From a March 14 Washington Post live chat with Post associate editor Robert Kaiser (h/t Howard Mortman of extrememortman.com). Portions in bold are my emphasis:
Washington: How is the lobbying system not legalized bribery, and wouldn't ending lobbying by the rich empower the rest of us and revitalize our democracy?
Robert G. Kaiser: How would you end it? Isn't lobbying a form of speech? Isn't speech protected by the First Amendment?
And keep in mind, though many lobbyists do represent rich corporations, there are also many representing labor unions, teachers, non-profits, environmental groups, civil liberties advocates and so on. Even newspapers have lobbyists.
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Notice that Kaiser didn't dis
March 14, 2007 - 17:55 ET by Darth DutchNotice that Kaiser didn't dispute that fact that lobbying is synonymous with legalized bribery. I'm not saying it always is, but even Kaiser acknowledges it is quid pro quo.
I also find it interesting that he says that this type of lobbying is "free speech". I'm sure he would say he didn't mean that, but it is interesting to read his response.
Dutch
Kaiser doesn't seem to cons
March 14, 2007 - 18:09 ET by Ken ShepherdKaiser doesn't seem to consider labor unions, enviro groups, or newspapers to be "rich" although they often have hefty budgets for lobbying and have enormous influence politically. And of course they contribute jack to economic growth compared to corporations.
Not to say that corporations are always right when they lobby for something. Often they are dead wrong, particularly when they lobby for regulatory changes that are nothing more than cynical ploys to undercut competitors who cannot maneuver the legal landmines that those new regs would introduce.
Exactly. And big media (whi
March 15, 2007 - 00:57 ET by sarcasmoExactly. And big media (which also lobbies to set up landmines in the law for smaller competitors -- see various shysters' NAB-paid commentary on the proposed Sirius/XM merger for example) does not tend to cover how big government's regulations hurt the little corporate-guy, instead focusing obsessively on how the lack of even-more regulations & even-bigger government supposedly hurts individual consumers.
JMR
You must distinguish betwee
March 14, 2007 - 18:15 ET by zhombreYou must distinguish between the good lobbies and the bad lobbies. The good lobbies seek to protect the First Amendment and civil liberties, the environment, education, labor and working people, justice, choice, universal health care, world peace and open borders, and all things good and wonderful. The bad lobbies seek to tilt the scales toward the military, commerce, pathological capitalist greed, the rich, Halliburton, oil, Israel, and all things bad and despicable. The good lobbyists should be honored and feted and not be subject to restraint. The bad lobbyists should be pilloried and probably sent to The Hague to stand trial for their dastardly crimes.
Typical.Any group of people
March 14, 2007 - 19:31 ET by DirkCSTypical.
Any group of people (in this case, newspapers) that would support the grassroots regulations portion of the "Legislative Transparency Act of 2007", (which is an abridgement of the 1st amendment) in one breath....then cry foul, touting the 1st amendment, when the courts attempt to get their reporters to give up sources...deserve to be tarred and feathered.
Obviously, these meaningless citizen organizations don't deserve to enjoy the same 1st amendment freedoms as these bastions of light and honor in the MSM.
Dirk
"The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." - Plato
Lobbying
March 14, 2007 - 23:14 ET by nkviking75The Bill of Rights guarantees us the right to petition the government for the redress of grievances. Given the size of the country, both in terms of population and geography, it is not practical for individuals to do so directly most of the time. So there are bound to be organizations which lobby on our behalf. Obviously we ought to do all we can to keep things ethical, but we cannot eliminate lobbying.
Thank goodness for lobbying
March 15, 2007 - 00:06 ET by bigtimerThank goodness for lobbying and lobbyists...what would we do with out the NRA.
Think about where we would be by now without them, with all the dem's that have been in total power for years and years, if it hadn't been for the NRA our Second Amendment would of been completely eroded if not gone.
Just wanted to throw that in there..
There is bad, but the good outweighs it in the long run IMO.