Appalled at public
defender's spending
I was going to write about selling the Lottery, and how silly that would be. We would receive $200 million dollars to spend today and in return we would give up over a BILLION dollars over the term of the lease.
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Rep. Lance Horbach (D-Tama)
Duh? One of my constituents said it best, "You legislators would sell Christmas if it meant more money to spend today!"
I am switching topics on you because I am writing this letter while sitting in the Justice Systems Subcommittee meeting, and I cannot believe what I just heard.
The State Public Defender was testifying that his office has no room for budget cuts. Remember they defend people who cannot afford to hire a private sector attorney. I was shocked when a fellow legislator asked why the Public Defender's office spent $500 per hour for an expert witness in Massachusetts.
We dug a bit deeper into the witness' history and it turns out that thePublic Defender's office had recently been paid $150,000 for his work on one Iowa case, and another $120,000 for a separate case in Iowa.
Wait a minute!!!! If we work hard every day, and we are charged with a crimecould most of us afford $150,000 for an expert? I couldn't!!!!
I was appalled that the Public Defender spent that much money TWICE, and is sending the bill to Iowa's taxpayers. The rest of us taxpayers operate under a legal system, where we are considered innocent until proven "broke".
State Rep. Lance Horbach represents most of Tama and all of Grundy County in the Iowa house of Representatives.