You know what makes the world go around?\u00a0 Money.\u00a0 It truly is that simple. You want to drive a nice car?\u00a0 Better have money.\u00a0 You’d like a big house?\u00a0 Better have money.
\nBut what if you’re a certain organization or corporation and you want (or don’t want) a piece of legislation to go through Congress?\u00a0 Well kids, you better have money.\u00a0 A lot of it.<\/p>\n
Lobbyists are defined by the Washington Post<\/em> as, “A person who tries to influence legislation on behalf of a special interest.”\u00a0 A special interest is never poor, by the way.\u00a0 Lobbyists are, in my estimation, a leech on the political system, approved (and utilized) by both parties, and by most accounts do nothing but evil.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not kidding.<\/p>\n It’s hard to get into specifics here, because no politician wants this sort of thing to be widely publicized.\u00a0 But according to the New York Times<\/em> in a story published Sept. 11, Republican House minority leader John Boehner is known to keep close company with “Goldman Sachs, Google, Citigroup, R. J. Reynolds, MillerCoors and UPS.”<\/p>\n It doesn’t stop at just being friendly, though.\u00a0 (Also note that I’m not trying to single Boehner out, this is merely the most recent lobbyist story to appear.\u00a0 Democratic Congressman Charles Rangel from New York was actually brought up on extensive corruption charges recently.)<\/p>\n According to the Times,<\/em> “[the aforementioned companies] have contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to his campaigns, provided him with rides on their corporate jets, socialized with him at luxury golf resorts and waterfront bashes and are now leading fund-raising efforts for his Boehner for Speaker campaign, which is soliciting checks of up to $37,800 each, the maximum allowed.”<\/p>\n They are paying him, but not with an actual salary of course (because that\u2019d be wrong!), but with gifts and campaign contributions.\u00a0 For those big companies, spending that money is an investment. Simply, is it okay that major corporations are throwing so much money to highly influential lawmakers?\u00a0 Are we sure that’s right?\u00a0 I’m not sure at all.\u00a0 It’s a legal way to buy votes, to buy protection, to buy the legal ability to do whatever those corporations choose.<\/p>\n Now, there are some who will say, “This is just how things are in Washington.\u00a0 It’s not bad, just the sign of the times!”\u00a0 And because of that, we should ignore the huge snowball bearing down on top of us.\u00a0 Okay.<\/p>\n Listen, that is corruption.\u00a0 I don\u2019t care if it\u2019s illegal<\/em>.\u00a0 It\u2019s not right.<\/p>\n Quoting again from the Times: <\/em>“‘[Boehner] likes to bring similarly minded people together to try to advance legislation or oppose it,’ said Drew Mahoney, a lobbyist at Ogilvy Government Relations.\u00a0 That is how you get things done.'”<\/p>\n See?\u00a0 Lobbyists are par for the course.\u00a0 Status quo, if you will.\u00a0 It’s not a big deal, really.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" You know what makes the world go around?\u00a0 Money.\u00a0 It truly is that simple. 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\nThose businesses aren’t wasting money here, I promise.\u00a0 That’s money very well<\/em> spent.\u00a0 Politicians are in the business of being re-elected, and without those large sums of money, getting re-elected is tough.\u00a0 Money wins elections.\u00a0 How?\u00a0 More money means more exposure, more TV ads, more campaigning.\u00a0 Grassroots only gets you so far.<\/p>\n