Tonight's edition of CBS's 60 Minutes had an excellent story on Abramoff and his lobbying schemes - including bribery.
While corrupting Congress, he cheated his clients. A majority of lobbyists do. Rather than having the people we send to office to do our bidding, they become "free agents" in a draft of sorts.
I am going to make one analogy to recruiting high school football players to college. How many NCAA regulations and restrictions are in place to punish coaches? The university?
How about another analogy. College football players (and universities) are punished for receiving gifts and specialties from agents. The agents are just like lobbyists.
So why is it we have lobbyists running around the Hill - and in states - throwing around clients' money in order to get special favors and blessings included in bills?
Abramoff is the prominent picture of money corruption in our politics. However, these politicians aren't forced to take the offers, now are they? Temptation.
If college football players are caught high-rolling with agents, they are severely punished. The agents? What are their ramifications? Oh, they just lose the opportunity to cash in on that certain player and move on.
I compare the same to lobbyists. They constantly interact with elected officials to get favorable measures through. In return, there's a party here... a golf junket there... fishing trip here.
Again, Republicans have a stronghold on this game. So much so they have had favorable rulings in the U.S. Supreme Court i.e. Citizens United. The foundation set for that started at a lobbyist level.
It all does.
Once our elected officials leave the victory party, they begin answering phones. The calls, however, are not from you and I. They are from the lobbyists. The game is on.
My main point is money corrupts. However, it's all right to have our elected officials protect those lobbyists - even when we the people prove the lobbyists are against us and what we stand for.
Lobbyists should be barred from all politics. Both sides - Dems and GOP. True campaign finance reform ought to remove all corporation and labor money out of process of donations.
Will it happen? No.
The game is to good to stop playing - with Democratic and GOP politicians trying to win. The people, however, always lose.
Tue Nov 08, 2011 at 5:27 AM PT: Leadership PACs: Let the Good Times Roll: http://www.propublica.org/...
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