Solitaire-Playing Lawmakers Draw Criticism
By JASON DUSETT
Updated 11:31 AM EDT, Fri, Sep 4, 2009
You've probably seen it.
A photo captured by an Associated Press photographer showed two lawmakers playing solitaire online during a special session to pass a two-year budget in the state.
The games took place as lawmakers met late Monday night and into Tuesday morning to pass a budget, which was already three months late.
The picture caused quite a stir, and found itself on several Web sites, including nbcconnecticut.com and The Drudge Report.
Now, a Republican candidate planning a run for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Senator Christopher Dodd in 2010 has called for a change in policy.
In a letter written to Connecticut Senate President Donald Williams and House Speaker Christopher Donovan, Tom Foley is calling for a ban on Blackberries and laptops during formal Connecticut House and Senate sessions.
"It's bad enough that taxes and spending are going up," Foley said in a letter, which he also posted on his campaign Web site. "It's even worse to think that our elected representatives would rather play computer games than listen to arguments against their reckless tax-and-spend philosophy."
Williams and Donovan have yet to respond.
First Published: Sep 3, 2009 11:28 PM EDT
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