Disappeared News

Is it ethical for the Ethics Commission to fine the little guy but let possible corporate white collar crime go uninvestigated? If the Commission fines those who  accepted UH money to fly to the Sugar Bowl but lets the ferry execs off the hook, that's exactly the question that should be asked.

You'll recall that the Hawaii Superferry Company grossly underreported its lobbying expenses in 2007. They originally reported only $21,960, but investigative reporter Ian Lind questioned that, and when caught, they corrected their report this year to $379,431.

Superferry last year hired some of the state's top lobbyists and public relations executives to help at the Legislature and with the media. According to Ethics Commission records, the company spent more than twice as much on lobbying in 2007 than any other organization.

Despite this, there has been no investigation of whether the earlier report was a violation of state law, and the Ethics Commission imposed no fine. Yet today's Advertiser article hints that UH staffers might face $500 fines plus restitution if their spouses and kids got free trips to the Super Bowl. I'm not saying they shouldn't be fined, only asking how come white collar executives aren't facing the same scrutiny focused on the little guys?

The state Ethics Commission's review of the University of Hawai'i's Sugar Bowl travel expenses focuses on one key issue: Did state employees use their positions to get unwarranted perks or special treatment?

Under Hawai'i ethics laws, the university has to demonstrate that there was a legitimate state purpose when paying for the travel of employees and their family members to attend the Jan. 1 bowl game in New Orleans, said Dan Mollway, the commission's executive director.

If any of the travel expenses do not fit that bill, the staffer or the UH manager who approved the travel could be forced to pay back the university for the travel costs.

In the worst case, a staffer could wind up paying a $500 fine for each violation, in addition to restitution, said Mollway. Those fines and restitution could add up to tens of thousands of dollars if there are multiple violations.

Is there a double standard in the Ethics Commission? Disappeared News is only a little blog, but when we (see how easy it is to slip into an "editorial we") asked about why there was no investigation and fine (the investigation and fine should be almost automatic, they've admitted the earlier report was erroneous), we received no answer.

A $500 fine is only a drop in the bilge pump for the huge ferry company. It would have been like striking them across the bow with a wet noodle. But still, we are entitled to some justice here. Fining families thousands of dollars, as the article mentions might happen, while letting a corporation off without even an investigation seems like an ethics issue to me.