In Defense of Lobbyists
Reader Comments
Michael Barone is a Moron
Google this parasite's name and see what you get - he's a money puppet without a spine, seeking to promote the leeches that feed him. A parasite of the parasites is a despicable thing.
Lobbying Equals Corruption
blah blah blah - keep talking and talking - simply put, lobbying is corruption - pay for power, because what you want isn't necessarily what The People want, in spite of the fact that the politicians are employees of The People.
Lobbyists
The notion" That the failure to produce legislation in the public interest stems from the exisitence of lobbists" is not nonsense as you stated. On the contrary, I belive most Americans see Lobbists and the money they provide to politicans as a major cause of the courruption of our system of government.
In Defense of Lobbyists..my Aunt Fanny!
I, just me, with one single solitary vote, can never, ever have the effect, clout or even a faint voice which compares with theeffect, loud voice and deafening shout of a lobbyist organization. The entire premise of the article is ludicrous. Back in the day of Pres. Ulysses Grant, when the term "lobbyist" was coined in reference to those who sought the President's ear after dinner in the hotel lobby, when the President was traveling...it wasn't so bad. It was just individuals (some representing groups), wanting to make sure there side was heard. Nowadays, it's huge organizations such as AMA, NRA, etc. to name a few, who have highly paid people (some former legislators and cabinet officials) who wield great cash-influencing power... and who expect something in return. do I need to go on...?
Lobbyists figure out ways to reward members of Congress
How to you think so many of them enrich themselves while in office? Barone's piece is not truthful about the major effect of lobbyists. Lobbyists have a big influence on creating loopholes from taxes and for other advantages and actually help craft laws that are not in the public interest. The present Bankruptcy Law was basically written by the Credit Card companies and has very difficult provisions for the ordinary citizen. If the lobbyists were more restricted in what they can do, then the members and their staffs might have to draft laws themselves. Perhaps that would eliminate the practice of writing 1000 page bills.
Contributions
Lobbyists are already prohited from making contributions to legislators. Why should we regulate what their clients do?
Lobbyist
Gadfly you alone got it right. Lobbyist, sure why not. Contributions NO. Lobby with your ideas, not your wallet.
Lobby, yes; donations, no!
Let lobbyists try to convince legislators. No problem.
Just prohibit registered lobbyists from making contributions to legislators.
It's when the money buys access and influence that the difficulties begin and ideas don't compete on a level playing field.
Corporations are NOT people too.
Trent, your whole argument is over at the first line. Corporations are NOT people. Corporations are business entities whose only purpose is to make money. Period. They have no boundaries on how they operate except for the laws that are made to regulate them. Lobbyist help corporations influence lawmakers to have the laws bent in their favor. When a lobbyist helps a corporation, like say the food industry keep adding unhealthy or addictive items to food ingredients, the only people it helps are the elite rich CEO's at the top of the corporate pyramid.
I disagree as well that car salesmen, insurance salesmen and lawyers are in the same group as lobbyist. They are all necessary vocations and are needed when someone needs a car, some insurance, or some legal advice. But what does the average citizen need a lobbyist for except to fight for his rights that are being sold out to corporations by allowing corporate lobbyist access to our politicians?
Corporations are people too
This is America and the reality is that money is power. Many lobbyists lobby for corporations competeing with other large corporations. This does not affect the middle class at all and that is why we have the SEC. Large corporations are made up of people who are very successful at what they do. Why should they not be allowed to pay someone to protect their interests in a public setting? For example just because a lobbyist lobbies a public official to vote for a bill that outlaws undercutting because they represent Big Oil that does not mean it is their fault that we are not moving away from fossil fuels. Even if we passed a law to start drilling in ANWR it would be 10 years before we would get a drop of that to put in our cars. The oil crisis was as inevitable and the healthcare crisis but it could have been worse. Al Gore could have been president. Mr. Baronne could walk into the same diner and get the same amount of sympathy for lawyers, insurance agents, and car salesman but these professions are still necessary. Just like everything is in this country; the wealthy are powerful because they are involved and organized. The middle class makes up a much larger group of Americans and if they organized they would not need a lobbyist to protect their needs.
