The Oregonian editorial board came out in favor of retaining Oregon's ethics laws. These laws, which enacted a $50 limit on gifts to legislators were enacted in the wake of scandals that included an unreported junket that sent several legislators to Hawaii on the dime of the Oregon Beer and Wine distributors, and the sordid case of Dan Doyle, who illegally diverted $60,000 of his campaign funds for personal use.

The O's position is somewhat baffling, since it has consistently opposed placing limits on campaign contributions and the $50 gift limit can be circumvented by simply by making a donation to a candidate's political campaign.

Oregon is now one of only 3 states with no limits on campaign contributions, and individual contributions frequently range in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for statewide office.

Some examples

• In 2006, the Republican Governor's Association gave more than $2,000,000 to ron Saxton for Governor.
• In 2006, Dick Wendt, William Swindells, and William Colson combined to give more than $1,250,000 to Saxton for Governor. They would have been limited to just $4,600 piece in the Presidential race.
• In 2008, SEIU 503 gave more than $340,000 to one candidate in the Democratic Primary for attorney general.