A legislative session that began with the promise of introducing long-overdue ethics guidelines ended with the Idaho Senate tossing a veil over the process and the House doing absolutely nothing. The hang-up continues to be the misguided notion that an orderly, transparent and independent process is an affront to the integrity of elected officials. The logic, or lack thereof, would appear to be this: Voters wouldn’t elect them if they thought they were unethical. This suggests that voters have the details of every politician’s background and business dealings at their fingertips before they fill out their ballots. They don’t, of course, and part of the reason is that lawmakers are insulted – or pretend to be – when asked/SR Editorial Board. More here. (Legislative photo: John McGee, who quit Idaho Senate in disgrace during 2012 session after series of missteps)

Question: How much does it matter to you that Idaho legislators failed miserably on the issue of ethics reform during the 2012 session -- enough to influence your vote?