Eight simple steps to Swiffer Congress

AS ROBERT W. NEY gazed across St. Andrews' fabled golf course, he must have paused to take the measure of his rags-to-riches life. After all, he was a regular Joe who once scraped by on the salary of a low-level bureaucrat in Bellaire, Ohio (population 4,892; annual median income $19,480). Now he was in Scotland for a quick getaway -- at the finest hotels, the finest restaurants and at the world's most famous golf course.

And it didn't cost him a thing.

Ney is a member of the House of Representatives, and his trip was arranged by the now-infamous lobbyist Jack Abramoff, the central figure in a broadening scandal of influence peddling and bribery in Washington. Abramoff confessed to federal crimes this week and promised to cooperate against politicians who sold their offices for free vacations and sports tickets.

The fact is, such improprieties are all too common in Washington. The recent revelations about Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-San Diego) add fuel to the fire. Cunningham left a paper trail of gifts such as a Rolls-Royce (and $17,890 in repairs), use of a corporate jet, silver candelabra, Persian carpets, a sofa, a sleigh bed and much more, all courtesy of the defense industry.

Although there are calls for reform, the smart money in Washington has to be on the long-armed lobbyists, not the short-memoried voters. Just in case anyone is serious, however, here are eight simple changes that would clean up Congress.

* \o7Close the "outside income" loophole.\f7 Now, members of Congress routinely legislate in areas where they have direct and sizable financial interests. That's because the ethics code prohibition on outside income doesn't include money earned from investments, such as stocks.

Researchers at the University of Memphis found that 75% of randomly selected members had "stock transactions that directly coincided with [their] legislative activity." Another study showed that senators' investments outperformed those of "corporate insiders" by eight percentage points, a difference best explained by "insider information."

The way to deal with this problem is simple: Require members to put their investments into a blind investment portfolio or trust.

* \o7Bar quid pro quo arrangements. \f7 Members accept sweetheart financial deals from individuals who then get generous government contracts and legislative perks. Some members have gotten no-interest loans; others have made 500% profit on deals in a few short years.