donald, while i applaud your efforts to apprise your state's legislators of their ethical obligations, it concerns me that supposed adults would need to be.

many years ago, as a consequence of the newt gingrich inspired congressional dog-and-pony show, i and my colleagues were required to attend an 8 hour ethics class. it came complete with a lovely folder full of inspirational (and expensively produced) pamphlets, etc. we had  presentations by various and sundry members of upper-class officialdom.

my comment to my manager (in charge of the proceedings) afterwards was: "if, at this point in your life, you still don't know the difference between right and wrong, i fail to see how an 8 hour class is going to resolve that." he did not disagree.

I can't speak with any degree of authority regarding the controlling Michigan ethics rules and / or statutes, but perhaps each state should consider enacting mandatory ethics training for registered lobbyists, public officials (both elected and appointed) and their senior staff, in the manner that it was for me by institutional rule when I served as a legislative staff member in Hawaii.

Astonishingly, lobbyists are exempt from such a requirement in Hawaii, and until recently it was optional for elected officials, when convictions of two Honolulu city councilmembers for public corruption prompted an internal change of policy at our legislature. Now, newly elected state legislators are given eight hours of mandatory ethics training (still optional for returning incumbents) prior to being issued office keys and allowed to hire staff.

I must disclose my own interest in such matters, in that I was author / advocate for Rule No. 60 of the Rules of the Hawaii State House of Representatives, which governs the official conduct of both elected members of that body and their appointed staff.

I had initially drafted the rule in 1993 on my own while serving as chief clerk of the State Senate judiciary Committee, having become increasingly frustrated with observing conduct I had come to regard as ethically obtuse.

However, I had to wait patiently until December 1998 when I was then working for the House Majority Floor Leader, and a new Speaker took charge who proved to be highly approachable. He agreed to first hear me out in private, and then to my surprise said he would recommend the rule's immediate adoption by House members. The State Senate subsequently adopted it verbatim two years later as Senate Rule No. 57. I still consider that my proudest professional accomplishment as a legislative staff member.