A brewery. A tobacco company. A beer wholesalers association. Looks like Curtis will cash any check.

Cruise that 24-page list of campaign contributors - Anheuser-Busch, Bayer, Chevron, Delta. Curtis's corporate benefactors start with every letter of the alphabet except "X." (He'll have to give XMission a call.)

And look at those amounts - EnergySolutions, $15,100; Reagan Outdoor Advertising, $7,500; ATK Aerospace, $5,000. It reads like a who's who of Utah businesses: 1-800 Contacts, Kennecott, Overstock.com.

Then check out Curtis's campaign expenditures - plane tickets, phone bills, parking, gasoline. Thank-you cards, Christmas cards and the stamps to send them. Flowers and books, billboards and maps. Breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, all in the name of getting elected?

Apparently, if the lobbyists weren't buying, Curtis and his campaign fund picked up the tab. Ah, it's good to be king.

Now look at that bottom line. Curtis reported a balance of $228,058 on Jan. 5, a full 10 months before the general election. No doubt he'll collect a lot more as the Day of Decision draws near. Of course, he could also take the money and run. Curtis reclaimed his seat by only 20 votes in 2006, so, who knows? He might decide to call it quits and spend the money on a vacation home, or a yacht, or a trip around the world.

Amazingly, Utah lawmakers, upon their retirement, can spend leftover campaign cash however they please.

The speaker's report is not the only one that will raise your eyebrows, but he's the reigning King of Cash. He also helps set the agenda on the Hill. He can make campaign finance reform - reasonable limits on what candidates can accept and how they can spend it - a priority. But he won't.

Curtis and the rest of our legislators who refuse to pass meaningful ethics and campaign finance reform will tell you that real reform is not necessary. With voices steeped in righteous indignation, they'll say that their constituents come first, that they can never be bought. Don't believe it.

But the one thing that money can't buy, if you take the time to weed out the candidates with objectionable campaign receipts and expenditures, is your vote.

The speaker's report is not the only one that will raise your eyebrows, but he's the reigning King of Cash.