Minn. Rep. Kerry Gauthier caught with zipper down... literally

[werepossum]

I just said that is not their only source of income - they have whatever they can make for income during the period of the year that they are not working in the legislature, which for most of them isn't much. The ethics rules here are incredibly strict - legislators can't even accept meals from lobbyists - so if you're implying they can directly profit from their service in the legislature, you're mistaken. We are very straight-laced in Minnesota in that regard, and there really is no meaningful history of our legislators being involved in corruption scandals.

President Obama, unlike most state legislators, had significant revenue from his first book (which was published in 1995), and I believe his wife was also making a handsome living as an attorney during the same interval. Since that time all three of his books have become bestsellers, and he has earned additional income through his Nobel Prize. I also imagine (though I don't know for certain) that the IL state legislature probably paid more than $31K/year when Obama was a state senator.

Very few state legislators here (including Gauthier, who is single and has never authored a book) have these advantages. Gauthier is a social worker and presumably makes social worker-type income when he is not working in the legislature (i.e., very little).

One small correction - Michelle Obama has never made a handsome living as an attorney. Like her husband, she had a very brief private sector career where she was trotted around as an example of diversity. Following that less than two year private sector stint she went to work for Daley's machine, then another government executive assistant position, then director of a non-profit, and finally the University of Chicago Medical Center made a very lucrative job for her, a job that was created for her and abolished when she left.

Frankly, I wonder how often this happens to smart, driven minorities. You work your ass off getting your law license and then get assigned no real case work, just trotted around for PR & marketing work. Had the Obamas been treated the same as smart, driven young white attorneys and loaded up with case work, they might well have spent more time in the private sector and might well have a better view of it today. If you treat people as valuable only for their skin color, you'll tend to keep only those people who are only valuable for their skin color - or so it seems to me. Or perhaps that's just my perception and they simply had heightened opinions of themselves; perhaps they were treated like the other associates and didn't want to be treated like the other associates. As always, inquiring minds can decide for themselves.

http://www.biography.com/people/michelle-obama-307592
http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2008/10/michelle_obama_book_tells_of_h.html

 

[waggy]

Won't defend him.

In other news Democrats have now closed the deviance gap and trail Republicans by only 20 points.

i doubt its taht much. its not a matter of what party. these are people who are used to getting what they want when they want.

 

[Spungo]

It isn't your place to push your morals upon 2 legal and consenting parties.

It also isn't your place to say what completely legal behavior is or is not allowable in politics. There is no reason that this prevents him from doing his job properly.

Massive government corruption and legalized bribery: not a big deal.
Legal sex between two consenting parties: OUT RAGE

The only real problem is that this was in public. Sex in public is probably illegal. We should probably try to change that. I would never have sex in public but I don't see why someone else isn't allowed to go for it.

 

[zanejohnson]

Massive government corruption and legalized bribery: not a big deal.
Legal sex between two consenting parties: OUT RAGE

The only real problem is that this was in public. Sex in public is probably illegal. We should probably try to change that. I would never have sex in public but I don't see why someone else isn't allowed to go for it.

exactly. well said..


i'm so sick of this prude ass hick backwards ass country we live in.. sex should be celebrated, orgasms feel good for a reason!!!

FUCK! just TEXAS!

 

[monovillage]

Massive government corruption and legalized bribery: not a big deal.
Legal sex between two consenting parties: OUT RAGE

The only real problem is that this was in public. Sex in public is probably illegal. We should probably try to change that. I would never have sex in public but I don't see why someone else isn't allowed to go for it.

I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact a State politician advertised on Craigslist and had public sex in a rest area with a kid the same age as Trayvon Martin. The best thing you can say about the Senator is that he wasn't trying to influence a voter............,but only because the kid wasn't old enough to vote.

 

[cybrsage]

sex should be celebrated, orgasms feel good for a reason!!!

They feel good to help increase the reproductive rates of the species.

 

[zanejohnson]

They feel good to help increase the reproductive rates of the species.

lol like i said.. it feels good

 

[Spungo]

I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact a State politician advertised on Craigslist

Craigslist is not illegal

had public sex

This legitimately makes me question how useful this politician would be. He thinks sex in public is a good idea? What are some of his other brilliant good ideas?

kid the same age as Trayvon Martin

The difference here is that having sex with Trayvon is not illegal. Shooting him for no reason is illegal. That zimmerman guy would be in significantly less trouble if he only had sex with Trayvon.

 

[cybrsage]

The difference here is that having sex with Trayvon is not illegal. Shooting him for no reason is illegal. That zimmerman guy would be in significantly less trouble if he only had sex with Trayvon.

Having sex with the dead is illegal.

 

[monovillage]

Craigslist is not illegal


This legitimately makes me question how useful this politician would be. He thinks sex in public is a good idea? What are some of his other brilliant good ideas?


The difference here is that having sex with Trayvon is not illegal. Shooting him for no reason is illegal. That zimmerman guy would be in significantly less trouble if he only had sex with Trayvon.

For all we know he did.

 

[feralkid]

Cant wait to see the democrats somehow defend this guy

You may have to wait forever as they are overwhelmingly condemning him.

 

[werepossum]

Having sex with the dead is illegal.

But what if you're in Chicago and you're just trying to convince them to vote for you?