McCaskill wants to ban lobbyists from paying to save seats at hearings

[proud2BlibKansan]

UPDATED 5:44 p.m.

WASHINGTON | At 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jay Moglio was standing at the head of a line at the corner of 2nd and C streets near the Capitol.

By 7 a.m., when the building opened, he was first in line for a seat at a 10 a.m. Senate Commerce Committee hearing on consumer complaints about cell phones. But Moglio, a 47-year-old bicycle courier, had no intention of attending.

He was a professional “line stander.” His job was merely to hold a place in line for a wireless industry lobbyist who showed up minutes before the gavel. Moglio would pocket in the neighborhood of $70 to $90 for his time.

Sen. Claire McCaskill, a member of the committee, would put him back on his bike seat and send him on his way for good.

more . . . http://primebuzz.kcstar.com/?q=node/7573#comment-2350

[rwheeler31]

1. Claire gets it.

please listen.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. First decent thing she has done in awhile

[Mind_your_head]

3. That's a "start" to correcting this KKKorrupt system that we live under....

Trying to undue the 'big bucks' and cronyism will be MUCH, MUCH more difficult, if not *impossible*.....one crony will only replace a different crony *sigh*.

Hope springs eternal? :patriot:

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. Yes it's a start

but I prefer impeachment. :)

[madokie]

5. while you're at it throw the bums out

I like Claire, Keep in mind that this is coming from a guy who is represented by the likes of dr tom coBurn so anything looks good to me :hi: :hug:
That wasn't and isn't a putdown to Sen McCaskill, as I feel she is on our side, watching out for us, for me.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. She voted for FISA

and her staff is very unresponsive. Yes, she has SOME correct ideas. But we are not real happy with her. Of course, she is an improvement over Jim Talent.

[onenote]

7. and how will it work going forward?

Tickets issued in advance with ID checks to make sure that the person with the ticket is the person attending the hearing? It will be a mess if everyone attending a hearing has to go through an ID check in order to get into the room.

How will the tickets be issued? First come, first serve? In person? Over the phone? Via the Internet? Will there be a limit per firm? What if someone has an emergency and can't make it. Do they forfeit their ability to send a replacement? Right now, its not uncommon for businesses to have multiple representatives attending hearings, but public interest groups tend to only send a single person. So if that person can't make it, they'd be screwed, but if one person from a trade association doesn't make it, its no biggie since there probably are three others attending.

The folks getting paid are bike couriers, students, others with limited resources (other than time). They are the one's that will get hurt.