Fox5: Perdue, lawmakers enjoyed hunting trips with insurance exec

For the 197th time in the last four days, Dale Russell of Fox5 has uncovered some Gold Dome silly business. The veteran investigative reporter says Gov. Sonny Perdue and several state lawmakers flew on a private jet to enjoy guns and camaraderie at a posh mansion in southwest Georgia, all courtesy of an embattled insurance executive who’s now under investigation by the state insurance commissioner. (Jesus, that was a helluva sentence to write.)

According to flight logs and interviews, the governor and Republican state Reps. Mark Burkhalter, Jim Cole, Butch Parrish and Jay Shaw enjoyed friendly days in the woods with M. Clark Fain, the former CEO of Southeastern United Insurance Company. State regulators shut down the workers’ compensation insurer last year because it allegedly lacked the cash to cover claims.

Perdue and the lawmakers say the junkets weren’t really junkets, just a chance to shoot some birds with some friends, knawhuimsayin? But SEUS apparently did business with the state, which raises the pesky “questions” politicians always hate hearing about. Anyhoo, roll the tape!

Why is it always hunting trips? Or golf vacations? When are we gonna hear that lawmakers went on some really wacky excursions, like to tattoo conventions or antiquing? Or to a sweat lodge? Is that too much to ask?