"Corruption's fine line"

In my column this week, I discuss corruption on the Board of Regents:

My intent isn’t to impugn Downer or the rest of the board’s integrity. But there are serious questions we should be asking about regent contributions. Should we accept that, with little compunction, regents often donate thousands of dollars to the governors who tapped them? Where is the line between political participation and I’ll-scratch-your-back-if-you-scratch-mine corruption? Does the current system crowd out other potential appointees? I don’t claim to have a definitive answer to these questions. What is clear to me, however, is that legislators are too content with the status quo.

The regents make too many important decisions for legislators and citizens not to be more inquisitive.