IMHO: Warchest spending on lavish gifts, overseas junkets not passing the smell test

State Sen. President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Alameda/Oakland, has a thing for really expensive, fine pens. I can't blame him. I like fine writing instruments, too. The difference between us is that I'm just a journalist and blogger. He's a politician and a powerful one at that. When I buy a pen, it's a rare indulgence that comes out of my personal funds. Perata buys his pens and gives them out as gifts from funds he's raised from supporters and other interested parties. The issue of how Bay Area politicians spend the funds they raise and build the warchests they maintain continues to worry many observers. The latest tally came Sunday in this Contra Costa Times article. The report begs the question of why our local legislators would need, for instance, travel to France, as Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, D-SF, did, so that she will personally know how fast a bullet train really goes. This trip overseas I'm sure will better prepare this lawmaker when and if -- and it's a big if -- a vote on high speed rail comes to our statehouse or at least that's the idea. Call me crazy and probably way too naive, but when I give money to politicians I might be doing so to buy better access to get my argument heard. Maybe they use my cash to get elected or re-elected. I get this. What I don't necessarily expect my contribution to be doing is funding feel-good junkets or buying nice gifts for staffers. C'mon people -- when did we go off the rails on this? On the rare exception that a state lawmaker really needs to leave California to study or better understand an issue -- fine. Go for it. Otherwise, I don't think this practice really passes the smell test. It might be legal, but it ain't right.