Appearances do matter

Public opinion polls aren't the end-all of public-policy making. But they do provide a snapshot of how Americans and Utahns perceive certain issues or the news of the day. They are valuable tools for those of us who report and opine on the news, as well as for newsmakers themselves. If anything, they're a good launching point for discussion and debate.

Take the recent Dan Jones & Associates poll on the Utah Legislature and influence commissioned by the Deseret Morning News and KSL-TV. The poll asked which groups had the most influence on Utah legislators: their own families; legislator's business interests;

constituents; legislator's church and leadership; lobbyists and special interests; or legislator's conscience/political ideals.

The survey found that 21 percent of those polled said legislators make decisions based on what lobbyists or special interest groups want. The poll also found that 20 percent of Utahns believe lawmakers base their decisions on what their constituents want. (The survey of 408 Utahns has a 5 percent +/- margin of error.)

There's no slam-dunk "ah-hah" finding here. Rather, the most significant indication is that slightly more of the people polled believe lobbyists and special interest groups have more influence on legislators than the people legislators are elected to represent. If anything, lawmakers ought to contemplate this and make a concerted effort to change it.

This page has said many times that the best way for legislators to deal with these issues is to ban all gifts and raise their own legislative pay. While a pay increase would not compensate lawmakers for time spent apart from their families, careers and other responsibilities, a raise would enable legislators to pay from their own pockets for the little niceties that some lobbyists use to monopolize a legislator's time and attention.

Some legislators go to great lengths so avoid the appearance of impropriety. They accept nothing, which is admirable.

Other legislators say that lobbyists provide valuable information. Even if a lobbyist buys a meal or provides tickets to a cultural or sporting event, there's no guarantee that the lawmaker will vote as the lobbyist has encouraged him or her to do.

Although reporting requirements have improved over the years, there is substantial room for improvement.

In the absence of laws that ban gifts of any kind, lawmakers must strive to ensure the reporting of lobbyist gifts and campaign contributions are as transparent as possible. It's not the perfect solution by any means, but it's an important accountability measure for lobbyists and the elected officials they attempt to persuade.