Sometimes I worry that I'm too hard on the Legislature, but then something always comes along to remind me of the disturbing mindset there that rankles me so much.

This time, the reminder came in an e-mail from a legislative staffer upbraiding me for my column last week about how lawmakers have progressively reneged on their promise to impose a tougher code of ethics on the Legislature.

Normally, I wouldn't single out legislative staff, who are some of the hardest workers in town for pay that is less than spectacular.

However, this comment rose on the attention meter because it wasn't just any staffer, but Brian Yamane, a former legislator and unsuccessful candidate for the Board of Education who now works as a researcher for Rep. Bob Herkes.

Here's what Yamane wrote:

"Now that you have brought up ethics! Where is ethics of self-interest reporters? Should they go to jail when they write an incorrect article? Their opinions on where the state should spend their monies should be backed by surtaxing these same media opinions! Right! I seem to believe that one should be willing to pay more if they are telling me to give up my tax money for YOUR opinion. These same people who denigrate others for their actions. In closing, maybe the media needs more ethical reporters?"

My first reaction was that I'm with him all the way on journalistic ethics; we need to live by the same high standards of conduct to which we hold others.

I think the future of my profession depends on this, and I'm forever urging journalism students and young reporters to find religion in the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics (www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp), the main tenets of which are to seek truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently and be accountable.

One SPJ standard that especially resonates with me says journalists should "be vigilant and courageous about holding those with power accountable."

And that's where Yamane starts to lose me. I certainly don't claim any monopoly on the truth, but I pursue it honestly every time I write, as do most journalists I've worked with.

Where is the "self interest" among reporters he complains about? Is he referring to my ethics column that set him off? What self-interest could journalists possibly have in legislative ethics other than the interest all citizens have in a more honest government and a better Hawai'i?

I don't know whether to laugh or cry about Yamane's desire to send reporters to jail for articles deemed incorrect by the ayatollahs of Beretania Street. I donate to help journalists in backwater dictatorships fight such threats. Maybe I should keep my money at home.

Even more alarming is his suggestion to assess tax surcharges on those who express opinions different from the Legislature's about how public monies should be spent, ignoring the First Amendment right to "free" speech that attaches not only to journalists but to the public.

In our system of government, people are encouraged to express opinions about spending and public policy. It's called participatory democracy, and the Legislature should welcome it, not resent it.

And that's why Yamane's bizarre ideas cause me concern. He recently sat among this class of legislators and was respected enough by them to be hired as a researcher after he left office. You have to figure he's not alone in feeling put upon when "outsiders" try to bring their views to the decisionmaking.

I'm willing to discuss my work and my ethics any time, as any reputable journalist should be. Why are our legislators so defensive about discussing theirs?

David Shapiro, a veteran Hawai'i journalist, can be reached by e-mail at dave@volcanicash.net. Read his daily blog at blogs.honoluluadvertiser.com.