Republican Values: Drop Coin In Slot Edition

Republican State Sen. John "Shakedown" Schickel of Kentucky doesn't mind letting you know that he believes it's his right under the First Amendment to accept cash and other gifts from lobbyists while on the job, and he's working to change Kentucky's state ethics laws to allow that.  Give Shakedown points for his version of minimum wage legislation for politicians.  What he's suggesting be above board is what normally goes on below board in state legislatures and the U.S. Capitol (recall the true story of Weeper of the House John "Mr. Tangerine Man" Boehner passing out checks from the tobacco lobby on the floor of the House back in the '90s).

Shakedown's story goes to the core of the century-old Rethuglican view of Government as existing primarily for the protection of business interests, whether it's in the form of corporate tax policy or cutting regulations that protect the public or promote competition.  Naturally, his logic probably goes, a lawmaker doing the bidding of his benefactors, almost as an employee would, should receive compensation from them, be it campaign contributions or outright payments and gifts.  To paraphrase a quote attributed to (among others) Winston Churchill, he's already established what he is, he's just haggling over the price.