Dollops of Dough From PACs, but What About Public Service?
Re “O.C. Laws Can’t Block Gifts to Supervisors by Powerful PACS” (May 5) by Jim Newton and Mark Landsbaum: Don Roth is quoted as saying, “If it’s legal, then I have no problem with it.” And, “I’m not troubled provided that it’s within the law.”
These words seem all too common today. President Bush said something similar when questioned about the taxpayer-paid jaunts around the country by his chief of staff, John Sununu: “He has broken no law.”
How can one say that just because a contribution from a PAC is “legal,” or a taxpayer-paid trip is “legal,” that either or both may not well be a conflict of interest and/or unethical? How does it look to the average citizen--the taxpayer--should be the query. Aren’t all of these people employed by the taxpayer?
GEORGE A. ABBOTT, Laguna Niguel
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