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June 19, 2003
Arkansas Politics
Things are getting....interesting....in the upcoming U.S. Senate race. Blanche Lincoln, who initiated the amendment to pay tax refunds to people who don't pay taxes, is up for re-election. Former Sen. Tim Asa Hutchinson (presently undersecretary in the Department of Homeland Security) and current Gov. Huckabee are a couple of the names that are being tossed around as potential opponents....though neither of them seem too interested at the moment. Either would make it a good race. And then there's this candidate...former Benton Co. sheriff Andy Lee. Now those of us who live around here know what a groaner this is, but for those of you who ain't from around here, here's a few of the things he did while sheriff.
As Benton County sheriff from 1989-2002, he acquired a reputation for, among other things, running a jail without televisions, hot meals or tobacco; posting his own version of the Ten Commandments in the jail before a federal judge made him take it down; and filing a defamation suit against political foes who had filed a series of failed lawsuits and grand jury petitions against him.
And then there's this:
Since he left the sheriff’s office, Lee has been building houses for a living. He recently incorporated his home-building operation called Sheriff Lee’s Construction LLC.
He collects two public pensions — a disability pension from the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D. C., and state retirement from the Arkansas Public Employees Retirement System for his years as sheriff.
Asked how he can collect disability benefits while working in construction, he said it’s because by Washington police definitions, he is eligible to collect the pension. Lee was in a traffic accident while on duty and ruptured a disk in his back.
Because he was unable to completely heal from the injury, by the Police Department’s standards, he’s eligible to collect the benefits, he said. "That doesn’t prohibit me from going out and getting a job doing anything," he said.
*ahem* Perhaps our local Republican party could find a more viable candidate, with actual qualifications for the job?
Lee said a friend asked him recently what makes him "Senate material." "You don’t have to have any special quality to be a politician. The best way to represent people is to be a common person, and that’s kind of what I am," he said.
Yeah, I can see where actual knowledge of how the legislative process works, how to write & pass laws that are clear and the potential ramifications of your proposed legislation would be completely superfluous for the job of U.S. senator. Why I bet a person could pick all that up in just the first day or two on the job.
[/sarcasm]
Posted by Rita at June 19, 2003 08:54 AM
Comments
Hate to fact check bust you Rita, but....
Former Sen. Tim Hutchinson is now a lobbyist in DC.
His brother former CONG. ASA Hutchinson is currently the undersecretary for border security and transportation security.
Andy Lee is Andy Lee. We WILL have a better candidate than ole Sheriff Lee in November '04.
Posted by: Adam at June 19, 2003 11:50 AM
Thanks Adam, I did have it ass backwards. I always did get them boys' names mixed up. I'll correct that.
I sure hope you're right about a better candidate. I'd like to see someone get rid of Blanche, especially after that last thing she did. I have a real problem with someone giving our tax dollars as a "refund" to people who don't pay taxes.
Posted by: Rita at June 19, 2003 03:43 PM
We'll let you have Mayor Lee P. Brown, Socialist - Houston. Or, our beloved constable who is appealling his 5 year sentence. Maybe our police captain who got away with officially oppressing a population.
It's your choice. Consider this "draft day".
Posted by: Tony at June 19, 2003 04:48 PM
Oooo, a political trade. Hmmm let's see, not the police captain, neither of us would gain anything there. Socialist? That'd play well in Fayette-nam but probably not too well with the farmers out in the rural areas. And they do tend to vote in greater numbers than the old hippies in town.
What did the constable do? He might fit in real good here depending on what it was.
Posted by: Rita at June 19, 2003 05:06 PM
Jesse Ventura is available. :-)
Posted by: Keith at June 20, 2003 08:35 AM