Posted on 02/26/2017 7:33:53 PM PST by bobsunshine
Hope CNN is the blind squirrel that finds the nut on this one.
I stand corrected; only the expenses that are related to compliance are deductible. However, as long as members of Congress can receive political contributions, legislation is influenced.
Corporations will still try to influence legislation, even if not deductible, so long as the proposed legislation favors them. Bank of America influences bankruptcy legislation. Pelosi’s husband influences minimum wage law, getting himself an exemption.
Drain the swamp.
Wouldn’t end lobbying.
Would maybe cut down some marginal lobbying, but the return on corporate expenses and potential downside if they don’t invest in it are too great for them to give up.
Comprehensive Current List Of Budget Cuts & Reforms
(Gleaned from a bunch of different sources. Subject to change without notice.)
OMB cuts (The list is to be finalized by March 13):
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
the Legal Services Corporation
AmeriCorps
The National Endowments for the Arts
The National Endowments for the Humanities
White House Office of National Drug Control Policy
The Export-Import Bank
Other cuts:
Departments of Commerce: Economic Development Administration, Minority Business Development Agency, International Trade Administration, Manufacturing Extension Partnership.
Department of Energy: Office of Electricity Deliverability and Energy Reliability, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, as well as the Office of Fossil Energy.
Department of Justice: elimination of Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, Violence Against Women Grants, the Legal Services Corporation, Civil Rights Division, Environment and Natural Resources Division.
Department of the Treasury: Abolition of the IRS. Tax collection and enforcement activities would be moved to a new, smaller, and more accountable department at the Treasury. Applicants to the new department would need to undergo a rigorous evaluation of their work performance before being hired to positions of trust, and would be subject to discipline and termination if they failed to honor that trust.
Misc: The Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the Paris Climate Change Agreement, and the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
(indirect bureaucratic controls)
Federal agencies should have the ability to fire Senior Executive Service employees for serious violations or place them on unpaid leave while they are under investigation.
Limiting Bonuses for Federal Employees, and limiting how many can get them annually (current annual bonus *average* $10,560 per employee.)
Reform of Federal Employee Pension Plans. instead of basing the amount of a retiree’s benefit on the highest three years of earnings, the benefit would be calculated from the highest five-year period. And all federal employees would be required to contribute more towards their retirement.
Reduction of the Annual Across-The-Board Adjustment For Federal Civilian Employees’ Pay.
Reduction of Premium Support for the Federal Employee Health Benefits program (FEHB) from current subsidy of 70% of premiums.
Overall reduction in the Federal workforce by attrition.
Limits on Agency spending on conferences.
The Federal Employee Accountability Act (H.R. 1658) would ensure that no federal government employee could use official time to engage in collective bargaining, or participate in arbitration on behalf of a union against their employer. The budget encourages adoption of this legislation.
Our political system and history shows that influence-peddling is as old as the Congress. With an informed and concerned electorate this causes little harm. Almost all of the representatives have conflicting donors which cannot all be satisfied. So the key is to give each group enough that they won’t turn on you next election.
During the days when tariffs provided most of the federal revenue the jockeying was pervasive and wide open. Industries wanted protection from overseas competitors. Consumers did not want price increases. Look at the influence of the Slaveocracy prior to the Civil War and that was contrary to the working class. Same with railroad construction since the states controlled routes, rates and most other things.
In point of fact, the corruption of state legislatures was far worse than the federal primarily because there were fewer competing groups for the influence of state representatives. A legislator is much more likely to have one interest group which is primary. In Iowa the elected will have to pay attention to the things which affect farming since that is who they represent.
This only becomes a large problem when the interest groups are contrary to the national interest. Much of what they want is not contrary to the nation and will benefit almost all the people.
Lobbying is as much self-defense as it is actively seeking comparative advantages. Proving corruption through bribery and payoffs is not a simple thing and is easily hidden.
Today only Republicans would find media investigations while the Democrats’ transgressions are pointedly ignored.
We are in far more danger from the Fake News outlets than corruption in Congress or legislatures.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.