Lobbying -the bad profession or not?

[Comraddict]

We all know that corporations and companies stand behind those actions of forming public and government opinions.

Where is money involved, usually power is near and fairness is not. In other words: corruption.

Should the lobbying be forbidden completely? Do these changes in policies benefit people, or only companies? Because they surely benefit companies; and we know they are about profit.

I think this is valid topic for a poll!

 

[Perfection]

Lobbying is important. It's a way for people with a common goal to tell the government how it can best help its needs.

 

[Kayak]

As always, it is a case of money=access=power. Lobying is necessary but it sould be more restricted as to who can do it maybe.

 

[Taliesin]

Lobbying is antidemocratic and corporatist. Corporate bodies should not be treated as persons, either legally or in the government.

 

[Perfection]

As always, it is a case of money=access=power. Lobying is necessary but it sould be more restricted as to who can do it maybe.

How ddo you propose restricting it.

Lobbying is antidemocratic and corporatist. Corporate bodies should not be treated as persons, either legally or in the government.

I'll tell that to my good friend, the public education lobbyist.

Corperate lobbies too are helpful. The government's job is to help the people. Corperations are vital to our economic survival. The government needs to take thier viability into account.

Lobbyists aren't undemocratic, they're just a means of communicating to elected officials. Yes, there are cases where lobbyists engage in unethical behavior such as bribery. Mostly though, they are just a tool for people with a common interest to have a dialogue with the government.

 

[The Yankee]

Lobbying is antidemocratic and corporatist. Corporate bodies should not be treated as persons, either legally or in the government.

Not all lobbyists are for corporations.

I see the purpose in lobbying, however, it's gotten to the point where big-time lobbyists have gotten far too close to the lawmakers and they produce a symbiotic relationship that turns into what we've seen in today's Congress. We need to reverse that.

 

[downtown]

lobby = good
k street project = bad

 

[Taliesin]

I use "corporation" to refer to any organisation of people, not just businesspeople. That's what corporate means. Definitionally, any lobby is a corporation, including Perfection's public education lobby. And yes, I would tell it to the public education lobby. The point is that if government is run at the level of corporate bodies, then the citizen is not an important entity. When policy is mostly decided on the basis of what the most powerful corporate interests (of any kind) want, what the citizenry want is of no concern. In the public democratic forum, no private citizen (except perhaps the great robber-barons and old families) can hope to wield power, resources, or influence anywhere approaching those of even weak corporate persons, but the lobby system regards private and corporate persons as equals with regard to government. Private citizens can gain influence only within a group, but the groups are not themselves public or democratic. You see the problem? Individual persons lose their say in government, except insofar as their group (if they have one) has a say. Influence by corporate persons renders unimportant the democratic voice of noncorporate persons, and the result is not democracy, but corporatism-- or, if you prefer, factionalism. Factionalism felled the Republic.

 

[The Last Conformist]

Lobbying breeds corruption pretty much inevitably, but it's hard to see what could replace it. The root problem, after all, is people.

 

[Comraddict]

The root problem is corporate greed: key executives are never satisfied with profits, their pay in millions, and they think that they can save on employees.
Usually 10,000 workersare laid, not 10,000 managers...
This system of elitism in corporations has worked for a while and still works; but I doubt that it is sustainable forever as the buying power of average American/European decreases.

 

[Perfection]

Taliesin, lobbying isn't about controlling the government it's about giving a group of people with a similar interest a voice. Taking thier values into account is a good thing. Few polititicans are controlled by lobbyists, but many want to hear what would be most beneficial for them.

 

[El_Machinae]

Sometimes (cure aging) I find that judging (legalise SCNT) lobbying is more (cure aging) about the message (legalise SCNT) and less than judging (cure aging) the lobbier. However, since the best (legalise SCNT) lobbiers are for sale (cure aging), we need to get the important messages to the government - for example, legalising SCNT - some other way.

Now, if I could only find a way to get a representative of government to take my opinion seriously.

 

[Swiss Bezerker]

I am the first person to vote for the radioactive monkey party option

 

[amadeus]

Corporate bodies should not be treated as persons, either legally or in the government.

Corporate bodies are people, though. Very large groups of people.

 

[EdwardTking]

Corporate bodies are people, though. Very large groups of people.

In general very small groups of people (the CEO, the Finance Director, the Public Relations Director) and certainly NOT most of their employees.

 

[Irish Caesar]

Although it often is tied very strongly to corruption, this is the fault of the people involved and not the institution of lobbying itself. Sure, there are crooked politicians and lobbyists, but lobbying is a good idea in that it gets groups of people with a common goal together to try and act on it.

Because honestly, there isn't half a snowball's chance in Hell of Ted Kennedy reading any letter I might send him.

 

[Comraddict]

Corporate bodies are people, though. Very large groups of people.

...and they already have one vote each.

 

[ketalis]

The fact that policy is overwhelming a reflection of lobbyism interests reveals that one is operating in an oligopoly, or at the very least a plutocracy, rather than a democracy. This is why I strongly advocate campaign finance reform that includes: each candidate receiving the same campaign budget from public funds and the banning of Political Action Committees. If the electorate was properly informed about electoral process, I'm willing to bet 90% of them would support the reform I have mentioned. Is there any discussion of this whatsoever in the mass media? No, instead we get to discuss abortion, gay rights, medicare "reform", and other "wedge" issues, ad infinitum.

No, lobbyism isn't going anywhere in America for the forseeable future. There are no pending factors which I can identify that would make me confident in that assertion. Is lobbyism bad? Yes, it is the source of most corruption and innefficiency that places the American political model centuries behind its time. Is it going anywhere? No.

 

[Taliesin]

...and they already have one vote each.

Precisely. A lobby is composed of people, but should not itself be a person. Under the current system, it is treated by politicians as a person. That is antidemocratic.

 

[Kayak]

How ddo you propose restricting it.

Wish I knew.

A few thoughts:
People working in a governmet jobs should not be able to quit and immediately go to work as a lobbyist. 4-5 year hiatus first perhapse.

Lobbyists should not be alowed to give any gifts, including free meals and travel to politicians and staffers.

Corporations should not be allowed to make donations to politicians and or parties for any reason.