The letter followed an initial note sent in December. Apparently the warnings about using equipment bought with taxpayer money for personal reasons, and doing so on taxpayer time, have had little effect. In recent weeks, as bills have been debated and statutes rewritten, Sen. Mandy Dawson, a Democrat from Fort Lauderdale, shopped for outfits at an online boutique. Sen. Burt Saunders, a Republican from Naples, browsed his hometown paper. And Sen. Jim King of Jacksonville confessed he and others keep their eye on the changing weather and the more ominous undulations of the stock market.
Many Senators exchange e-mail with constituents from the floor.
Ultimately you're going to have interactivity while you're in debate. I don't think anybody abuses it. It used to be we were not connected to anything. We could only talk amongst ourselves. Even in the pre-Internet age, it was not uncommon for Senate presidents to occasionally instruct lawmakers to pay attention to the ongoing debate.