Ethics End-Around

I've been trying to get my fellow Republicans to marginalize our loud, small minority of anti-gay activists - and here comes Rep. Galizio with the perfect tool for furthering that worthy goal.

Now that Galizio is dating a union lobbyist, he's announced that whatever they do together is "private" - so the union can pay for meals, gifts, trips to golf in Hawaii, whatever, and Galizio doesn't even have to keep records of it, let alone report it.

It's the "we're on a date" loophole to the new ethics rules (SB 10).

Now, fast-forward a year. Republican lawmakers go out to lunch with lobbyists, and don't want to report it. Bingo! "We're on a date. It's our personal lives."

Once we see male and female Republicans going out on "dates" with both male and female lobbyists, it'll be even more mainstream to be tolerant and inclusive of all sexual orientations and lifestyles.

My hat is off to Larry Galizio. He's playing a very deep game, at some personal political risk, to move our society towards greater tolerance and inclusion. Bravo.