MISSOURI WATCH: LOBBYISTS' ROLE IS INFURIATING TOPIC FOR LEGISLATORS

Ask the average Missourian what most needs changing in Jefferson City and chances are he will probably answer, "Clean up the place" or something similar, indicating a desire for reform as he views the subject. There's also a likelihood that this desire for reform centers more on legislators and other state officials whose names are unknown, not on the citizen's own state senator or representative.

There's reason for this widespread paranoia about how lives are led and special interests are fed in the state Capitol. Story after story from the halls of government offer numerous details on how rules are being bent, how lawmakers are being wined and dined by lobbyists and how certain officials benefit from their tenure in state service. Eventually the stories reach a volume sufficient to convince even the most knowledgeable that something is rotten in Denmark, or at least smelly in Jefferson City.

This rampant citizen distrust of what's happening behind closed Capitol doors is not totally unjustified. There are instances, although they are far rarer than most believe, in which elected officials have taken advantage of the public trust and have committed crimes, ranging from minor to serious, for their own personal gain. A former Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives, for example, has served prison time for bribery; a former attorney general was convicted of using public equipment for his own gain; a former legislator did time for substance abuse and predatory sexual practices.

Even though these crimes occurred at intervals far less frequent than the public remembers, they serve as reinforcement of the view that officials are somehow more corrupt than constituents, although the state's crime rates would belie that view. It can be argued that not only do public officials proportionately commit far fewer crimes than their constituents, they collectively serve as deterrents against criminal behavior by their daily adherence of the rules of conduct and ethics. The truth is, the average elected official has passed more moral turpitude tests than the average corporation president or the average media reporter.

Having defended hundreds of state officials in the paragraphs above, let me turn to a subject that more often than not serves to infuriate the average legislator: the role of lobbyists and their mixed bag of perks and free gifts, ranging anywhere from a box of cigars to an all-paid vacation trip for two at a resort never visited by 99 percent of a lawmaker's constituents. These perks, perhaps harmless to the recipients, nevertheless darken the reputation of elected officials far more than is commonly believed in Jefferson City.

The other day an honest and sincere senator from the St. Louis area declared that even though he had received gifts from a lobbying firm totaling more than $1,000 while on a state funded trip, he could not be "bought" for this amount, or any amount. He was unquestionably telling the truth, but he was also wasting his breath attempting to defend his good name to the public at large. No doubt he will be reminded of his defense at the very next election, when his opponent will rave and rant about the moral turpitude rampant in the General Assembly, the chosen destination of the opponent who will declare his only motive for office is to serve in this same den of iniquity.

We deal with lots of perverse logic when the subject of ethics in Jefferson City is raised. Most who go there do so out of a desire "to make a difference," and some who go there really accomplish their goal. Others want to occupy the seats of power to enjoy the side benefits, which can total more than the statutory ones. If there was some way of discerning the real agenda of candidates, then true governmental reform might be possible, but as past attempts so clearly demonstrate, this is hardly possible. Thus, reform that will satisfy the public is as elusive as an accurate test for goals.

Despite citizen belief, elected officials are not well paid. Many leave office because they cannot earn sufficient salaries to meet their particular needs. Many others who remain do so at financial sacrifice, willing to forego needed additions to their personal wealth. These folks make the best officials of all, for their exemplary service makes them all but irreplaceable, and there are far more than the public suspects.

The public is well served by the vast majority in government. The only ones really for sale are the do-or-say-anything crowd, those who will use any argument, regardless of its harm, to advance their own personal and/or partisan goals. These command neither respect nor civility, for they serve no one but themselves.

~Jack Stapleton of Kennett is the editor of the Missouri News and Editorial Service.