Ethics Reform

Republican Steve Clark "will not tolerate corrupt practices by legislators from either party."

Democrat Don Jarvis accuses Utah of having "The best legislature money can buy." He complains that "Over 98% of campaign finance for our incumbents comes from special interest groups. Isn't it time to reduce the influence of lobbyists, conflicts of interest, and in-kind gifts? … Isn't it time for a change?"

The truth is every person or group who has any interest in policy is a "special interest," and has the right to contribute to its candidate of choice. That's fundamental to democracy. Politicians only complain about "special interest groups" when they don't agree with their point of view. (When was the last time you heard a Democrat complain about unions?) Certainly campaign finance needs to be transparent so that voters know when candidates are beholden to various interests groups. But is swapping "Republican" interests with the interests of the Sierra Club, Michael Moore and the NEA really the change we want?

Now Utah County Democrats have adopted stealth as their tactic. Representative Steve Clark joked that the scariest costume he saw this Halloween was a donkey dressed up as an elephant, and that's essentially what the Democrat candidates here have been doing: pretending to be Republicans. Utah County Democrats distance themselves from their national party, emphasize "the person, not the party," and shout out alleged ethics violations against their opponents, never stopping to consider the hypocrisy of making ethics allegations while engaged in a campaign of deception about who they are.

Like it or not, a candidate's party affiliation determines the support and success he will enjoy once elected. As much as we may personally like one candidate over another, it isn't about the person. It's about the policies he or she supports, and the party in power is an important factor as to whether those policies will be enacted.

Republican Steve Clark supports the policies that have made Utah the best managed state in the nation, and as a member of the eight person Ethics Committee, Steve "will not tolerate corrupt practices by legislators from either party."

Voting for ethics in government means voting for open campaigns. Let's vote for ethical, conservative policies. Vote for Steve Clark. 