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"Thomas Jefferson and James Madison spoke of the fear that economic power would one day seize political power. That fear is now being realized -- under the Bush administration, pharmaceutical companies draft our Medicare laws. Oil executives sit in the vice president's office and write energy bills. A majority of the reconstruction contracts in Iraq have gone to the president's campaign contributors."

I'm not too thrilled with the influence that Big Business has in politics, but the idea that this started under the Bush administration...or that it's even a Republican problem is a fraud. For every business that lobbies for its interest, there is a competing group that lobbies for just the opposite. For every HMO there is AARP; for every NRA there is Handgun Control Inc; for every oil and lumber company, there is the Sierra Club or Greenpeace.

The idea that it is somehow evil for Republicans to actually meet with America's energy producers to devise an effective energy policy is ignorant. Is it any more valid that the Sierra Club or Greenpeace should write "Energy" policy, than those who actually produce that energy? We only have to look at California and see what effect that policy has had on that state. For over a decade environmental groups have been writing legislative policy that has led to shortages, blackouts, uncontrollable forrest fires, etc.

What's more disturbing than the Republican's support for American capitalism and business, is the Democrats support for those institutions that are an anethema to capitalism and business...which includes "Big" government, that hampers and punishes productivity. While liberals throw a fit about American companies who get involved in the polticial process, they ignore the influence foreign countries/companies have had on the Democratic Party. We can't have Haliburton influencing the Republicans with campaign contributions, but the PRC giving to the Democrats in exchange for a little "technology transfer" is just fine. At least Republicans are looking out for American interests and not those of our enemies.