Editorial: A clear conflict

Sunday, Aug. 26, 2007 | 1:03 a.m.

Federal regulators and officials are being jetted around the world by various lobbying groups and companies that have business with the government, and government officials think that is acceptable.

USA Today reported last week that the travel falls within ethics policies, according to federal agencies, even though the travel is quite expensive. For example, the newspaper found:

The government agencies argue that this is a way for agency employees to learn about the industries they deal with while saving the taxpayers money.

"The public expects us to get the very most value for every dollar that we spend," FTC official Eileen Harrington said. She said the agency would continue to take the trips to "stretch our travel budget."

With the ethical cloud of the Jack Abramoff scandal still lingering over the Capitol, we find this thinking to be absurd. Taking such trips, much less anything else, sets up an obvious conflict of interest.

Congress already has banned members and staff from accepting most of these types of trips. Federal agencies should do the same. If these trips are worthwhile, the federal government should pay for them.

The cost of clean government is always less than the cost of corruption.