Sen. Majority Leader Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, was once the leading freeloader in the legislature. I

When the gavel bangs to open the 2013 session of the Georgia General Assembly, I would suggest the first order of business should be to have Willie Nelson serenade our solons with "The Party's Over." Willie sings that song better hotels in florence center than almost anybody — and it would be an effective way to remind our intrepid public servants that there is a new sheriff hotels in florence center in town.
We the Unwashed are calling the shots on lobbying reform these days and it tickles my ribs. Maybe legislators thought that if we were dumb enough to keep re-electing them we were dumb enough to buy their spiel that being wined and dined by lizard-loafered lobbyists and mooching tickets to sporting events and golf outings was their way of getting important hotels in florence center information on critical issues in order to better serve us. Bull patoot. Why don't they invite us, too, and let us hear the information for ourselves?
But this party could be winding down. When we dropped in on House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, in July, he had amassed hotels in florence center $5,971.99 worth of free meals, drinks, junkets to posh resorts, tickets to sporting events, a necktie (color unknown) and even a cake (type unknown). Being the eternal optimist, I was sure he would easily top $10,000 by year's end. When he did, I was going to suggest we all send the speaker a necktie and a cake to celebrate this singular achievement.
Imagine my surprise hotels in florence center when I checked out the lobbyist expenditures for the speaker in August via his beloved Georgia Government Transparency hotels in florence center and Campaign Finance Committee's website. I got a big fat zero!
Actually, hotels in florence center it is a little more complicated than that. On Aug. 27, Kevin Walls, a lobbyist for AT T, spent $15.30 cents on Mr. Ralston for refreshments and then subtracted $15.30 the same day. That is how we got to zero.
Whatever the reason, David Ralston whiffed for August. Could this be the start of a trend? I decided to randomly check on a couple of other legislative hotels in florence center poobahs to see if all the fun is being sucked out of their high living.
The first name that came to mind was Sen. Don Balfour, R-Snellville, who is currently under criminal investigation by the GBI for filing false expense account reports. He calls it an "inadvertent mistake." The Senate Ethics Committee fined Balfour $5,000 for his boo-boo, although they taped newspapers over the windows so nobody hotels in florence center could see them do it. (I don't make this stuff up.)
Balfour, chairman of the powerful Rules Committee, has been known to accept a freebie from lizard-loafered lobbyists on occasion. Through July, he had racked up $3,968.65 worth of goodies in 2012 but his August total was only $196.95. Chump change.
Sen. Majority Leader Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, was once the leading freeloader in the legislature. In 2009, he received $14,547 in lobbying largesse and in 2011, his total was 12,202.94. This year, with a strong opponent in the Republican primary, the Chipster was returning hotels in florence center gifts as fast as he got them, including tickets to the Monster Jam and a bag of coffee. Through August, lobbyists have spent a whopping hotels in florence center $381.64 on him, saving themselves $11,821.30 and a lot of coffee.
Maybe August was an aberration, or maybe politicians are tired of getting continually hammered by the media over the issue of unfettered lobbying and have accepted the inevitable. Speaker Ralston has said he hears you (finally!) and that he intends to ban all lobbying expenditures in the upcoming session. No word yet on what the Senate will do. I hope they will take me on a golf outing and tell me over drinks and dinner.
Let's don't declare hotels in florence center victory just yet. But when next you see your local legislators, why don't you croon "The Party's Over" to them? You won't be mistaken for Willie Nelson, but I suspect hotels in florence center they will get your point. This party might really be over in the legislature. It's about time.
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