Nov 27
Ethics Reform…Cleaning Up the Mess
2009 at 3:27 pm | posted by Rep. Craig Frank 9 comments
If ethics reform and campaign finance reform are two issues that should have been addressed along time ago by the legislature, then why didn’t many of the sponsors of the ethics initiative (and the 30+ other former legislators who support the ethics initiative) do something, anything, about it ten or twenty years ago while they were serving in the legislature? After all, most of the ethics complaints filed in the last 50 years happened before I began serving in the legislature seven years ago.
Certainly, would-be “Super Czars” David Irvine (1973-79), Kim Burningham (1980-94), Jordan Tanner (1991-2000), and Karl Snow (1973-84), had ample opportunity and motivation to enact meaningful legislation while they took contributions without limits…that’s a combined total of nearly 45 years to do something, anything, to “fix the ethics problem.” [Also, Carole Peterson, primary sponsor of the Citizens' Ethics Initiative, served as the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives and on legislative staff for more than 30 years...and in her position of influence...did nothing.] Are things really any different now than they were back then?
In my opinion we’re just cleaning up the mess they left behind. And, clean-up we will. Yet, they (the ethics initiative sponsors) want to position themselves as judge, jury, and executioner of those who now sit in the very chambers where they sat during their legislative tenure…WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING.
Pot meet Kettle.
McEntee, Salt Lake Tribune article
McKitrick, Salt Lake Tribune article [Former Governor and Legislator, Olene Walker (House 1981-88) did nothing to "fix" the problem while she served in the House of Representatives for eight years.]
November 27th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
Great post. There is a reason it’s being called the unethical ethics initiative. And might I point out the volumes of hypocrisy of those sponsors wanting to pass “revolving door” restrictions on legislators while hiring a sitting legislator to become a lobbyist??? Sadly, that’s just one of many examples…..
November 27th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
What is being obviously overlooked are all of the ethics violations that have occurred the past seven years that have been swept under the rug by the Republican leadership of the legislature and about which no ethics violations were even filed. When one reads the proposed ethics rules in the initiative it is easy to put the name of a currently serving legislator next to almost every one. This fact by itself speaks volumes about the ethics of the currently serving legislature and the need for reform.
It is this blatant “look the other way” and “business as usual” attitude in the current legislature that has prompted the Utahns for Ethical Government to take the reins on this issue. If Utah had the checks and balances of a true two party system, the Republican majority would not be in the position it currently finds itself in having to defend against the citizens of the state taking over the responsibility of bringing ethics back into Utah’s legislative branch.
It is interesting that Holly feels the need to keep “picking” at the Cory Holdaway appointment as if it were some kind of scab in order to make a point. That in itself proves that she really has nothing of any real substance to say to back up her false charge that the ethics initiative itself is “unethical”. Perhaps when the initiative passes, she can sit in on the ethics classes provided to the legislature by the citizens ethics committee and find out what ethics are really about.
November 27th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
JBT is an ornery *** He’s consistently mean, one-sided and long winded. His poor wife. I’ve started ignoring his comments.
November 27th, 2009 at 6:22 pm
Cory is spelled with a “K”.
November 27th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
“JBT’s Mother”:
This is a family site, let’s not @!%*$# name call. JBT may have a different point-of-view than some of us…but, my kids read these blog posts…sometimes.
(Damn and Hell are OK, just ask my kids.)
November 28th, 2009 at 10:35 am
What is important to note is that unlike some pusillanimous posting participants some of us have the courage to write under our real identities and accept accountability for our comments. My dear mother passed away 29 years ago. The rude and cowardly conservative really needs to pick another name to hide behind to take his/her shots at me.
Those who “ignore” points of view other than their own can accurately be called ignorant in the true definition of the word.
November 29th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
Craig
So you admit it. We have an ethics mess. Fine, you win–ethics reform should have happened 30 years ago. It didn’t and as the title of your post indicates, we now have a mess. Sounds like we agree on something.
So do something real to fix the mess and I’ll be happy.
Unfortunately, as in days past, I doubt the Legislature’s ability to do just that. I’m guessing, that just like before, the Legislature will not be able to make meaningful ethics changes. Prove me wrong.
November 30th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Scott: I’m the guy with 3 Campaign Finance bills for consideration next session. However, like 35 former legislators have stated, a lot of what these bills look like by the end of the session will depend on the other 103 legislators. It takes 38-15-1 for any bill to become law.
December 5th, 2009 at 8:41 pm
JBT has no sense of humor.
Brother Frank better clean up his language before he teaches Sunday school tomorrow.