Switch to the mobile version of this page.

Arkansas Times

Arkansas Blog

Archives | RSS

« The powerless morning line | Sports concussions: Bells are rung… »

Friday, January 11, 2013

Ethics Nate Bell finds an acorn

Posted by Max Brantley on Fri, Jan 11, 2013 at 10:42 AM

NO OAKLAWN PASSES: Nate Bell says he wont take them.

NO OAKLAWN PASSES: Nate Bell says he won't take them.

I get lots of opportunities to make cracks about right-wing Republican legislator Nate Bell of Mena. But credit where due. I liked his Facebook post today on distribution of free passes to Oaklawn Park, a long custom of the legislature. It is so ingrained that the legislature even passed a bill years ago to exempt their receipt of thousands of dollars worth of track passes from a state ethics law that otherwise prohibited them from taking gifts worth more than $100.

Wrote Bell as Oaklawn opens another season of horse racing to add a little blood sport to its lucrative casino operation:

Every year at this time I get many requests for the Oaklawn passes traditionally given away by legislators. As a general rule, I don't accept event tickets/passes from organizations offering them and do not have any to distribute. If you REALLY need $2 so you can watch a horse race let me know. I'll try to help out.

No freebies. Good rule. Good for Nate Bell. Give the honorable Mena legislator today's Duncan Baird Good Government Trophy .

Interesting thought. Would the proposed Regnat Populus ethics initiative, with its absolute ban on gifts from lobbyists or "anyone employing a lobbyist" end this pernicious practice? I think so. Meanwhile, more Nate Bells could de facto end it.

Tags: Oaklawn Park, Oaklawn passes, Nate Bell

        
Tweet
Share

Speaking of...

The terrible 10 of the 89th Arkansas General Assembly

May 9, 2013

They're the worst of the worst. /more/
Diamonds in the manure of the Arkansas legislature

May 9, 2013

Some legislators and legislation shone. /more/
'Powder, lead, walnut, brass and steel': Nate Bell's tribute to weapons

May 7, 2013

by Max Brantley

Kind of a nicely written narrative from Rep. Nate Bell of Mena on what he says was a formative episode of his youth, when, he says, a 30-30 rifle gave him the backing he needed to scare a would-be intruder away from his Alabama home. /more/
More Bell bashing

May 2, 2013

I am a resident of Massachusetts and the aunt of Lauren Rousseau. You might recognize her name; her body was blown apart by some of the 154 shots of the Bushmaster .223-caliber rifle that Adam Lanza used in his massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School. There were 20 innocent children and 5 other adults also murdered that day. /more/
Dumb Bell, etc.

April 25, 2013

by Leslie Newell Peacock

Arkansans put feet in mouth, then fire. /more/
Open letters to Nate Bell

April 25, 2013

I read your comments about Boston yesterday. YOU ARE A MORON. I'm a gun owning conservative. That did not spare me when the bombs went off in Copley Square. I wasn't home cowering when I read your comments. I was in a hospital bed at Mass General. /more/
Lyons: Nate Bell doesn't know Boston

April 25, 2013

by Gene Lyons

For what it's worth, almost everybody in Arkansas who can find Massachusetts on a road map was appalled by state Rep. Nate Bell's grotesquely inappropriate Twitter post. /more/
Room in the middle for Arkansas politicians?

April 25, 2013

by Max Brantley

Recent events recommend former U.S. Rep. Mike Ross' plan to emulate Gov. Mike Beebe as a middle-of-the-road Democrat. Moderation is appealing. /more/
Better thing

April 25, 2013

One can easily sympathize with the members of the state House of Representatives who'd like to eject Nate Bell from the chamber. /more/
How high the fence? Hearing set

April 24, 2013

by Max Brantley

Remember the fight over fence heights in the Governor's Mansion and Capitol neighborhoods, a dispute that produced unsuccessful legislation to abolish the Capitol Zoning District Commission. /more/
More »

Comments (15)

Showing 1-15 of 15

Add a comment

Subscribe to this thread:

By Email

With RSS

Showing 1-15 of 15

More by Max Brantley

Judicial ethics committee discourages TV show based on Hot Springs court

Given the ethical controversy that came with former Judge Mary Ann Gunn's use of her drug court as a springboard to commercial television, you'd think a judge wouldn't even ask.
- by Max Brantley
- May 2, 2013
UPDATE: Bill would abolish Capitol Zoning District Commission

This is an outrage and if it happens be sure to put blame on House Speaker Davy Carter's chief of staff Gabe Holmstrom along with reactionary Republican Rep. Nate Bell of Mena.
- by Max Brantley
- Apr 4, 2013
More »

Readers also liked…

Gov. Mike Beebe slams Darr, will decide on abortion bill this afternoon

Gov. Mike Beebe had harsh words for Lt. Gov. Mark Darr, who signed legislation exempting the concealed-carry permit list from the state Freedom of Information Act as acting governor while Beebe was out of town.
- by David Ramsey
- Feb 26, 2013
Voter ID may be stalled

Because it would require amending the constitution, which requires a supermajority in both chambers.
- by Lindsey Millar
- Mar 8, 2013
Ethics group fights measure to limit referendum process

I wrote yesterday about the effort backed by Arkansas's duopoly casinos at Southland and Oaklawn, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel and others to cripple the referendum process by, among others, severely limiting signature gathering by paid canvassers.
- by Max Brantley
- Apr 3, 2013

Event Calendar

« »

May

Events Movies Music Art Theater

most recent comments

Top Commenters

Slideshows

Site Index

News

Cover Story / Arkansas Reporter / The Week That Was / Smart Talk / The Insider / The Observer / Editorial / Max Brantley / Ernest Dumas / Gene Lyons / Bob Lancaster / Words / Guest Writer / Letters

Entertainment

A&E Feature / To-Do List / In Brief / Movie Reviews / Music Reviews / Theater Reviews / A&E News / Art Notes / Graham Gordy / Books / Media / Dining Reviews / Dining Guide / What's Cookin' / Calendar / The Televisionist / Movie Listings / Gallery Listings

This Week's Cover

Cover of this issue of The Arkansas Times

Quick Links

Special Publications

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
			1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	31

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
			1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	31

Browse Posts

Browse Blogs

Browse News

Browse Data

Browse Entertainment

Browse Dining

Browse Guides

Browse Archives

Browse Best Of Ark

Browse Contact / Subscribe

Arkansas Blog

Friday, January 11, 2013

Ethics Nate Bell finds an acorn

Posted by Max Brantley on Fri, Jan 11, 2013 at 10:42 AM

Speaking of...

They're the worst of the worst. /more/

Some legislators and legislation shone. /more/

Kind of a nicely written narrative from Rep. Nate Bell of Mena on what he says was a formative episode of his youth, when, he says, a 30-30 rifle gave him the backing he needed to scare a would-be intruder away from his Alabama home. /more/

Arkansans put feet in mouth, then fire. /more/

I read your comments about Boston yesterday. YOU ARE A MORON. I'm a gun owning conservative. That did not spare me when the bombs went off in Copley Square. I wasn't home cowering when I read your comments. I was in a hospital bed at Mass General. /more/

For what it's worth, almost everybody in Arkansas who can find Massachusetts on a road map was appalled by state Rep. Nate Bell's grotesquely inappropriate Twitter post. /more/

Recent events recommend former U.S. Rep. Mike Ross' plan to emulate Gov. Mike Beebe as a middle-of-the-road Democrat. Moderation is appealing. /more/

One can easily sympathize with the members of the state House of Representatives who'd like to eject Nate Bell from the chamber. /more/

Remember the fight over fence heights in the Governor's Mansion and Capitol neighborhoods, a dispute that produced unsuccessful legislation to abolish the Capitol Zoning District Commission. /more/

Comments (15)

More by Max Brantley

Given the ethical controversy that came with former Judge Mary Ann Gunn's use of her drug court as a springboard to commercial television, you'd think a judge wouldn't even ask.

This is an outrage and if it happens be sure to put blame on House Speaker Davy Carter's chief of staff Gabe Holmstrom along with reactionary Republican Rep. Nate Bell of Mena.

Readers also liked…

Gov. Mike Beebe had harsh words for Lt. Gov. Mark Darr, who signed legislation exempting the concealed-carry permit list from the state Freedom of Information Act as acting governor while Beebe was out of town.

Because it would require amending the constitution, which requires a supermajority in both chambers.

I wrote yesterday about the effort backed by Arkansas's duopoly casinos at Southland and Oaklawn, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel and others to cripple the referendum process by, among others, severely limiting signature gathering by paid canvassers.

Event Calendar

Re: TGIF

Re: TGIF

Re: UPDATE: Gun control group to spend $350,000 against Pryor

Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen, injured in a bicycle accident last week near his home, sent me an update this morning from his iPad.

Riverfest. Memorial Day.

Public for the first time, the woman who married Damien Echols discusses their relationship

For the vegetarian banh mi sandwich.

Our news partner Channel 4 has a news story that deserves repetition in full. More national headlines for the small people of Arkansas should follow directly.

Perhaps U.S. Rep. Tim Griffin might want to reconsider his earlier decision not to include Republican Rep. Loy Mauch on the list of Republican candidates he'd asked not to use his campaign contributions, having read some of what they'd written.