Discovered: A Trail of Money taking Them to Switzerland?

    This does not fit the definition of money laundering, as that involves hiding money obtained illegally. But a story on the Utah Transit Authority has some of the same elements.
   These UTA officials, along with some state legislators, winded their way to Switzerland. When I first heard the story, my first response was, You mean to tell me, not only did UTA officials, but state legislators went at UTA's expense? Of course this is wrong. How can they be dipping into public funds this way?
   Then, I learned they apparently didn't charge a dime to UTA. They went, in part at their own expense, in part at the expense of Utah 2040 PAC's, in part from funding from the Utah World Trade Center, and finally, in part from Sen. Greg Hughes' personal PAC.
   Now, if taxpayers didn't foot the bill, what is the problem? Part of the answer might be that the Utah 2040 PAC got its money all from transit and highway contractors. We do not know (for sure, that is) this is what happened, but when lobbyists donate -- and this seems to be a form of lobbying -- they often expect something in return.
   The Salt Lake Tribune put the round-about way of funding this way: "Several current and past Utah Transit Authority leaders combined to keep the agency’s direct fingerprints off a recent trip to Switzerland for public officials . . ."
   Kept their fingerprints off? This does not fit the definition of money laundering, as that involves hiding money illegally obtained, but, as I said, it has some of the same elements.
   There are a couple of other interesting things about the story. One, two of the legislators, Rep. Brad Wilson, and Sen. Greg Hughes, are notable players in the controversial relocation of the state prison. Second, in October, UTA Chairman, H. David Burton (past presiding bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) proposed that no travel of UTA board members be allowed without the visits first being approved -- regardless who pays for the visits. It is natural to wonder if Burton found out what had happened, and wanted to put in place a policy that would prevent it from happening again.