Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Lobbying Is Democracy in Action (?)
That question mark is mine.
This article considers lobbyists an essential part of democracy, and I don't dispute that.
What I don't like is the pervasive appearance of impropriety and the apparent constant assault on the ethics of our elected representatives, all of whom seem to have a "price".
I guess it's a necessary evil; but it does seem a bit perverted...
This article considers lobbyists an essential part of democracy, and I don't dispute that.
What I don't like is the pervasive appearance of impropriety and the apparent constant assault on the ethics of our elected representatives, all of whom seem to have a "price".
I guess it's a necessary evil; but it does seem a bit perverted...
I found this in an article by Robert J. Samuelson at Newsweek.com:
"In 2008, there are about 16,000 registered lobbyists—people with sufficient congressional contacts that they're required to report under the 1995 Lobbying Disclosure Act, says the Center for Responsive Politics. That's up about 50 percent since 1998. But there are also hordes of public-relations consultants, advertising managers, Internet advisers, policy experts (at think tanks and elsewhere) who are primed to influence government—and a huge support staff including, for example, 'line standers' who grab scarce spots at crucial congressional hearings for high-priced lawyers. When political scientist James Thurber of American University counted all these others, the size of the influence-lobbying complex ballooned to 261,000."
