It seems to me that outlawing lobbying would greatly improve our federal government (all other government, too, but I'll leave that for another discussion). If you have a good idea or want the feds to consider a certain action, write or email them. If they're interested or need more information, they'll get back to you. No $$ or other compensation of any kind should be allowed. Too many in our Congress are being bought off. Can Elon and Vivek take a look at this?
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Because calling it "Bribery" is too honest.
Word.
Advance on your kickback..
Like abortion isn’t murder. Fortifying an election isn’t election interference. Department of Defense is really department of Offense Global war on terror or Global War OF terror? Orwell would be proud.
It is a job that simply should not exist. There are plenty of others as well but lobbying is particularly egregious because politicians cannot represent their constituents and the lobbyist at the same time. It invites corruption.
100% lobby tax
That pesky Constitution again.
I suspect it has more to do with the recognition of corporations as "people". That needs to stop, STAT. I have no problem with an individual addressing their Congressman, but I have a big problem with corporations doing it.
Amen, fuck Citizens United, that needs to be overturned ASAP
1974 Impoundment Control Act.
Bring back impoundment and enforce it heavily. The lobbyists will lose most of their financial power and sway over govt spending and allocation of said spending. Can't have a (insert area of spending here) lobby if you outright refuse to fund them or grant them contracts.
Constitutionally speaking. Lobbying is what the modern form of petitioning the Government/Your representative most often takes.
Much like how Legal Bribery is ‘Campaign Donations’
The mass public petitions and crap are cutesy bullshit meant for local and to a lesser extent state level politics. At the Federal Level it becomes largely for show. It doesn’t meaningfully impact Federal and Foreign Policy. The people with the money however do.
Hence Lobbying. Which depending on the year can be a multi-billion dollar industry all on its own.
Every industry and moderately large special interest group in Washington has Lobbyists with budgets of varying sizes. In fact there’s some lesser known Lobbyist groups who regularly outspend the more well known lobbyists to kill bills before they even hit public notice. The Tech and Gaming Industry is notorious for that.
Because "we" want money
The people taking the money,make the rules.
Some people go to DC to make money, not serve WE THE PEOPLE.
To both launder money and bribe for special interests groups. Guess it should say bribe for the fraudulent and corrupt special interests groups!
Politicians become multimillionaires.
You could cut all official lobbying. But politicians would still receive unofficial donations, gifts, offshore accounts. They will find ways to hide it, give it to family members, there’s a will there’s a way. The only way to eliminate it is to vote in honest members.
Yes. But then if they accept ANYTHING and we find out, they can be punished. Make the punishment big enough and maybe politicians will "remember" that they're there to serve the public, not to get rich or garner influence. We're going to have to make some changes if we want to "keep" our new/corrected republic, as Ben Franklin once said.
Need some way to audit them and their immediate families. Maybe make public service more like a vocation where they have to relinquish personal property for X years. I still think the constitution should be amended for only one term for congress, figure out what’s an appropriate length 2,4,6 years. Eliminates all re-election bids. Campaigning should have a dollar cap an be limited to 4 months prior to the election…
Exactly. Congress ruled that doctor and pharmacist are no allowed to get pens yet they are allowed to take all these bribes!
be careful what you ask for...
Jack. Jack Abromoff