Reader comments
Director in state Health Department violated governor's gift ban

Lame excuse. Who cares if the person giving the tickets is a lobbyist? Sounds like Mr Patrick took tickets from the association for an industry that he regulates. Lobbyist or not, that is even more egregious then legislators accepting Jazz tickets. How many other state regulators are taking gifts? How many other state employees are accepting gifts from companies that don't get reported, since a lobbyist report wasn't required?

What did you expect? When the regulators control the life and death of companies they regulate, of course there is an incentive for those regulators to solicit kickbacks, gifts, and other "donations". At least we now know that the Health Dept bureaucracy is operating just like a Soviet union animal farm. All of us are equal. Some are just more equal than others.

Looks like the Gov's ethics policy is: "Take the gifts when you can. If you get caught, pay it back and plead ignorance (with a stupid excuse) and all is forgotten." Some policy. Welcome to Spitzer-ville, Utah where anything goes until you are caught.