Consolidating Power
By Karl-Thomas Musselman
Coming from the same party that enjoys having the power to chose which districts and voters should be theirs, comes yet another outright power grab. I don't usually cut large clips from e-mails but this one sums it up well...
Yesterday a GOP legislator, State Rep. Mary Denny, (R--Aubrey) chairwoman of the House Elections Committee filed a bill that would give the state's Ethics Commission -- appointed and funded by legislators who could be investigated -- veto power over prosecutors seeking to enforce the state's election law.
GOP lawmakers don't want to be held accountable to the law. So they are considering legislation which would, in effect, grant them perpetual immunity from prosecution.
This bill should be called the "We're Above the Law" act. Please contact Rep. Denny and House Speaker Tom Craddick and tell them to withdraw HB 913. Let them know that no Texan, especially an elected official, should be above the law. Click to send an email to Denny or Email Craddick
or contact their offices:
Rep. Denny
(512) 463-0688 (512) 463-1000
Speaker Craddick
(512) 463-0658 Fax (512) 463-7722 Fax
The bill is being filed in direct response to an investigation of the 2002 campaigns that has already resulted in three indicted corporations settling with prosecutors and eight other indictments. And yes, Rep. Denny has received money from both organizations under investigation -- Tom DeLay's Texans for a Republican Majority PAC (TRMPAC) and the Texas Association of Businesses (TAB).
...
The Ethics Commission is appointed by state officials and is notoriously gutless. In its fourteen years of existence it has never subpoenaed a witness or any documents to investigate a complaint or referred a criminal case. The Ethics Commission is the very definition of a toothless watchdog!
Check out Drive Democracy's Blog post about it.
Posted by Karl-Thomas Musselman at February 10, 2005 04:08 PM
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