Legislators continue to call attention for all the wrong reasons

First we learn that our legislators think $15 is too little for a lobbyist to buy them a meal. Or at least report that amount so we can see who’s dining with whom. The state’s leaders want that amount raised to $50 because eating in Juneau is expensive.

The amount should be zero.

Having our legislators eating at the trough of an oil company or insurance conglomerate is unsavory at best.

Yes, there are a few among the elite who work at the capital who refrain from such generosity, but with such a howl coming from the cast down there about money for a free lunch, it seems the few are outnumbered.

Now, there are more than 20 legislators scheduled to attend a conference on energy in Washington, D.C., this week.

Two questions:

• Does it really take that many people to represent Alaska’s interests at the conference? Couldn’t five or six take copious notes and share them with their colleagues upon their return? Remember, this is mostly at state/your expense.

• Secondly, this exodus of lawmakers practically shuts down business being done during a 90-day session that some already think is too short. So do we need to bring a halt to legislative work so 20 or more people can do the job of half of a dozen?

All this comes after a recent report of junkets our state lawmakers took in the past to conferences and gatherings in the United States and around the world. All attendants claimed there were legitimate reasons for the travel. Whether those reasons fly with the taxpayers didn’t seem to matter.

It’s understandable that Alaska should be represented in matters regarding energy because this state relies on oil and gas to maintain the majority of its budget. Indeed, Alaska should strive to be a leader in the field as well as in alternative fuels.

Sending a score of legislators — one-third of the state’s 60 senators and representatives — to one conference, however, is overkill.

In a day when all of us are finding ways to cut back on wants to fill our needs, these legislators aren’t showing the kind of restraint taxpayers want to see.

Grousing about not being fed well enough by lobbyists and then jetting off to a conference on our dime doesn’t smell right. Those lawmakers who don’t notice that odor might find the stench reeking of the dead when voters go to the polls this fall.