Ga. Legislature defines ‘transparency’ strangely
Nobody knows much about Ray Boyd, the wealthy businessman who this week kicked in $2 million of his money to fund a campaign for governor.
However, he does seem to be a pretty astute political analyst.
“I’m appalled at Georgia,” Boyd told the AJC’s Jim Galloway. “They had an ethics meltdown, and the new speaker was going to do something about that — well, they do the same damn thing that they do every time. They know the public’s attention is about 10 minutes long, so they waited from December, he waits till the end of this legislative session, and he puts in a milquetoast change.”
Yes, sir. That describes the situation exactly.
At the beginning of the 2010 session, with Speaker Glenn Richardson freshly ousted and scandal threatening others in the GOP’s legislative leadership, the air was as thick with promises of ethics reform as a spring day in Atlanta is filled with pollen. Richardson’s replacement, David Ralston, talked of real ethics reform, including limits on the value of gifts that lobbyists could confer on legislators they wanted to influence.
But weeks passed, months passed, and no ethics-reform package emerged from legislative leadership. When a bill finally did emerge in late March, it contained no limits on the thousands of dollars in gifts that lobbyists have showered on influential legislators. It placed no restriction on the loyalty-buying practice of shifting donations from the overflowing campaign treasuries of top legislators to those lower in the food chain, and no new limits on how unused campaign and PAC money could be spent.
Even Congress now bans the giving of gifts to its members by lobbyists, but in Georgia, legislators are apparently more interested in maintaining the flow of expensive trips, meals, golf excursions and sporting events than in improving their reputation for ethical behavior.
Instead, the new byword is supposed to be “transparency.”
According to Ralston and House Ethics Committee Chairman Joe Wilkinson, greater transparency in gift-giving and donations will allow the public to be the judge of ethical behavior under the Gold Dome.
Toward that end, the “reform bill” would increase the amount of fines that the state Ethics Commission can levy on those who fail to properly disclose contributions. It also requires candidates for local office who raise or spend more than $20,000 to disclose their campaign finances electronically with the state, where they are more accessible.
All that’s fine. But it is hardly sufficient. In fact, other important provisions in the bill would make government less transparent, not more.
For example, lobbyists would no longer have to disclose expenses for “food, beverages, travel, transportation, lodging and other related activities” that they provide when a public official is attending a meeting. (See Section 18)
If that provision were now law, lobbyists for tobacco giant Altria would not have had to disclose that last November they flew Gov. Sonny Perdue and a staff member by private jet to Austin, Texas, for the 2009 Republican Governors Association meeting.
Likewise, legislators could be flown secretly to “meetings” in Hawaii, Barbados and elsewhere, without the voters ever learning a whit about it.
Transparency?
Another section of the bill attempts to discourage the filing of frivolous ethics charges. Under the change, those who file such complaints could be assessed legal fees.
Frivolous or politically motivated ethics charges can admittedly be a minor irritant to politicians. But the question is whether the removal of that irritant can justify discouraging the filing of potentially valid complaints.
In 2007, you might recall, an ethics complaint was filed against Richardson charging that the speaker was engaging in an affair with a lobbyist. Richardson called it baseless, and state Sen. Eric Johnson, chair of the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee, refused to even investigate.
“… We cannot look into vague charges based on gossip and rumor without any evidence supporting the charge,” Johnson ruled. “To do so would turn this committee into a circus and invite kooks and partisans to file false charges.”
Two years later, that charge was proved valid.
If transparency and trust in public judgment are the new credo, certainly the public can be trusted to sift the frivolous from the real.
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171 comments Add your comment
Normal
April 9th, 2010
7:38 am
Aren’t you supposed to see through transparency?
Normal
April 9th, 2010
7:39 am
I saw it first!
FrankLeeDarling
April 9th, 2010
7:42 am
Good old boy rules
TaxPayer
April 9th, 2010
7:44 am
Sanford should run for governor of Georgia.
FrankLeeDarling
April 9th, 2010
7:51 am
Georgia will continue to fall behind as long as it retains the redneck status quo of developers,bankers and politicians being the same persons.
I Report :-) You Whine :-( Impeach Drunken Fool obozo! Just sayin...
April 9th, 2010
7:55 am
Congress approved a record $1.9 trillion debt ceiling increase Thursday together with Democratic-backed legislation to reinstate “pay-go” rules credited with helping to rein in deficits in the 1990s.
No Lobbyist in the Obama Administration … Except When There Is One
Finally – real ethics reform passed in Congress! Yesterday the Senate approved S. 1 – the “Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007” – with a veto-proof majority of 83 to 14. On Tuesday, the House also passed the bill with flying colors by 411 to 8. -Aug 3, 2007
With such big targets for one to shoot at, do you not wonder why Bookman snipes at the pittances of state legislatures?
Does this not confirm that he is a White House lapdog?
USinUK
April 9th, 2010
7:56 am
“They know the public’s attention is about 10 minutes long, so they waited from December, he waits till the end of this legislative session, and he puts in a milquetoast change”
good gravy – it sounds like there’s someone running for Gov who actually has a clue!
AmVet
April 9th, 2010
7:58 am
Might as well pay the pols a fortune up front, then maybe they’d be inclined to forget about all of the dirty money thrown their way.
On second thought, no they’d take that too.
It’s the American way.
What’s better than mountains of money? MORE mountains of money…
Peadawg
April 9th, 2010
8:00 am
“Congress approved a record $1.9 trillion debt ceiling increase”
So much for Obama’s promise of not signing any bill that will add to the debt……
stands for decibels
April 9th, 2010
8:02 am
When a bill finally did emerge in late March, it contained no limits on the thousands of dollars in gifts that lobbyists have showered on influential legislators.
Jay, how about a link to the bill that was passed?
I see there’s a site listing all the bills that’ve been signed into law in 2010:
http://www.legis.ga.gov/legis/2009_10/leg/govsign.htm
but I’m not sure which one this would be.
stands for decibels
April 9th, 2010
8:04 am
Let the record show that it took 21 whole minutes for our resident off-topic troll-spammer to try to make this about Obama.
And thanks for getting his back, Peadawg. Real class acts, both a’ yuz.
Peadawg
April 9th, 2010
8:05 am
SFD, sorry. Truth hurts??
stands for decibels
April 9th, 2010
8:05 am
No, truth doesn’t hurt; your lies and distortion have been known to, however.
SOUTHERN ATL
April 9th, 2010
8:06 am
It’s all about GREED and not about the constituents that elected the politician. They could care less about the issues that the people encounter!!! Maybe the future administration will see a real significance why true ethics reform is IMPORTANT!
Bubba
April 9th, 2010
8:06 am
For a true example of transparency, we need look no further than the health care negotiations that were televised on C-SPAN, just as Obama promised.
Peadawg
April 9th, 2010
8:08 am
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/32537.html
Where did I lie, SFD?
stands for decibels
April 9th, 2010
8:10 am
Jay, seriously, some official posting guidelines, at some point, would be nice; they ought to be posted at all of the AJC blogs.
You’ve tried in the past to keep people posting on topic, or limited their off-topic posts.
Yeah I know, it’s your blog, your rules, but if the trolls want to fill the first page with their customary whingeing about the Administration rather than the specific issue at hand, I’d really prefer they find someone else’s backyard to poop in.
Paul
April 9th, 2010
8:11 am
Maybe an outsider who can get something done. But he’ll be up against a lot of entrenched interests fighting to protect their top two priorities – money and power.
“Another section of the bill attempts to discourage the filing of frivolous ethics charges. Under the change, those who file such complaints could be assessed legal fees.
Frivolous or politically motivated ethics charges can admittedly be a minor irritant to politicians. But the question is whether the removal of that irritant can justify discouraging the filing of potentially valid complaints.”
Possibly a compromise? If it’s a single event proven unfounded, let it pass. But two, or three, or four, or those organized by a political faction? That’s the fallout from the Palin ethics investigations – using it as a political tool to discredit an individual, with no repercussions for those abusing the system.
So make abusers pay. But leave enough room to not inhibit honest concerns.
joe matarotz
April 9th, 2010
8:12 am
Jay, the one thing you seem to be good at is showing our state legistaors for the bottom feeding scum that they are. Did you read the ethics bill closely? There might actually be a clause that mandates minimum annual contributions that must be made to the good ol’ boys under the dome.
FrankLeeDarling
April 9th, 2010
8:12 am
If the people of Georgia would hold local politicians to the same standards that they feel Obama should be held to,Georgia might actually get better.
Jay
April 9th, 2010
8:12 am
Good suggestion, sfd. The link is now provided, and I’ll give it here as well. The bill hasn’t passed; it was revealed in a House Ethics Committee meeting on March 26 by Ralston and passed out of that committee the same day.
http://www.legis.ga.gov/legis/2009_10/fulltext/sb17.htm
Peadawg
April 9th, 2010
8:13 am
Dang, SFD. Sounds like you got a little touchy there. Like I said…truth hurts, huh?
stands for decibels
April 9th, 2010
8:14 am
Pea, linking the increase of the debt ceiling to an Obama promise without providing any context or link (and you still haven’t, with that politico story)? Close enough to call a lie, given your track record here.
And if you don’t have anything to say on-topic, I’d assume that means you agree with Jay about the GA legislature, but maybe you could confirm that, if only as a courtesy and a gesture of respect for the blog-host’s topic of discussion?
stands for decibels
April 9th, 2010
8:16 am
I wasn’t aware that making a suggestion that the blog host have some guidelines for people to follow constituted “touchiness,” Pea.
and I might add, two can play that game–it’d be just as easy for me and the usual gang of dirty effing hippies here to make this yet another partisan urination contest. Kinda tired of those, though.
TaxPayer
April 9th, 2010
8:16 am
Does this not confirm that he is a White House lapdog?
We know who does the whining around here.
FrankLeeDarling
April 9th, 2010
8:17 am
“Another section of the bill attempts to discourage the filing of frivolous ethics charges. Under the change, those who file such complaints could be assessed legal fees.
just say no to free speech in Georgia,or it will cost ya’
stands for decibels
April 9th, 2010
8:18 am
Jay, thanks for the link–might want to mention that it’s still tied up in committee in your post, though, since that’s not clear. (To me at least. Guess one could read between the lines and figure it out, though… more coffee might help.)
TaxPayer
April 9th, 2010
8:19 am
So much for Obama’s promise of not signing any bill that will add to the debt……
Last time I checked, increasing the debt ceiling is not the same as increasing the debt. Of course, anyone being truthful would acknowledge this little difference.
Peadawg
April 9th, 2010
8:20 am
“but maybe you could confirm that, if only as a courtesy and a gesture of respect for the blog-host’s topic of discussion?”
SFD,
Going back to what Bubba said @ 8:06, Ga Legislators don’t define transparency any different than Obama does. Happy now?
There You Go
April 9th, 2010
8:21 am
sfd 8:10 translation, MOMMY…MOMMY peadawg ’s not playing fair, he always wins and I’m a loser. Mommy… Mommy…
bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
AmVet
April 9th, 2010
8:21 am
Thanks for the link, JB.
I’ll have my staff read it and “advise” me and then I’ll get back to you…
But I can tell ya right now, the bottom line is, we don’t need no stinking ethics…
NowReally
April 9th, 2010
8:25 am
But, it really makes the “states rights” people in Georgia look like hypocrites when they perform exactly as they accuse our legislatives in DC. If you can’t control your house, how can you criticize another home?
FrankLeeDarling
April 9th, 2010
8:28 am
but but Obama blah blah. yeah lets turn a blind eye to what happens in Georgia just because of something you think Obama does.
Peadawg
April 9th, 2010
8:30 am
“but but Obama blah blah. yeah lets turn a blind eye to what happens in Georgia just because of something you think Obama does.”
but but Georgia blah blah. yeah lets turn a blind eye to what happens in Washington just because of something you think Georgia does.
Have a great day FrankLee
AmVet
April 9th, 2010
8:35 am
All the “states rights” boys. secessionisr wannabes should hold Pray for Rain’s gang to amuch standard doncha think?
Sure BHO is just another hyper-secretive corporate flunkie.
But the godly GOP in Georgia?
Oh the
humanityhumidity!Paul
April 9th, 2010
8:35 am
Doesn’t ethics legislation interfere with a free market?
TaxPayer
April 9th, 2010
8:37 am
Oh the
humanityhumidity!Who needs rain. Just gather the sweat.
Sally
April 9th, 2010
8:37 am
The entire national Republican Party should hang their head in shame over the actions of the Georgia Republicans since they took over the state legislature in Georgia.
FrankLeeDarling
April 9th, 2010
8:39 am
I thought the topic was about Georgia politics Peadog,Washington has its own problems but today we are talking about transparency and ethics in GEORGIA,maybe try some ritalin to help you focus
N-GA
April 9th, 2010
8:41 am
Sonny Boy doesn’t believe in ethics….remember the bill that saved him $100,000 in a land deal?
lovelyliz
April 9th, 2010
8:42 am
Evidently “transparency” like “morality” and “values” is defined by the politician using such as a political talking point and nothing more.
TnGelding
April 9th, 2010
8:43 am
Are you endorsing this guy?
It’s America, the greatest country in the history of the world! And that’s the way it is done. Full disclosure is all that matters. The electorate doesn’t give a hoot about ethics as long as you vote their agenda.
AmVet
April 9th, 2010
8:43 am
OK, all, Gotta go be a good little capitalist.
Keep the deniers and the Party of No gang on the run, guys and gals.
Seeya later, Lord willing and the creek don’t rise…
N-GA
April 9th, 2010
8:44 am
Paul (8:35)
Good point! A strong ethics bill would limit freedom of trade between buyers (lobbyists) and sellers (politicians).
I wonder if corporate America would support an ethics bill for businesses?
TaxPayer
April 9th, 2010
8:45 am
This lack of transparency along with their voting base’s ease of being fooled is what helps to keep today’s Georgia GOP (yesterday’s Dixiecrats) in power.
TaxPayer
April 9th, 2010
8:47 am
We already have a strong ethics bill for business. It’s called “buyer beware”.
@@
April 9th, 2010
8:50 am
I’ll go with the citizens’ watchdogs groups. Even with the new ethics “reform” measures in congress violations continue to be overlooked.
“… We cannot look into vague charges based on gossip and rumor without any evidence supporting the charge,” Johnson ruled. “To do so would turn this committee into a circus and invite kooks and partisans to file false charges.”
No charges were filed, but there was that accusation against McCain during the campaign. Let me see…..whose kooks was it that ran with those unfounded rumors? Oh yeah, I remember now.
The New York Times and Washington lobbyist Vicki Iseman have settled her defamation lawsuit in which she claimed that the newspaper had falsely suggested she had engaged in a romantic and unethical relationship with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. On its Web site today, the Times issued a brief “Note to Readers” explaining that its story, published a year ago this month, did not “intend to conclude” that Iseman had engaged in an affair with McCain, or had acted unethically on behalf of her clients.
In one of the most sensational stories of the presidential campaign, the Times published a 3,000-word, front-page article a year ago this month suggesting that the little-known telecommunications lobbyist had an affair with McCain during his first run for the White House in 1999. The story did not provide any evidence of an affair, but said that McCain’s top aides became convinced that the relationship was romantic and took steps to keep McCain and the lobbyist apart.–National Journal Online
And the left-wing blogs carried the torch while turning a blind eye to the John Edwards affair.
FrankLeeDarling
April 9th, 2010
9:00 am
“Another section of the bill attempts to discourage the filing of frivolous ethics charges. Under the change, those who file such complaints could be assessed legal fees.
Like suing the federal government over health care or the Justice department for not allowing the Gop to disenfranchise minority voters,talk about hypocrites.
Paul
April 9th, 2010
9:00 am
N-GA
[[I wonder if corporate America would support an ethics bill for businesses?]]
Possibly, if those proposing the bills would stop calling them ‘ethics’ and instead call them ‘anti bribery.”
Two Cents
April 9th, 2010
9:03 am
Why would any of us expect anything to change in the way Georgia politics is run when we keep electing the same people (or the same type of people) over and over and over again?
If you’re tired of the good ol’ boy network and how they run things in Georgia, then stop voting for them!
To borrow an old adage: If it’s broke, fix it.
And can we all agree to just ignore people who get off topic? They’ll go away and pout in the corner if they get ignored.