Posted on 01/18/2006 5:11:32 AM PST by Loud Mime
For the good of the party and the nation, lobbying reform is the last thing congress should study. Their run for reform is a red herring; it will place blame on the lobbyists instead of unethical members of congress; it will blame the presence of money instead of corrupt behavior, shifting the blame away from its true resting place, the politicians. Don’t let them do this.
Congress should punish its members who broke the law, not claim that many did things that are post facto wrong. If they do the latter, any conservative associated with lobbyists will be dead election material.
Despite the near universal hatred for lobbyists, they serve a powerful function in congress for all groups, from the NRA to the AFL-CIO. If their power is abated it will leave a vacuum to be filled. Who doubts that the press will become more powerful as a result?
If lobbying reform is enacted, expect it to wed with the other abridgement of personal political activism, campaign finance reform. When that law was enacted the masses forgot about foreign donations and “no controlling legal authority.” It saved the wrongdoers and punished the wrong people.
We’ve been through this before. Don’t fall for it again.
ping
Free Speech and the right to assemble. It's protected under the Constitution and I look forward to the SCOTUS overturning Campaign Finance Reform as well.
Did you see the signing statement that was put on the anti-torture legislation?
I don't share your optimism.
Yeah...put them under the same gift receiving rules as other federal employees. No gifts over $25.00. Also, they should have to abstain when voting on issues where campaign donors are involved.
Currently, prostitutes have more honor.
I am hopeful that's true.
The Supreme Court has ruled that money doesn't equal speech.
There were 15,000 earmarks put into the Budget last year. These guys are bought and paid for.
Yes, but we already know that the Court is changing and that Roberts is giving signals that he would ask the right questions to redirect the decision.
Stare decisis, until the next case comes up. And it appears that there's a challenge on its way.
The ethics rules are very stringent on federal employees that execute federal dollars via contracts and purchases.
It's the wild wild west for those who direct $Trillions in Congress.
Except how the companies are chosen to be on the list for federal dollars.
The bigger the government is, the more we as regular and free citizens have to worry about. Cut the government
Most are lawyers, right? Then hang them.
Hey....does that go for members of congress too?
It would look like some sort of western movie, and I'm not talking about Blazing Saddles.
Ideally, yes.
Brokeback Mountain type of western?
LOL....I was thinking about Hang 'Em High...
I forgot about Barney Frankfurter
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