When we make a mistake in our attempts to keep you informed about your state government and its elected officials, we make it a point to make amends as quickly and as accurately as possible in order to be fair to all concerned.
With that in mind, we owe a sincere apology for inadvertently misrepresenting the amount of campaign contributions received by certain legislators in our Wednesday post about the House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rep. Gordon Dove (R-Houma), State Sen. Robert Adley (R-Benton) and Sen. Bret Allain (R-Franklin).
You may remember that we said that Adley had received $70,500 in campaign contributions from oil and gas interests and that Dove and Allain received $10,500 and $6,800, respectively.
We were incorrect and in fairness to them, we want to give the correct figures here and now:
- Sen. Robert Adley: $597,950;
- Sen. Bret Allain: $34,139;
- Rep. Gordon Dove: $28,950.
There, now. We certainly feel better for having cleared the air and we hope the honorable legislators will forgive us our error.
We do not have a revised amount of oil and gas-related campaign contributions for Gov. Bobby Jindal, but we have confirmed that it is at least $545,000, most probably more. A lot more.
If there are any lingering doubts out there that politicians are bought and sold by the special interests like so many sacks of potatoes, consider the money that has been spread among our state lawmakers—just from the oil and gas interests:
- The 144 incumbent legislators (remember, this does not include those who have left office) have received more than $5.8 million in campaign contributions by a single special interest group—oil and gas. That comes to an average of $40,357 per legislator.
- For the 39 current members of the Louisiana Senate, the aggregate is a little north of $2.8 million, or $51,100 each.
- A total of $2.99 million was distributed among the 105 House members—an average of $28, 458 each, the figures show.
So, the obvious question is: what do the oil and gas interests expect in return—other than the continuation of the same good, clean government to which we have grown so accustomed in Louisiana?
How about the dismissal of a pesky lawsuit that could result in the 97 oil companies having to spend some of their hard-earned profits to clean up and restore the state’s wetlands that they have destroyed over decades of misuse and abuse.
Just think what a bummer it would be if ExxonMobil had to dip into that $8.35 billion in net profits it earned during the last quarter of 2013. Same for Shell, with its $2.9 billion in net profits for the final quarter of last year. I mean, c’mon, you have to feel some sympathy for ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson who only makes $2.72 million per year—in salary, that is. An adverse court decision could impact his annual bonus of $3.7 million (plus 225,000 shares of restricted stock worth another $21.3 million). That’s $27.7 million in 2013 alone. http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2014/04/11/exxon-ceo-2013-compensation-falls-278519336/
So, by obtaining a dismissal of litigation—before it ever goes to trial or even to the discovery stage—that could conceivably cost oil companies several hundred million dollars by spreading $5.8 million around represents a nice return on investment.
And make no mistake about it: campaign contributions are just that—investments. Nothing more, nothing less. More specifically, they are investments not in good government, but in business. And politics is a business—a very dirty business.
Politics long ago, even before the repugnant Citizens United U.S. Supreme Court decision of 2010, took the citizens of this country and this state out of the equation, eliminated us from the decision-making process on issues that clearly affect our lives each and every day.
And if you still believe our government is of the people, by the people and for the people, then you are either wonderfully naïve or pitifully delusional.
Not all the political back scratching, vote buying and deal making takes place in Washington. With far too few exceptions, it’s as close as our nearest state senator, state representative Board of Elementary and Secondary Education member and yes, even our governor. Especially our governor, the one who supposedly sets the moral tone for all other elected officials.
And the investments of the oil and gas interests in lawmakers who are supposed to be representing the interests of the state and its citizens are only indicative of a much larger problem, a problem that undermines the trust in the entire body politic, in the political process itself.
Can it be an accident that the seven members of the Senate Natural Resources Committee received an average of $62,902 each from oil interests—$11,785 more than the average for the 32 senators not assigned to that committee?
Do you think it a coincidence that the 19 members of the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment received an average of $31,670—again, $3,200 more than the average for the remaining House membership?
Oil and gas contributions for the Senate committee members totaled $462,150 and for the House committee members, $394,150—a grand total of $856,300.
And then there is the seven-member Senate Committee on Environmental Quality, chaired by Sen. Mike Walsworth, or as one blogger refers to him, Walsworthless, (R-West Monroe), whose $46,775 was eclipsed by fellow committee member Sen. Dale Erdy (R-Livingston), who raked in $118,400 in donations from oil and gas.
In all, seven senators, including Adley, Gerald Long (R-Natchitoches) and Senate President John Alario (R-Westwego), received in excess of $100,000 from oil and gas interests. Alario, the poster child for using campaign funds for private purposes, received $124,400. That’s a lot of Saints and LSU football tickets and, with his expensive eating habits, a couple of gourmet meals at one of New Orleans’ finer restaurants.
Over on the House side, only one member received more than $100,000. But that just happened to be House Speaker Chuck Kleckley (R-Lake Charles). How’s that for strategic placement of your money?
And then there is Sen. Elbert Guillory (R/D/R-Opelousas) the carpetbagger from Seattle who is an announced candidate for lieutenant governor. Guillory seems to pop up anywhere there are contributions to be had. A member of the Senate Judiciary C Committee, he managed to pull in $130,400, second only to Adley’s $597,950.
These are just some of the highlights of the data we received, courtesy of Moss Robeson of Brooklyn, N.Y., whom we would like to thank for conducting a more thorough data search and for crunching the numbers for us. Working as an intern on behalf of John Barry and the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East (SFLPA-E), he not only ran the numbers on the Senate and members of the House Committee on Natural Resources, he ran them for every member of the entire legislature.
After all, if Gov. Jindal can continue pulling in talent from out of state, then why not bring Ross in for this project—especially since his mom resides in New Orleans?
For the complete list compiled by Robeson, click here: Copy of Campaign Contributions
Here is the way the full House voted on SB 469 on Thursday:
YEAS:
Alario
Adams
Arnold
Barras
Berthelot
Billiot
Bishop, S.
Broadwater
Burford
Burns, H.
Burns, T.
Burrell
Carmody
Carter
Champagne
Chaney
Cromer
Danahay
Dove
Fannin
Garofalo
Geymann
Gisclair
Guinn
Harris
Harrison
Havard
Henry
Hensgens
Hodges
Hoffmann
Honore
Howard
Ivey
Jones
Landry, N.
Leopold
Lorusso
Mack
Miller
Morris, Jay
Morris, Jim
Ponti
Pope
Price
Pugh
Pylant
Reynolds
Richard
Robideaux
Schexnayder
Schroder
Seabaugh
Simon
Stokes
Thibaut
Thierry
Thompson
Whitney
Total — 59
NAYS
Anders
Armes
Badon
Barrow
Bishop, W.
Brown
Connick
Cox
Dixon
Edwards
Foil
Franklin
Greene
Guillory
Hazel
Hill
Hunter
Jackson
James
Jefferson
Johnson
Lambert
Landry, T.
LeBas
Leger
Lopinto
Montoucet
Moreno
Norton
Ortego
Pearson
Pierre
Ritchie
Shadoin
Smith
Williams, A.
Williams, P.
Willmott
Woodruff
Total – 39
ABSENT
Abramson
Gaines
Hollis
Huval
St. Germain
Talbot
Total — 6
Louisiana Voice 
Almost seems as though Mr. Adley had a vested interest in seeing that the law suits were dropped. Huh, imagine that.
Shameless pimping is the term that comes to mind.
At one point you make the statement that “…litigation that could conceivably cost oil companies several hundred million dollars…” If you are referring to the cost to remediate damages done by the oil and gas companies, and I think you are, that number could range upwards to and possibly well over $5 Billion. All the more reason that lawmakers should not interfere with the SFLPA-E suit. But possibly most importantly is the fact that if and when the Legislature acts to limit the right of the citizens to bring suit at common law, they will have once again acted unconstitutionally. The Seventh Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees the right of citizens to bring suit where the value in controversy exceeds $20. A potential damage award of $5+ Billion certainly exceeds that number.
I thoroughly enjoy your reports. Can you please advise of a resource for tracking contributions to judicial candidates? These people need to be exposed for their evil actions. Please tell me how I can expose these mean, hateful, corrupt people.
They should all be called exactly what they are: Whores for the oil and industry. Bought and paid for like a common streetwalker. It would be sooo wonderful to be able to call them that directly to their faces
I guess that makes the capitol the best little HO house in Louisiana.
I wonder who would play Miz Mona? LOL!
They will all be at the Capitol Sunday and Monday. If you have the intestinal fortitude to call them whores to their faces I’m sure they won’t be hard to find. Only problem is you won’t be able to hide behind your keyboard cowboy internet handle. If you feel sooo strongly about it I think you should. Maybe get some of your friends to go, and wear matching t-shirts. Preferably something bright. It always adds to your credibility.
And obviously Matt you don’t feel that these members sold out on the lawsuit issue.
hide behind your keyboard cowboy internet handle
Really? The ones who represent me in my districts know me by name from the letters I’ve sent them. My calling them whores to their faces won’t detract from their ability to sign their checks from the oil companies.
That list of contributions is unbelievable. How did Adley get $600k, more than 5 times as much as the next guy? And how does he sleep at night? This should be on the front page of the Shreveport Times but will never see the light of day. Ethics reform alive and well.
Good column, Mr. Aswell. I love my state, but have little hope that the serfs will rise up from the bread and circus distractions.
Time for a new Huey (without the deduct box). I think that might be Gen Honore’. It’s fitting that “honor” is in his name, something MIA at the state Capitol.
Cordially, Ronnie Clifton
WHY IS THIS NOT ON THE FRONT PAGE OF EVERY NEWSPAPER AND WHERE IS THE US ATTORNEY???
“And if you still believe our government is of the people, by the people and for the people, then you are either wonderfully naïve or pitifully delusional.”
Well, maybe… but remember Mitt Romney?
“Corporations are people, my friend,” Romney said.http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mitt-romney-says-corporations-are-people/2011/08/11/gIQABwZ38I_story.html
Of course, corporations cannot be put in jail and have potentially infinite lifetimes. However, as creations of the state, they could face the death penalty…in theory. Hope springs eternal. Some definitely deserve it.
Thanks for an especially good article. The fact that this stuff never appears in major media is shameful.
Thank goodness we have the “gold standard” ethics regulations in this state. They always say follow the money and boy does this money lead you to the realization that the good ole boy network hasn’t gone anywhere and isn’t going anywhere.
Wait a minute! The oil and gas companies are pimps, and the legislators are prostitutes! I don’t know that whores make that much or prostitutes for that matter! Maybe we can ask Vitter! I bet he will know!
One can go to the Legislature website to search bills by number, read bills’ digests and see how all legislators voted. More difficult to search than in the past, votes are still a matter of public record. Thanks, Tom, for publishing the yea and nay votes on this bill.
Thanks to the Bush stacked radical right Supreme Court corporations are “citizens,” contribution caps are lifted and contribution sources may now be secret. The $ amounts are likely even greater as the contributions listed probably don’t include Super PAC contributions which are shrouded in secrecy.
I still believe in grassroots power and know activists can spread the word via Facebook and other social media. Check out the Green Army, a grassroots movement fighting whore politicians and especially fracking in St. Tammany. Time for the people to take back our government.
“Bush stacked radical right Supreme Court” you are joking right?
Both Bush and Obama have made two appointments to the Supreme Court. Bush’s appointees were John Roberts and Samuel Alito. Obama appointed Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor. It was the Roberts court that handed down the Citizens United decision but some are beginning to refer to Obama’s second term as George Bush’s fourth term so there is really little difference between Republican Bush and Democrat Obama—which reinforces my often-stated position that there is little difference today between the two parties.
Surely you do not equate Alito & Roberts with Sotomayor & Kagan. The most egregious decisions (such as Citizens United) have been made since Roberts and Alito were appointed by Bush. Sotomayor was one of 4 dissenters in that 5 to 4 decision as was Stephens who was so outraged by the decision he read his 90 page dissent from the bench. Kagan was appointed by Obama to replace Stephens when he retired.
Stephens argued the Court’s ruling “threatens to undermine the integrity of elected institutions across the Nation. The path it has taken to reach its outcome will, I fear, do damage to this institution.” ….: “A democracy cannot function effectively when its constituent members believe laws are being bought and sold.”
The major difference between the 2 parties is that Democrats aren’t yet wholly owned by corporate rulers like ALEC and the KOCH Brothers. The Republicans are. Compare the party affiliations of Jindal voters with the Nay voters. Need more proof? Check out the LA Legislators’ membership in ALEC.
No, I’m not saying that at all. I am well familiar with Stevens reading his dissent from the bench—and I couldn’t agree with him more. I am saying, however, that there is corruption across the political spectrum. George W. Bush enabled Wall Street and Obama has continued to protect the banks. W initiated spying on Americans but Obama took it to a new level (thanks to Edward Snowden, we know that). George W took us into an unjustified war and Obama has been painfully slow in extracting us from that morass. Nixon was a complete crook but Harry Reid has his own set of skeletons with some of his investments in Nevada.
Philosophically, Republicans are about money and Democrats are about people but as individuals, all are controlled by money. Money is the one common denominator for all politicians.
As for your last paragraph, sadly, you are completely correct. The ALEC membership–as were the votes to kill SB 469–are obviously top heavy with Republicans. But that doesn’t change the fact that power corrupts—no matter what label it carries. There are precious few white hats anymore.
As crooked as NIxon was he supported and signed into law the Clean Water and Air Acts and instituted the EPA. No Republican since Nixon has cared for the environment, instead have destroyed it. Especially Bush. Cheney/Bush exempted the oil and gas industries from provisions of Clean Water and Air, the very legislation instituted to protect people from its pollution.
Did I just read correctly that the LA Legislature is working hard to out-stupid Texas? Not only are oil & gas allowed to inject hundreds of carcinogens and toxins into aquifers via fracking and dump them into wetlands, but disclosing a list of those toxins will soon be illegal?
Given current ownership of our legislature it’s a done deal, just like the fracking coming to St. Tammany no matter how hotly contested by citizens. I can’t help but wonder, since the Levee Board may retroactively not sue oil and gas, did Raja Jindal’s pet legislation prohibit citizens groups from suing?