislative hearing Wednesday night to praise some of the bills in Riley's package, but longtime Realtors lobbyist Danny Cooper got strong applause when he urged legislators to place the first limits on what lobbyists can spend entertaining public officials.

"I want you to restrict and limit what I can do to convince you to vote for or against legislation in the future," he said.

Alabama currently has no limit, but lobbyists must report to the Ethics Commission when they spend more than $250 in one day on a public official.

Randy George, president of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, told legislators that the $25 limit would cause jobs losses and possibly closures at some Montgomery restaurants. He said several people considering opening restaurants in the capital city have put those plans on hold until the Legislature makes a decision.

Riley's bills will come up for their first votes in House and Senate committees on Thursday.

This marks the first time since 1942 that an outgoing governor has called a newly elected Legislature into special session. Riley's successor, Republican Robert Bentley, takes office Jan. 17.

On Wednesday, Bentley told legislators he had no role in writing the bills, but if they fail, he will revive the issue in the Legislature' s next session.

"If you don't clean it up and if you don't do it right, we're going to work on it again March 1," he said.