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Demos fault GOP ethics reform plan

Republicans cannot own this ethics reform business at all - at least not without some serious dishonesty and self-deception. The Democrats have been working at this for years and years and years. Give them their due. The House and Senate leadership should allow the Democrats who proposed these ideas to have their names on the bill as the primary sponsors rather than stealing credit.

But what do these politicians know of honesty?

It's much easier (and politically expedient) to steal good ideas and take credit for others' work.

The Republicans can't "own" the legislature. The people own the legislature! What a bunch of arrogant idiots the Republicans are.

Ethics reform plain and simple: 1: take no money, 2: do no favors, 3: treat everyone with respect.

Mark,
Your comment is not true at all. For years, and I mean years, Republican Jeff Alexander created sponsored and passed through the House, ethic reforms only to have them killed in the Senate. While most of the Senate was to blame, do you know who was chiefly responsible for killing all of Rep. Alexander's reforms? None other than Former Minority Leader Mike Dimitrich, D-Price. So buddy, do some research before you come on this message board and recite inaccuracies.

Mark,
Your comment is not true at all. For years, and I mean years, Republican Jeff Alexander created sponsored and passed through the House, ethic reforms only to have them killed in the Senate. While most of the Senate was to blame, do you know who was chiefly responsible for killing all of Rep. Alexander's reforms? None other than Former Minority Leader Mike Dimitrich, D-Price.

1 year wait to become a lobbyist? Undisclosed meals under 15 dollars? Just a bunch of lip service to reform by the GOP.

Not true and Nice try forgot one important fact about Dimitrich...he was the Minority Leader. Meaning that it is extremely difficult for the minority leader to have that much power to kill a bill. Also, everyone forgets that Ralph Becker had an ethics reform bill every year he was a representative. And every year the Republicans would kill his reform bills. When it comes to ethics, the Republican legislators are all talk.

Very good start! One vote for Independent Ethics and Redistricting committees!

Is ANYONE suprised that Demo leaders fault GOP ANYTHING?

It seems like it's just become their duty to fault and oppose anything the other party proposes. Isn't this outcome pretty much automatic?

I have better ideas that will allow for more transparency. They need to do one of the following:

1. No gifts. Period. This is what the government has for government employees.

2. All gifts (except for gifts from parents, children, or siblings at birthdays, christmas, or anneverseries) are to be reported, and the list is to be available to the public.

Why is it so hard for politicians to not make a rule without a loophole that they will then exploit.

That Mike Dimetrich was the third most powerful law-maker on the hill for 30 years. Look at his record. Becker's bills that were similar to Alexander's bills suffered the same fate in the Senate. (Why would the majority send two similar bills to the Senate when they can send the one which has the best shot of passing, meaning the Republican's?) Democrats don't get to take credit for the passing of a Republican bill and not take any blame for killing it in the past. That is just not what happened on the Hill. At best, it's revisionist history, at worst, it's dishonest. There hands are equally as dirty. They take gifts, kill reform measures and then claim that they are the minority so it�s not their fault.

Is it wrong to think that people elected to this high of a position should know right from wrong?

If none of them ever think they do no wrong, why should they have ANYTHING against very tough ethical reforms? After all THEY'RE not guilty, just all the others!

Or is it because NONE of them want the gravy train to stop.

The simple fact is that the VAST MAJORITY of so-called gifts are for "events" that the Legislators are invited to (without their consent), held (with or without their attendance), and reported as a "gift" (without their consent). Talk to your Representative / Senator and ask them how many unsolicited invitations come their way every day in the mail, and you will get a sense of the system. I think it is unfair to continually beat up Legislators for "gifts" that they never actually used or received.

By the way, both the Deseret News and the Tribune deliver free newspapers to the Capitol and report thousands of dollars of "gifts" on their financial disclosure forms for doing so. These newspapers are counted as "gifts" to the Legislators, whether they pick one up or not.

I think the reform proposed by the Republican Legislature to remove reporting for Legislature wide events is a good move. This would remove meaningless reporting, and help us focus on what matters. In my opinion, we should be focused on undue Lobbyist influence on individual Legislators, and the current reporting system clouds the real issues we should care about.

How is an independent commission independent if someone like the governor appoints them? Once they are appointed they are no longer independent. Of course those that would be appointed would be the politically connected who worship at the governor's feed and kiss the ring. Some independence.

I think the democrats should stop whining and putting forth meaningless reform proposals and actually give us something serious.