Governor gets free lunch

There's no such thing as a free lunch. Always, somewhere in the transaction, the recipient of the lunch gives up something.\nThe governor accepted, supposedly on behalf of the state, an RV valued at $175,000, soybean fuel for it, a private plane ride for a trip to Washington, D.C., and a signed football from Peyton Manning.\nIn this case, the governor of Indiana sees the gifts as free. But the cost is subtle. While the generous gift-givers may be donating to the state, allowing them to do so welcomes monied special interests into the Statehouse with a wink and a smile. \nOf course, admirers send every governor trinkets, but these "donations" are worth a lot of money, and they come from people with agendas other than the public good.\nDaniels has made sure other state employees can't accept gifts from anyone who has an agenda. In other words, anyone who wants business or has business with the state government can't give state employees something. Sounds like a good rule.\nBut it's too good for the governor.\nAccording the Indianapolis Star, a corrections official got in trouble for taking a baseball hat and a couple of cheap meals from a contractor. Obviously, the rules have to be enforced -- except when it comes to Mitch Daniels. The RV came from an industry that wants a tax break, and the fuel for it came from the Indiana Soybean Board, which of course wants things from the state government.\nThe plane trip was from Mickey Maurer, a leading businessman who has an agenda with the government, and the signed football was given to the governor and other state officials when the Colts were asking for millions of dollars for a new stadium.\nWe may never know for sure if the RV donated by a company located in Indiana will influence negotiations over the tax break the RV industry wants. But the point is that we as citizens shouldn't have to guess at the motives of our public servants.\nWhen gifts, even ostensibly to the state, enter the picture, someone gets a seat at the table because they had money to spare. That's not fair, and it's unethical for the governor or anyone else to let it happen.\nThe governor's behavior in accepting gifts is just plain wrong for three reasons. \nFirst, there's no way that the gifts haven't had a small influence on state decisions.\nSecond, citizens have to trust the appearances as well as the actions of their government, but these gifts look awfully suspicious.\nThird, Daniels may be following the letter of the law, but he's certainly disregarding the spirit even as he punishes other state employees for much smaller transgressions.\nThe fact is, nobody is without an agenda. No matter how upstanding the governor and the gift-giver may be, a gift still carries influence. \nYour grandmother gives you a birthday present because she loves you, but she probably expects a thank-you note. Even if Maurer, Manning, the RV company and the soybean folks genuinely like and want to help out Daniels and Indiana, what kind of thank-you note will they expect?