SpearsofTruth

Lobbying: The Fourth Branch of Government

There certainly is a lot of talk in Washington and around the country about lobbying reform. Obviously, the Abramoff scandal has brought this topic to the foreground, but lobbying has been around since the term lobbying was coined in the U.S. Grant administration when people would wait around the lobby of the Willard hoping to get an audience with the president.

At it’s heart, is lobbying bad? Many altruistic organizations have lobbyist representing them. Did you know that many of our institutions of Higher Education have lobbyists? Surely, we don’t wan to exclude the right of individuals or groups from practicing their rights to free speech and also to have access to their representatives, but just as any good idea can be corrupted, lobbying has become as sour as any idea can become.

Any knowledgeable person would know that greatest number of lobbyists are representing large corporate interests compared to the few that represent more altruistic causes. It is estimated that there are 56 lobbyists to every elected representative in Washington and these lobbyists come to the table with something to give and something they want. Anyone who thinks other wise is naïve, lacking wisdom or a liar.

In his January 4 column, Michael Reagan demands “hard evidence" of a quid pro quo and seemingly misses that the facts. Yes, there hasn’t been proven in most cases a direct quid pro quo, but what lobbying represents; access, and access leads to influence. And only those with a lot of money to spread around are getting that access, this having the influence.

Reagan states:
“Contributions bring access to Congressional offices but never guarantee action. Lobbyists entertain and contribute to lawmakers they know from the record are sympathetic to their causes. They don’t have to buy their votes - they know they already have them. They make campaign contributions because they want to keep lawmakers friendly to their causes. That’s not bribery, it’s politics.”

I think it’s a sad indictment of our political system when the bar is lowered so far that only legal and not ethical measures become the way in which we gauge its fairness and merit. Maybe I’ve come to expect more of the election process in which I "vote for" my elected officials and not "purchase" them.

To see the influence of big corporate money, you need look no farther than the Medicare Prescription Benefit Plan and the Bankruptcy Reform Bill passed in the recent past. From 1998 to 2004, drug companies nearly doubled their spending on lobbying efforts, going from $79 million to $158 million. Our representatives may say that all these efforts and money may grant some people access, but it doesn’t equal influence. Now, you can decide for yourself if an individual voter in Peoria has the same clout as a multi-billion dollar drug company.

The Credit and Banking companies have been lobbying congress for years for tougher bankruptcy reform because of the money lost to individual bankruptcy and only had to wait until they had a sympathetic and receptive administration to take power. MBNA spent $5.2 million on federal lobbying in 2003. Now, no one is talking about their predatory practices toward targeting consumers who will get the highest interest rates or the fact that credit card companies can use the any excuse to escalate your interest rate. And this includes being late on a returning a book to the library.

The other problem with lobbying is that congress has become a revolving door as representatives leave their offices on Capital Hill and move into high paid jobs on K-street. What may not be widely known is that former representatives have special access to the congressional floor that is not granted to regular lobbyists. This access makes them highly attractive to lobbying firms.

All in all, the Abramoff scandal has come at an opportune time because reform has been badly needed in this area. But let’s not get to complacent about this reform effort because craft folks can always find a way. There’s a saying that water finds a way. In Washington, money finds a way.

To learn more about the influence lobbying check out:
http://www.publicintegrity.org/

posted by Random @ 5:55 AM