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KindKill267 t1_j9lw6ip wrote

Yeah that's not sketchy at all. If I awarded someone contracts and they gave me that gift package I'd be in jail.

25

signedpants t1_j9l350i wrote

On one hand, I don't give much of a shit. On the other hand, I'm not a huge fan of this nonprofit made up of executives that have been covering flights and event tickets for governors for almost 30 years now. Not a good look.

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TeaNoMilk t1_j9l5501 wrote

Going to struggle to sleep tonight worrying about this one

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Trout-Population t1_j9lrd2i wrote

Didn't Shapiro lift Wolf's notoriously strict gift bans on day one?

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justuravgjoe762 t1_j9m60az wrote

The rules were adjusted, Wolf had an outright ban. Shapiro changed the rules so small gifts (<$25) can now be accepted.

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kellyb1985 t1_j9mdq9q wrote

From a practical standpoint, it's probably necessary to be able to receive some level of gifts. Anything under $50-75 would seem reasonable to me.

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justuravgjoe762 t1_j9momjp wrote

The part that got me was the legislative folks had a $500 limit. The standard commonwealth employee under Wolf couldn't accept a bottle of water, pen or a calendar.

Now tell me, who has more power in the state system. The folks who vote on how the laws are made or the guy sweeping the floor?

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ewyorksockexchange t1_j9oezy9 wrote

The executive branch doesn’t have the ability to establish a policy for legislative staffers. Also worth noting that the $500 threshold isn’t a limit on receiving gifts, it’s the threshold for having to report receiving a gift.

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ewyorksockexchange t1_j9mlcg7 wrote

I worked for an organization for a while that had various events involving state officials to discuss state business. They couldn’t even accept a cup of coffee or bottle of water without requesting an invoice from us when Wolf’s gift ban went into effect.

I understand disclosure and limiting even small gifts that have the potential to corrupt, but having to charge an executive branch agency because one of their staff members grabbed a donut at a breakfast event seemed excessive.

That said, Shapiro’s acceptance of the Super Bowl trip for himself and others is concerning. And I say this as someone who met him on many occasions, worked with his office (while Montco commissioner), and supports and voted for him.

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sx70forlifexx t1_j9kxivm wrote

Dear god this is a pathetic piece of writing

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PregnantSuperman t1_j9l704i wrote

Why? Spotlight is a legit bastion of investigative journalism. They're not some biased right wing outlet.

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[deleted] t1_j9lzwar wrote

[deleted]

−27

PregnantSuperman t1_j9m3aoj wrote

Criticizing a politician doesn't make an outlet conservative. I love Shapiro and I'm a bleeding heart liberal but I also respect Spotlight for being a hard working "good journalism" outlet. They're essentially a consortium of investigative journalists from various respected PA news outlets like PBS affiliates and the Philadelphia Inquirer (ie as far from conservative outlets as they come).

Obviously as an investigative outlet about state politics a lot of their focus is on Shapiro right now given he's the top dog. But look at their investigations and you'll see plenty of pieces about the general bureaucracy or GOP legislators.

I highly recommend you actually familiarize yourself with something before you criticize it just because you don't like a headline.

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ewyorksockexchange t1_j9mms5f wrote

To add to this, Spotlight PA has produced the most rigorous, thorough, and honestly critical investigative journalism in the state out of any news group dealing with state and local issues since their organization came into being. They tend to lean left if anything, but are not afraid to take up any issue if they sense something amiss is going on, regardless of what parenthetical letter comes behind the names of those involved.

I consume a lot of their content because it’s syndicated in a digital newspaper I subscribe to, and I can confidently say this is a Ben Shapiro vs Andrew Neil thing for the commenter you’re replying to.

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Ok-Twist921 t1_j9oqoys wrote

And this is and example of why Democrats don’t actually have to do anything they promise to get elected

−2

Buffmin t1_j9m1ro0 wrote

If it is and a problem give the proper penalties and move on

4

Chemical_Miracle_0 t1_j9m0ig5 wrote

Since the article title isn’t “Pennsylvania Governor violated state gift ban”, I’m just going to assume no, he didn’t.

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ewyorksockexchange t1_j9mlq6a wrote

It’s a violation of executive branch policy most likely (I’m not sure I see much of a distinction between grant recipient and organization with a contractual agreement with the state as the organization argues in this article), but it is only a violation of the state ethics act if Shapiro and his staff don’t report it in a disclosure.

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VidGamrJ t1_j9pn6mo wrote

Oh great, more crap for the republicans to drone on about for years. I’m tired of this crap. Everyone in government positions just spend their time bitching and moaning instead of making progress for The People.

1

Mack7769 t1_j9mpas5 wrote

Who cares...

−5

Mysterious487 t1_j9lxhc5 wrote

This isn’t a big deal in my opinion because the governor has proven himself to be a man of exceptional character. If he was wrong, the governor would be man enough to admit it and make things right. Attending the Super Bowl was a great experience for Governor and First Lady Shapiro.

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ewyorksockexchange t1_j9mnwa3 wrote

I like Shapiro, voted for him, and think he will be an excellent governor. That said, politicians are people and not inerrant. In this case, I’m uncomfortable with Shapiro and his staff accepting tens of thousands of dollars in perks from an organization that receives state money and routinely is compensated for their consulting work by the executive branch in PA.

Even if legal (if he and his staff disclose these gifts per the provisions of the State Ethics Act), it still seems fairly clear that this violates at least the spirit of the executive branch policy on gifts.

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big_hoagie_eater t1_j9mss8o wrote

The last thing I want to do is start an argument or cause any discontent, but I do have one question for you. Hypothetically, if it were Governor and First Lady of PA Mastriano, would you still consider it a no big deal, good time had by all situation?

4

Mysterious487 t1_j9npptq wrote

I would still be of the same opinion. The governor, whether a Republican or Democrat, is the top person representing the citizens of our commonwealth. It was great that our governor was at the Super Bowl and cheering on one of our sports teams. These teams bring a lot of business, tax revenue, and employment to the state, so they need to be supported by politicians of all political persuasions. I see nothing wrong with Gov. Shapiro being there. In fact, I would have been more upset if he wasn’t in attendance. As I stated before, if how the governor got there was wrong, I am confident they he will make it right. Gov. Shapiro is a decent man.

−2

big_hoagie_eater t1_j9rv73n wrote

Fair enough. I disagree, but I appreciate your sincere response. I wish more people on this sub could handle opinions other than their own without having to hide them in the -30s.

1