Pete - you continue to amaze us with your insight and superior intellect. *wink*

But seriously, both sides of this are at fault and costing the taxpayer signficantly - there is no feeling as disgusting as $38,000 of our tax dollars unneccessarily going to attorneys. I do agree with you, Minan, that the $38,000 should come directly from Senator Kapanke's bank account.

Why? Simple, it is politics. He is running for a congressional seat currently held by a democrat so the opposition is doing research (digging) to make the other side look bad...it works much of the time. The information was contained in a yahoo e-mail account that was thought to be private and not under open records laws, so it was not searched when asked for records.

Both sides of this equation are dumb. First, the staffer that performed communication through a personal account instead of government account and second using attorneys to dig for information on an activity the other side already knew took place. So the tax payers are on the hook for stupidity…we need term limits!

Typical party politics...both parties cost the tax payers, the Democrats for getting lawyers involved and a stonewalling Republican with bad record management skills. You can take it to the bank that a big chunk of the $38K (if not all of it) will be funneled right back into the Democratic party. And why isn't the Republican party stepping up to bail out its card carrying voter constituency who are paying for it twice, once through their campaign contributions and again on their taxes. All political parties are pathetic.

janesvillean; I agree this was typical politicians & was wrong. It should be repaid just like all the money diamond jim cant account for.
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I also bet the firm that billed the 38k makes a nice little donation to the Dems this year. Wanna take that bet?!

If the problem resulted from his campaign, why do the taxpayers have to pay for it. Why doesn't the money have to come out of his campaign funds?

Uh, Pete, the $38,000 goes to the attorneys, who would not have been necessary if Kapanke's office hadn't stonewalled. Perhaps the $100 can end up in the campaign fund, depending on election financing rules, but I bet not. It'll pay for a laser printer cartridge or something.

Come on, those poor attorneys have to eat too!

"$100 in damages and $38,000 in attorneys fees" Seems a bit lop-sided.

"$100 in damages and $38,000 in attorneys fees" Seems a bit lop-sided.

"$100 in damages and $38,000 in attorneys fees" Seems a bit lop-sided.

Um... Joe? Anything you'd care to add?

Hey, where are all the neo-cons, decrying this theif's irresponsibility. It says in the State Constitution that any lawmaker doing this must be blindfolded and shot at dawn,. It does, it really does. Ask Joe Wilson. He knows what things say.