This just seems to fit:  “The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed – for lack of a better word – is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms – greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge – has marked the upward surge of mankind.”  From Pilot Online:

THE SCANDAL, as it so often is in Virginia statehouse politics, isn’t what’s illegal. It’s what the law allows.

The latest loophole in Virginia’s ethics laws has been brought to you by Democratic Dels. Brian Moran of Alexandria and Lionell Spruill Sr. of Chesapeake.

Moran, who is running for governor, has hired Spruill to help attract support from black voters across the state. Spruill received his first $7,500 monthly paycheck in January, according to the records compiled by the Virginia Public Access Project. His total compensation through May comes to $40,000.

No other legislator is earning a salary doing work for a political campaign, and the financial relationship raises questions about both men’s judgment.

Spruill admits he met earlier this year with Moran and Sen. Creigh Deeds, a Bath Democrat also testing gubernatorial waters. Spruill insists his decision to support Moran has nothing to do with the consulting fees, but Deeds never offered to pay him.

Spruill has an impressive network of political contacts, and even national candidates like Hillary Clinton have sought his support. He typically stumps for other Democrats for free, although he received a one-time fee of $5,000 from Mark Warner’s gubernatorial campaign.

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