Reader comments
No end to lobbyists' gifts?

This is outrageous! The five lawmakers you cited, who took $2,707 or more in lobbyist gifts, need to be specifically targeted for defeat the next time they run for office as an object lesson to the rest.

And giving $50 fruit baskets to the governor? If these lobbyists have so much money to burn, why don't they donate it to a homeless shelter or a food bank?

We don't send lawmakers to Salt Lake to grow rich - we send them to serve the people. I don't want to hear any lawmaker whine about being underpaid - you don't like the compensation, don't run for the office.

We're acting like a bunch of darned Nephites who've gotten lifted up in the pride of our hearts, getting gain, looking down upon their poor. If we don't change, we might share their fate.

Who says money doesn't buy our elected legislators and representatives? Only a fool would believe otherwise. For this reason all gifts should be banned as well as lunches with lobbyists. Voters have a right to hear what lobbyists are plotting behind our backs and all lobbyists must present thier case at open public meetings just as the citizens are required to do. The citizens are the electroates, business license are not a ticket to private and secret deals with our government. Lobbyist and many government leaders prey on the ignorance of the public in secret and costly to the taxpayer deals with businesses and other government agency's. We need to ban all gifts and all private meetings with lobbyists. The citizens should have the same rights and access to its elected officials that are given to these lobbyists. Violations of such bans should also have severe and punishable consequences for violating it. Lobbyists and government officials meeting in secret are violating the trust of the people that they are elected to represent. A business owner is a citizen but not his business. Business does not have a vote at the polls nor a vote in the laws.

It's not a gift it's a BRIBE. Shame on the legislators (law makers/law breakers) and shame on the lobbyists. And thanks to the Deseret News for pointing them out.

They wouldn't give the gifts if they didn't believe that it would have some influence. It doesn't make sense to think that thousands of dollars are given in gifts with no anticipated or resulting benefit.

I work in an industry that has come under intense scrutiny by the state and federal government. Members of my industry have had our integrity and character questioned for very small and simple gifts, such as a business lunch, where a legitimate business issue was discussed. I have turned down Jazz tickets because of the appearance of impropriety. We won't even take pens advertising the logo of private industry firms because of the assault upon our integrity.

There is no end to this unless our legislators refuse even the appearance of undue influence, and refuse to receive gifts from any source which has a potential conflict of interest. Otherwise, the double standard is really hard to take. When government calls into question the conflict of interest of any particular industry, and mandates strict rules to preserve the public trust, but they themselves receive gifts which may influence their activities -even if it only creates the wrong impression -the confidence of the electorate is impacted.

IHC = "legal, but sneaky". Should be illegal for a "non-profit" organization to be bribing legislators to avoid declaring is a "for-profit" organization.

Who's buying your lunches, Bernick? Let's see your end-of-year disclosures, Des News.

It is absolutely crazy that these legislators can accept gifts of this magnitude and the gifts have absolutely nothing to do with making them better legislators or getting a Job done and yet a public employee, like a school representative, cannot even go to lunch with a vendor to talk over something which might improve school or achievement.
It is a felony for both the person who offers and the employee who accepts a corndog in the state of utah according to the Utah state procurement code. The legislators suggest that they have no influence over procurement whereas a public employee does. Give me a break!
We need legislation that make it fair and reasonable across the board as to what can be done in the name of getting business done in this state. I have never heard of a contract being given because of lunch at Applebees but I have heard of legislation being influenced because of Jazz tickets or a flight somewhere. It is time we throw out the right wing what's in it for me crooks and replace them with good solid working class people.
Fix the law... Please.

$2800,00 does not even scratch the surface of what Senator Reid gets!

"You scratch my back and I will scratch your back" is what it boils down to and it is DISHONEST! i DON'T TRUST ANY OF THEM. pOWER JUST GOES TO THEIR HEADS.

Disclosure is the way to go. A lunch to learn about issues is fine with me. Our legislators should listen to different sides of issues that lobbyist present. Lobbyists are not all bad and they carry the voice of different groups of people. Legislators don't make that much money for their work on the hill. However, that being said, they are public servants and should disclose all gifts taken. Big things like trips and such look bad. A round of golf or lunch that gives the lobbyist the ear of the legislator are not bad, in my view. If all is disclosed, the constituents can vote for themselves if a Legislator is being excessive.

As for Stan Lockhart, I am embarrassed as a State Republican Delegate, that my colleagues voted for him. The Republican party has enough troubles as the dominant party in the state avoiding impropriety. We don't and didn't need the biggest supplier of Lobbyist gifts as our leader. To read that he finds loop holes to hide the gifts, is even more disheartening. Avoiding the very appearance of impropriety, is vital to republican ideals and values.

Bribing a public official should be outlawed. What really get's my goat is that these bribes are more than likely written off as a tax deduction. So we, the taxpayers, get to pay for the bribes of our lawmakers.

Lobbyist's are simply middle men who sell the virtue's of rogue entities,They should go back to selling used cars and not earning a living at the expense of the public.

The lobbyist control policy making at the federal level,state level,county level etc.etc.etc.to give a good example of how entrenched into the political land scape the lobbyist are consider this.what do the majority of federal elected officials do upon leaving office??wheather they are defeated,retire or forced to leave office,that's right they go into the lobbying business.because they know where the big money is.one recent prime example is senator trent lott from mississippi.not seeking reelection to become a lobbyist because that's where the BIG BUCKS are.lobbying,illegal or otherwise is totally out of control and probably non-stoppable.

We all like to get something for nothing. How many of us would turn down free Jazz tickets, other gifts, or money? They are "free" aren't they?? I wonder why I never get anything for "free?"

Gifts are fine, as long as full disclosure is made.

The rules should be very simple. When anyone gives anything to a legislator, a form must be filed that shows the value of what was given, to whom it was given, and the purpose the gift served.

Those forms could even take the form of a small receipt book or checkbook that the legislators carry around with them, giving a receipt to each lobbyist that gives them something.

The DNews cites a Dan Jones poll but then fails to mention that his wife, Senator Pat Jones(D), has run legislation banning gifts but then took some very expensive Billy Joel tickets. I wonder if that conflict was not mentioned because of the conflict the DNews has using Dan Jones. It looks like the Dnews is scrubing the Jones Family's back for their exclusive polling relationship with the DNews. How tender. And how hypocritical.

I have heard various elected officials say that a lobbyist's gifts do not buy favors, but only access. To this I have thought to myself, how would you know? You may know your own heart, but given human nature as it is, I doubt this is true in a great number of cases. Gift giving must be effective whatever the reason or else they would not be given.

Even if this were true, which I doubt, it is wrong that some people and causes be given more access than others merely because there is a gift that is given. This dilutes access to other causes that have not gift. This gives the already well to do more access than the less well heeled.

If a cause is important, let the elected official give that cause consideration on its merits only, and not let gift giving dilute the access given to causes which don't have gifts tied to them.

A bribe is a bribe in any other walk of life except with government officials, it is a common practice.

A poor college athlete can not so much as have an alumni buy him lunch let alone get Jazz tickets. Yet our political leaders drive around in free cars, with gas allowences and take,take,take, with no consecquences.

I was with you all the way untill you had to bring up the Nephite thing. For once can we stay on topic without throwing in a religous plug!.