From the BEAVER COUNTY TIMES:
…Pennsylvania is one of 11 states that allow unlimited contributions to political campaigns. Meanwhile, the federal government and 39 states limit the amount of money donors can make to individual candidates and political action committees.
If you don’t think that makes a difference, check out the run-up to last month’s general election when the natural gas drilling industry poured millions of dollars into the governor’s race. As the editors of The Philadelphia Inquirer noted, when “a wealthy individual, corporation or union can donate a six-figure sum to a candidate, the concepts of a level playing field and fair elections become a laughingstock.”
Then there are the state’s ethical standards for its judiciary. The Inquirer reported Pennsylvania judges, with the exception of district magistrates and traffic court judges, can accept whatever gifts they like as long as they disclose them….
Click here to read the full article.
In other words, if the legislature passes a law that the judges don’t like, the judges can exempt themselves from the law. So ethically and financially they answer to no one. They are basically placing themselves above the law. Is it any wonder people have so little confidence in the judicial system in this state!