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Republican Mark Paschall Indicted

by: Colorado Pols

Mon Jan 29, 2007 at 12:34:05 PM MST


One of the more, shall we say, less than honorable Colorado elected officials in recent memory was formally indicted today on charges that he solicted kickbacks. As the Rocky Mountain News reports:

A Jefferson County grand jury indicted former county Treasurer Mark Paschall on two felony charges in connection with an allegation that Paschall solicited a kickback from a bonus he awarded one of his employees, the District Attorney's Office said today.
The grand jury began hearing the Paschall case earlier this month, following allegations that Paschall sought a kickback of half the after-tax take from a $25,000 bonus he awarded in December to Kathy Redmond, his administrative coordinator and long-time associate. Paschall hired Redmond in 2003...

...The indictment charges Paschall with attempted felony theft and one count of "compensation for past official behavior," also a felony.

Paschall, a former state legislator and a fiscal conservative who entered office on a promise to keep a close watch on tax dollars, was elected to his single term as treasurer in 2001.

Paschall proved to be an embarassment to Republicans from his first day on the job as Jefferson County Treasurer, and his list of questionable decisions is as long as it is strange. Paschall tried to get the county to buy him a Cadillac Escalade and then tried to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars remodeling his office (including the installation of bulletproof glass). He added six new staff members, several of them political pals, after he took office despite his pledges to keep spending down.

And then there was his infamous foray into the Jefferson County courts, when he handed out pamphlets instructing potential jurors that they could ignore state and county laws; according to Paschall, the only laws jurors really needed to follow were the laws outlined in the Bible.

Paschall was briefly a Republican candidate for congress in CD-7 two years ago before giving way to Rick O'Donnell. He lost his bid for re-election in a GOP primary last August.
Colorado Pols :: Republican Mark Paschall Indicted
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Republican Mark Paschall Indicted | 78 comments
Another....
right-wing "Christian" conservative exposed!

"I've learned a lot of lessons being involved in politics. I also believe that when you are attacked, you have to deck your opponents." -- Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY)
Just curious...
Big Talker.

How many "right-wing 'Christian' conservatives" do you know?

[ Parent ]
whatever number
it is definitely too many...

"Good judgement comes from experience.  Experience comes from bad judgement" - Jim Horning
[ Parent ]
I try not to associate with them,
you see, my Mother always told me, and I have found it to be true, you are judged by the company you keep.


"I've learned a lot of lessons being involved in politics. I also believe that when you are attacked, you have to deck your opponents." -- Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY)
[ Parent ]
That's one of the dumbest things I have ever heard
If you just hang around people that agree with you you will never learn anything. And you will end up making a lot of mistakes.

I love having lunch with a bunch of friends where we all disagree with each other. And I've had to buy them beers occasionally where I bet on a political outcome and lost (John Kerry - you owe me 10 beers).

Where you gonna go for business reporting software?

[ Parent ]
Oh Snnnnaaappp David!
You're my kinda Dem.  You might find yourself getting those beers back in 08.  Start betting now.
[ Parent ]
Very good, Davey.
While I show an outward contempt about having to hang with the godless hippies at work in Boulder every day, I secretly relish it.  It gives me a chance to really get inside the liberal mind.  And you know, while most Boulderites I know think that conservatives are just about the worst, most monstrous people around--not to mention the Christian kind who should be put on a firing line.  But when you're around a bunch of genuinely nice--if whacky--liberals every day it's hard not to like them.  They're dead-wrong on politics but it doesn't disqualify them from being nice enough folks.

And when people find out that I'M a Focus on the Family kind of guy they just about crap their pants.  An nice, intelligent, young, well-educated guy hangs with them???  And hangs with US???

Well, yes.  It's really quite nice.

(Commence singing of the "We Are The World/Cum-bay-ah" medley, now)

[ Parent ]
Sniff....gimme your hand bro...let's sing...
Ha ha.  Nice post, actually.

No matter what is happening in the short term here or elsewhere, the trend of western and now other nations is is the "liberal" direction since the Magna Carta was signed.

Don't forget, all these freedoms you enjoy, whether as a secular man or your freedom to worship as you wish, are all liberal ideas.  No, they were RADICAL ideas in 1776. Your ideological ancestors were the Torys.

"Collective fear stimulates herd instinct and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd." -Bertrand Russell

[ Parent ]
I have a hard time believing you're an old guy...
By the way.

You mentioned that you were President Bush's age--60ish--but I have to tell you that you sound so much hipper than little ol' 20-something me.  I know that I lost my hipness shortly after wife/kids but...boy oh boy...I long to sound cool again.  Cool like you.  Lol!

[ Parent ]
David,
with due respect, I choose not to hang around with folks who simply refuse to see me as an equal and actively work to deny myself and my partner equal rights under law. 

I certainly would never, ever spend any time with folks who think that Marilyn Musgrave is "their type of woman" or someone who actually thinks that Jim Dobson has Godlike qualities.  I have enough friends who respect and accept me as I am that I needn't spend my time with those who are worth neither my time nor my energy.

Would you suggest that an African American is "dumb" for tuning down a dinner invitation from David Duke?

I know several economic conservatives that I count as friends.  We even agree on several issues.  I know several Republicans who I consider friends.  We all have a mutual respect.

What the Dobson worshipper here asked me about was "right wing "Christian" conservatives".  I refuse to have anything to do with folks who think that I am worthy of discriminating against based upon my sexual orientation.


"I've learned a lot of lessons being involved in politics. I also believe that when you are attacked, you have to deck your opponents." -- Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY)

[ Parent ]
It's a public policy--not personal--issue.
You can't take it personally.  Politics ought not be elevated to the personal.  I oppose gay marriage---so does my buddy Jim Dobson.  It's not because we have a special grudge out for you or anyone else in the gay community.  It's simply that we think it's bad social policy.
[ Parent ]
The personal is the political....
When your kind was working to keep African Americans and Caucasians from marrying, it was political to you and your kind while it was personal to the Loving family and thousands of other inter-racial couples.

Slavery was a political issue to caucasians, but was a personal issue to African Americans.

If there was a movement to make divorce illegal and force government to recognize only first marriages, Gecko, Rush Limbaugh, and Newt Gingrich and others who have been unable to maintain their first marriages would take it very personally, while I, having never been divorced, would see it as simply political.

What is political and what is personal is all about whose ox is getting gored.  I chose not to associate with those who are seeking to gore my ox....


"I've learned a lot of lessons being involved in politics. I also believe that when you are attacked, you have to deck your opponents." -- Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY)

[ Parent ]
What's the big deal about gay marriage anyways?
The religious right gets incredibly upset over the idea of gay marriage - for which there is maybe what - 1 mention somewhere in the bible. And it depends on how it is interpreted.

And even under the common interpretation it does not oppose lesbian marraige, just 2 men.

At the same time there are daily wholesale violations of commandments 3 and 7 (using gods name in vain and adultury). And no significant effort to stop those.

Not even any real effort on 4 except to keep liquor stores and car dealerships closed.

So why more effort on something so minor and no effort on the 10 commandments?

Where you gonna go for business reporting software?

[ Parent ]
Perhaps, but it has advantages
You may have realized that I am very opposed to the current group of republicans (and esp. the neo-cons and the W backers). Yet, with that said, I have a number of friends who are in the republican party and very high up (if you read through my postings, you will find that I have talked about a few here; these are ones that I know and/or know their family).

In addition, I have had other friends who were also high up in the dems and I learned a lot about them (including some interesting things that have kept some from moving to a higher office).

What I find interesting is you can then form intelligent choices. For starters, I am obviously disgusted by the current round of Republicans. Paschall is a VERY minor player in terms of corruption. This current stuff is simply republicans getting him out and getting somebody else in, so that they will have a head start on the next election. Think in terms of what happened down in the springs. In fact, come the next election, there will be a number of incumbant republicans country-wide who will run and then after they win the election, they will get sick (Some will be exposed and ran out on a rail). There are a LOT worse out there. He is just out in the open.

BTW, do you really think that MM REALLY decided to push that legislation? She was told to, by the white house (rove). It was to be a wedge issue and has worked; it has allowed W,C,and Rove to keep the neo-cons within the republican party, even though they never really support them.

Pay close attention to her. MM will be taking a job, possibly in the admin (or getting sick or taking care of somebody else) within the next year. I do not know who will be replacing her, but it will be somebody who they think can the next election. The hard part is convincing MM to step aside. She does not wish to at this time. But she will. And then she will have a job that pays about 200K/year, with all sorts of nice fringes. But she is less the enemy to you than you think. Pay attention to FOTF and those connected to it. Watch who they do not attack over the course of the next year. Fear those people.

As it is, I have seen some FOTF types coming in to the libertarian party and trying to persuade the party to drop reason and join with their crap. Some have bought into it. Most have used logic and reject it. Thank God. But then again, the Goldwater republicans and earlier were decent thinkers and that is now gone.

I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
[ Parent ]
Actually
That was the democrats "working to keep African Americans and Caucasians from marrying."

Just setting the record straight.  The Civil Rights Act was passed by the Republicans.

[ Parent ]
The civil rights act
was passed by a Democratic Congress on a very bipartisan vote, but it was a Democratic House and Senate working with a Democratic President (from the South).
[ Parent ]
Civil Rights Act,
was passed by a Democratic Congress and signed by a Democratic President.

Most of the Democrats who opposed the Civil Rights Act are now Republicans (or dead from old age)---for instance, Trent Lott worked for one of them before taking his house seat when he retired.

You should also note that I specificly have not said that I have a problem with "Republicans".  I have said that I have a problem with "right-wing "Christian" conservatives"--whichever party they are affiliated with.  In the 50's and 60's, they were primarily in the Democratic Party.  In the 80's and 90's they moved to the Republican Party.

"I've learned a lot of lessons being involved in politics. I also believe that when you are attacked, you have to deck your opponents." -- Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY)

[ Parent ]
OUT OF THE KOOL-AID BUCKET!
Oh, Lordy, how do you believe this crap?  You do realize that this is just one of the latest spins that you drinkers have sucked up?  It just popped up in the last year or so, AFAIK.

CR legislation was created by and passed by Democrats.  Yes, god bless those Republicans that did the right thing and voted for the various bills.

The Democrats that voted against CR legislation became Republicans.  They were the Dixiecrats, the Strom Thurmonds, the the the bigots.

"Collective fear stimulates herd instinct and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd." -Bertrand Russell

[ Parent ]
You make a good point
I wouldn't want to have beers with MM or Dobson either. But you said you didn't want to associate with Republicans period.

And outside of the bigots, there can be strong disagreement and yet I still respect their views. I have a good friend who's a libertarian. We disagree on a lot and I think his logic is simplistic. (I think Libertarianism is simplistic.) But I sure like arguing with him - especially bringing up the inherent contradictions in Libertarianism :)

Same for a friend who believes a zygote is a human being. I disagree with her but from her point of view abortion is murder. And I can;t say with 100% certainity that she is wrong. I think she's wrong - but how can anyone truly know.

And one of my favorites was the CEO at the last startup I worked for before starting my own company - a staunch Republican. One time something I tried didn't work and when he asked how it went I told him "we're talking George Bush level of miserable failure." Definitely got a laugh.

Most of my friends are liberal - after all I live in Boulder. But boy it would be boring if they all were.

Where you gonna go for business reporting software?

[ Parent ]
Re-read both of my posts....
I never said I would not associate with Republicans....I said I chose not to associate with "right wing "Christian" conservatives"...that is what the Dobson worshipper asked me about.

I also said that I do associate with Republicans who see me as an equal and treat me with respect (I even agree with them on many issues).

"I've learned a lot of lessons being involved in politics. I also believe that when you are attacked, you have to deck your opponents." -- Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY)

[ Parent ]
Re-read both of my posts....
I never said I would not associate with Republicans....I said I chose not to associate with "right wing "Christian" conservatives"...that is what the Dobson worshipper asked me about.

I also said that I do associate with Republicans who see me as an equal and treat me with respect (I even agree with them on many issues).

"I've learned a lot of lessons being involved in politics. I also believe that when you are attacked, you have to deck your opponents." -- Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY)

[ Parent ]
Ok, good point
you should repeat it to make sure others get it :)

Where you gonna go for business reporting software?
[ Parent ]
Halleluiah!
  It's time we conservatives force the Party to purge the dead weight - i.e. the frauds, crooks, and malingerers …then we can get the party back and, better yet, we won't be subjected to such inane comments as…" right-wing "Christian" conservative exposed!" Very original and deep thinking!

"All right, they're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time." Gen. Chesty Puller
Cut your losses.
I was glad to hear it when he was primaried out in '06. The JeffCo Republicans did something right.

And, ColoradoDems comment wasn't so much as insane, but rather hurtful because of it's truth.

"Suddenly, it may be cool to be American again" - William J. Kole

[ Parent ]
What a Crock!!
The "Republicans" didn't primary him.  Faye Griffin did, and with no support from the Republican Party hierarchy.  She did it all on her own.  So don't go giving the party any pats on the back.  The "party" would have just as soon he stay in place.  He was after all, the right kind of Republican, not a RINO like Faye Griffin.  All she was is a dedicated public servant with a lifetime of good service to her community.  Not enough for the Republican party these days.

I say good riddance to bad rubbish.  Hopefully, it will rub off on some of the other folks in the Republican party.  Note that a Democrat was elected to the County Commission this year.  Wonder why?  No glaring issue this year like the Taj Majal.  This year, just a tiredness with the whole Republican Party in Jeffco.

Hope he rots in jail.  Doesn't he have past convictions for durgs?  I think that came out in some of his previous campaigns. 

[ Parent ]
This is one Democrat....
...that voted for Faye Griffin in the general. 

She truly is a RINO.

"I've learned a lot of lessons being involved in politics. I also believe that when you are attacked, you have to deck your opponents." -- Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY)

[ Parent ]
did I say party?
I said "republicans" in the primary who didn't vote for him, did the right thing.
I don't care what the party did or didn't do. I know the JeffCO GOP is rotten.

"Suddenly, it may be cool to be American again" - William J. Kole
[ Parent ]
...a pretty...
...sweeping accusation that is rooted in a handful of GOP wrong-doings...it shouldn't be used as a bludgeoning tool to kill all conservatives...even of the evangelical type!

"All right, they're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time." Gen. Chesty Puller
[ Parent ]
Why not?
It's "always" the REpubs doing the corruption and the sexual misdeeds.  Republican administrations (Grant, Harding, Reagan, Bush), REpublican congressmen AND women, Republican businessmen, state REpublicans, County officials.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying some Dem's aren't in the same kettle. But a simple headcount of history shows which party attracts the immoral, the greedy, the self-serving and mostly, those who think themselves above the law.

"Sweeping accusation" is correct.

"Collective fear stimulates herd instinct and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd." -Bertrand Russell

[ Parent ]
...before...
you make such an uniformed statement as "It's "always" the REpubs..." at least, please for cryin' out loud, do some research...by no means are these unbiased sources, but they do present another side of the story...

Leaving the Left: Moments in the News That Made Me Ashamed to Be a Liberal

Donkey Cons: Sex, Crime, and Corruption in the Democratic Party

Unhinged: Exposing Liberals Gone Wild

Do As I Say (Not As I Do): Profiles in Liberal Hypocrisy

Furthermore, how far back would you like me to go to chronicle some of the most corrupt and graft related Dem. cases in our country's history - does Tammany Hall ring a bell?  Surely, you are not that naive? If so, you might want to hit the books a little harder to see the dems are no better than repubs in the area of corruption. "Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely." (Lord Acton, n.d.)

"All right, they're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time." Gen. Chesty Puller

[ Parent ]
Just a sec.
Tammany Hall was from another era when the party's were quite different.

Were Republicans still Whigs, Know Nothings, and Free Soil party members then?

Anywhoot, There are examples of wrong doings on both sides of the current aisle. Mark Paschall is just the current case of hypocrisy in Colorado and he happens to be a Republican. The next may be a Democrat.

So, your frustration is completely understood, but at the same time, the next time I hear "liberals" are the cause of terrorism, Im going to have a hard time holding back.

"Suddenly, it may be cool to be American again" - William J. Kole

[ Parent ]
...agreed...
...you will never hear me suggest the democrats are responsible for terrorism...it's irresponsible, ignorant and intellectually dishonet..not to mention just plain d-u-m...dumb!

"All right, they're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time." Gen. Chesty Puller
[ Parent ]
Cheers! One point of agreement!


"Collective fear stimulates herd instinct and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd." -Bertrand Russell

[ Parent ]
sweeeeeet!
...I promise to address the questions posed regarding the Rep. corruption...today, I am busy actually earning a living...I know, hard to believe!

"All right, they're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time." Gen. Chesty Puller
[ Parent ]
maybe those jury nullification fliers he was passing out in the treasurer's office will come in handy now.......

[ Parent ]
Indeed. n/t

[ Parent ]
Here we go again.....
Hyper-cons unable to comprehend accurately what was carefully written.

I acknowledged that Dems can be corrupt, too.  But the weight of history is that the R's are not just a little bit, but far more so. 

Name one corrupt Dem president since Andrew Jackson (you shoulda nailed me on him!)  Go ahead. Tick tock, tick tock....
Ain't none. On the other hand, we have, as stated, Grant, Harding, Reagan, and GW.  All setting new records for corruption. 

To imply that possibly it is only at the federal level that party based corruption exists, if you were to claim that, is absurd. 

I glanced at that book Donkey Cons: Sex, Crime, and Corruption in the Democratic Party, and it's obvious that not only does the author have an axe to grind (fair enough, most do), but he expands corruption to include JFK and hookers and union influence in congress.  Ohmigod! 

OK, let me narrow it down.  I'm talking votes for money.  That's what the 94-06 Pubs were all about. But no Democrat took money from Jack Abramoff, for instance. 

It's like Repub's leading the sex scandals, they just can't help themselves.

"Collective fear stimulates herd instinct and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd." -Bertrand Russell

[ Parent ]
Parsing, let's start with
LBJ and the JFK election - even LBJ admitted he stole the vote in Texas. I knew one of the aids for dear Rep. Wright of Texas. His job was to find a new hooker for Jim in every town he visited. The Dems of the late 70s and early 80s were nearly as bad as today - one of the reasons I started in teh Republican Party back in the very early 70s. The difference - the K Street mafia wasn't there. In the old days there wasn't as much money floating around. Not sure they would have behaved any better if they were in power today like they were in power then.
[ Parent ]
Well shucks…
since you opened the door…how corrupt was Jackson…let me count the ways!

Seriously, your sweeping accusations unsupported are tedious…just in a three month period the following headlines made the papers…
- An independent counsel who investigated possible tax violations by former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Henry Cisneros charged that the Clinton administration thwarted his efforts to get to the truth.
- U.S. Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) is under criminal investigation by the U.S. Justice Department for possible bribery in exchange for promoting business deals in Africa
- Federal prosecutors alleged in court documents that Ernest Newton, a former state Democrat Connecticut senator worked with a reputed mobster and his associate to try to stop police raids on businesses and advance their business interests
- Clarence Norman Jr., the longtime powerbroker of Brooklyn NY Democrats was found guilty of intentionally soliciting illegal campaign contributions.
- A top aide to Jim Black, the Democratic speaker of the state Legislature of North Carolina, resigned amid reports he had received payments from a company hoping for the lottery contract. The .State Board of Elections is investigating Black's campaign finances. The investigation comes after the group Democracy North Carolina said it found evidence that video-poker operators were funneling money through unsuspecting donors to Black's campaign.
- West Virginia.Logan County Clerk Glen Dale "Hound Dog" Adkins admitted to selling his vote for $500 in the 1996 Democratic Party primary, while Perry French Harvey Jr. pleaded guilty to conspiring to bribe voters in last year's Democratic contest
- Former Democat Gov. Donald Siegelman of Alabama was charged in a "widespread racketeering conspiracy" that includes accusations he took a bribe from former hospital executive Richard Scrushy for a key state appointment.
- Frank Ballance - a former Democrat Rep. from North Carolina was sentenced to four years in federal prison for conspiring to divert taxpayer money to his law firm and family through a charitable organization he helped start. Ballance, was a state senator before being elected to Congress in 2002, also agreed to repay $61,917 and to forfeit $203,000 in a bank escrow account in the name of the John A. Hyman Memorial Foundation.
- Five Democratic activists in Wisconsin accused of slashing the tires of vans rented by Republicans on Election Day 2004 are currently on trial
- Chuck Chvala, a Former Democrat Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader was sentenced to nine months in jail for felony misconduct in office and illegally funneling campaign contributions. Chvala had reached a plea deal with prosecutors earlier this year, admitting to charges that he directed a state employee to run a political campaign and used an independent expenditure group to funnel campaign contributions to a fellow Democrat.
- Brett Pfeffer, a former legislative director to Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting bribery of a public official and conspiracy.
- Raymond Reggie, a New Orleans political Democratic consultant and fund-raiser who is Senator Kennedy's brother-in-law was sentenced to a year in prison yesterday after pleading guilty to bank fraud charges.
we can swap stories from every decade and I can assure you for every one rep. I can find one equally corrupt dem… you make a non-sensical argument …

also…to refute this "no Democrat took money from Jack Abramoff…" http://www.washingto...
http://www.sfgate.co...

"All right, they're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time." Gen. Chesty Puller

[ Parent ]
Lordy,
Slashing tires is corruption?  Then the BW party hack who removed those activists in Denver is corrupt, too.  My last post attempted to define corruption, votes for money. And in such matters, especially in the post WWII period, it is the Pubs who have been corrupt head and shoulders over their peers.

Did I say Dems are flawless?  No, I did not.  I'm saying that generally........

You did not give me the name of a Democratic administration since Jackson that was even slightly corrupt compared to Grant, Harding, Reagan, and Boosh.  (And there was no Republican party at the time of Jackson, so my Dem line is much longer.)

As to Abramaoff and the WAPO, here is the story behind the story, which still stands as true: http://mediamatters....

"Collective fear stimulates herd instinct and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd." -Bertrand Russell

[ Parent ]
Those who hold power screw up more often.
Power is an intoxicant.  Drinking and making policy is a dangerous combination.

In places were the GOP is a permanent minority, the GOP tends to be cleaner.

[ Parent ]
I agree
People of an authoritarian bent, ie many conservatives and hence Repubs, believe them above the law and rules, that they are superior as they attain positions of power.

"Collective fear stimulates herd instinct and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd." -Bertrand Russell

[ Parent ]
Purge?!?
...."the frauds, crooks, and malingerers" from the Republican party?

What would you have left?

"I've learned a lot of lessons being involved in politics. I also believe that when you are attacked, you have to deck your opponents." -- Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY)

[ Parent ]
...wow!
... a smart and witty retort...if name calling is all you have, then your party's sunk!

"All right, they're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time." Gen. Chesty Puller
[ Parent ]
Its not all we have left,
but given the opportunity, I'll use it every time!


"I've learned a lot of lessons being involved in politics. I also believe that when you are attacked, you have to deck your opponents." -- Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY)
[ Parent ]
ow!


"All right, they're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time." Gen. Chesty Puller
[ Parent ]
Is that the fiscal or social conservatives doing the purging?
And, neither "conservatives" nor republicans were involved in this case.  It was an employee treated legally and ethically wrong.  We should be happy she stood up.
[ Parent ]
I'd agree...
...I want to see more ethical republicans (and, please, for those of you sharpening your hooves over that opening save your enegry...I've heard it all before!)...stand up and admonish that behavior. For that matter, I applaud those in my opposing party's caucus who do the same.

"All right, they're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time." Gen. Chesty Puller
[ Parent ]
Applause.
Yes, I am all for people like Rep. Jefferson from LA getting caught and doing his time. 

"Collective fear stimulates herd instinct and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd." -Bertrand Russell

[ Parent ]
Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

Amen!

[ Parent ]
In the words of Paschall himself...
"Thank the Lord!"
Paschall managed this one without divine assistance.

[ Parent ]
As I noted
in a post a few weeks ago about this issue.  Mark Paschall was a sleazebag when he was in the legislature.  I had to play golf with him a few times in fundraiser tournaments and he cheated at scramble golf.  That is about as low as it gets.  He also was a poor legislator and was mostly interested in the freebies.

I am always offended by the hypocrisy of his kind that wear their 'christianity' like a badge, but act in the most unchristian-like manner. 

Beware of those that tout Jesus the loudest, they are usually the ones being driven from the temple.

I am sooooo glad he is no longer at the capitol.  It would, frankly be nice to see his a** in jail.

female legislative aides
The female aides in the legislature hated him!  He was a greaseball! 
Maybe he can share a cell with Mark Foley


Where you gonna go for business reporting software?
[ Parent ]
Mark Paschall was never young enough for Mark Foley

[ Parent ]
Any port in a storm....
Actually, that well known phrase was used in "Candy", that underground, risque porn book in the sixties.  Seems like a gent had slipped into the wrong orifice and when told of this fact, that was his response. 

Art precedes life........

"Collective fear stimulates herd instinct and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd." -Bertrand Russell

[ Parent ]
Candy
one of the great joys I had when I was in college.  I laughed my A** off.  And tame by comparison today.
[ Parent ]
Sometimes I wonder...
if all change has been good.  I say this as an anti-censorist.  I can remember my friend Eric clandestinely showing me a book, some big seller there in the late fifties, where they use c**p instead of crap. 

Sort of like G-d instead of God.  Not putting any of the faithful down, what, you think you fooled her?

"Collective fear stimulates herd instinct and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd." -Bertrand Russell

[ Parent ]
haven't George Carlin's seven dirty words prohibited by the FCC in the '70's now been reduced to three words plus one of Janet Jackson's breasts?
The times, they are a changing......
[ Parent ]
The Republican's have no monopoly on sleeze
I'm glad to see this guy gone. And as a Democrat I do take some small joy in it being a Republican.

But before we cast aspresions on the entire Republican party - keep in mind that there are probably just as many crooked Democrats as Republicans.

And in the case of William Jefferson we did not vote him out.

Where you gonna go for business reporting software?

Agreed....
Jefferson should have been kicked to the curb.

"I've learned a lot of lessons being involved in politics. I also believe that when you are attacked, you have to deck your opponents." -- Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY)
[ Parent ]
No disagreements here.
I can't believe the people of LA-02 were so blind to his corruption as to give him another term (or as much of one as he gets before his indictment...).

OTOH, he hasn't been indicted yet - technically, he's still "clean" - and I'm sure the district is full of memories of The Man coming after their own, trumping up charges as he goes.  If he's indicted, he should definitely resign and let someone else take the reins.

Personally, $90,000 in cold cash is a bit much for me to overlook.

"I have come to the conclusion that the making of laws is like the making of sausages-the less you know about the process the more you respect the result."  -- Anonymous IL State Rep. circa 1878

[ Parent ]
Why thank you David
I was beginning to think all Republicans wore black hats and all Dems wore white. The constant drip drip drip of anti R rhetoric reminds me of the way the R's talked about the Clintons during his presidency.  The way the talking heads bobbed up and down during those days you would have thought Bill was Beelzebubba himself. I didn't like it then and I don't like it now. 

Whenever you feel the bile rising in your throat and the "all" word creeping into your consciousness, remember, there are very few pure evil people and a whole bunch of flawed individuals.  Most of us fit into the second group.

[ Parent ]
With all the bad apples
There are quite a few good ones on both sides. Republican Sen. Chuch Hagel is standing up with his principles in hand, and it makes us all proud.


"Suddenly, it may be cool to be American again" - William J. Kole
[ Parent ]
...eloquent as always!


"All right, they're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time." Gen. Chesty Puller
[ Parent ]
That's why I'm so careful to avoid the word "all."
without a qualifier like "almost" in front of it. I'm sure I've slipped from time to time.....sorry.

"Collective fear stimulates herd instinct and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd." -Bertrand Russell

[ Parent ]
How Does One Prosecute a Kickback Case These Days?
This may seem like a silly comment, but exactly what constitutes a kickback in today's political environment?

Try this experiment ...

Follow the Money is a web site that tracks contributions made to candidates in state races.

http://www.followthe...

Pick your favorite winning candidate.  I picked Chris Romer for grins.  I don't know him, I don't mean to malign him, he was just #1 on the list of winning Senators who ran for office in the last election.

Among his largest campaign contributors were a bunch of insurance companies and investment companies. 

Now go to the Colorado General Assembly web site and look up the bills he sponsored in this session (primary or secondary).

http://www.leg.state...

You'll see that he sponsored a bill to divest investments in Sudan (which may earn somebody a brokerage fee), a bill to reimburse life insurance costs of national guardsmen, and a bill to require offering hospice care in small group health insurance policies.  It sure looks like his legislative efforts were not focused on the interests of the folks in his geographic district, but more on the interests of those who contributed to his campaign.

I'm pretty sure that Mr. Romer is not unusual and I'm not suggesting that he's done anything wrong.  But, I believe even a casual study would show that the bills introduced by individual legislators have a nearly one-to-one correlation to who gave them a campaign contributions.

Try it with any legislator, and I believe you'll see a similar pattern.  In some of the other legislators, I was amazed that legislation advancing a special interest was correlated with a campaign contribution of as little as $500.

So, my naive question ... when does accepting stuff (money, campaign contributions) in exchange for government action actually cross the line of legal and illegal kickbacks?

Getting caught and being very public in your corruption is part of the answer, but it's not obvious to me where that line is drawn these days.

My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.  Thomas Jefferson


And which direction was the causality?
Did he get those donations because these were issues that matter to him and he talked about them. And the donations then come in because of that?

I know my mom gets boarloads of donations from environmentalists. But it's because that matters to her and the donations followed. Not that she got a bunch of donations and then decided to concentrate on the environment.

In real life it's probably always somewhere along this line. No matter how much money you offered you were unlikely to buy Tom DeLay to be pro-environment.

Where you gonna go for business reporting software?

[ Parent ]
Does it Matter?
Is it better (legal) to take a contribution before the election promising to introduce special interest legislation, or accept money after introducing special interest legislation?

Either way, it seems to me that the elected offical ends up beholding to somebody who's not necessarily aligned with the interests of the geographic district he/she represents.


My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.  Thomas Jefferson


[ Parent ]
For the honest elected official
I don't think lunches, Rockies tickets, or plane rides equal special interest votes.  I hear about Dems who vote pro business and anti labor on some bills after collecting Union contributions of $2,000 per group.  Then you'll see an occasional Republican who gets a B- rating from the NRA after collecting contributions there.  It happens.  I think it matters most when the official is on the fence on an issue. Much easier to fall to the side of a contributor when they don't feel strongly one way or the other.  But I agree with David, a candidate expresses opinions during the campaign and the special interest groups know will likely vote their way. 
[ Parent ]
...I'd concur...
...it's a chicken and egg argument...what should be known is exactly what bpilgram did...look at what groups give to which leg...then see what bills they pass. Easy enough and it goes to the concept of open and honest gov't. If I know my leg. supports envro laws and I give to the Sierra Club, I damn well better see some of my money go to its lobbying efforts...it doens't mean the leg. is corrupt. Leg. become corrupt when things are done in a dark alley with no light to expose the money trail.  I also know this is simplifying this discussion to an extreme, but we spend more time worrying about how to stop the money than exposing where it comes from...McCain-Feingold may be a well-intentioned attempt to keep money out of politics, but it hasn't and won't...it's like water...it'll always find a way... 

"All right, they're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time." Gen. Chesty Puller
[ Parent ]
Very true eddys
We should scrap McCain-Feingold, shine a very bright light on contributions and let each side use the exposed contributions in their ads. 
[ Parent ]
Forget partisanship
This man is the worst elected official in the entire state. It makes no difference which party he belongs to. He is unethical and mean spirited.  He made his own bed.  Be gone, Mark Paschall.  God speed! 
Paschall's defense will be.......
...that he violated no law since there is no commandment that says, "Thou shalt not covet thy subordinate's salary bonus."
  If the kickback does not fit, you must acquit!
It's a Republican-American crime wave.
Who's next?  My money's on McInnis and his McSkeletons.

"But every Republican in the world is a lobbyist…" -- Bill O'Reilly
How the mighty have fallen
We all knew the guy was nuts back when he was a legislator back in the 1990s.  Now, he went out and did something totally mindless, like this.  While he deserves to be arrested for the kickback scheme, he deserves to be locked away for raw stupidity.
Republican Mark Paschall Indicted | 78 comments
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