"In just the last two months, lawmakers invited lobbyists to help pay for ... lavish birthday parties in a lawmaker's honor ($1,000 a lobbyist), martinis and margaritas at Washington restaurants (at least $1,000), a California wine-tasting tour (all donors welcome), hunting and fishing trips (typically $5,000), weekend golf tournaments ($2,500 and up), a Presidents' Day weekend at Disney World ($5,000), parties in South Beach in Miami ($5,000), concerts by the Who or Bob Seger ($2,500 for two seats), and even Broadway shows like 'Mary Poppins' and 'The Drowsy Chaperone' (also $2,500 for two)." But don't worry -- it's all happening under the U.S. Congress' new ethics rules [3]. "Instead of picking up the lawmaker's tab" directly, explains the New York Times, "lobbyists pay a political fund-raising committee set up by the lawmaker." Sen. Lindsey Graham [4] (R-S.C.), who voted for ethics reform, said, "If you are not going to have publicly financed elections ... I don't see any problem with having events where private individuals who give you money can talk to you." Such fundraising via lawmakers' personal political action committee [5]s (PACs) "might even increase the volume of contributions flowing to Congress from K Street, where many lobbying firms have their offices."