Hobby Lobby

Are lobbyists discouraging some of the best and brightest in the private sector from working for the government? The Center for American Progress (CAP) hosted a conference on September 14, 2009 to discuss the role that special interests have in shaping American policy and whether current laws are effective in restraining excessive abuses of the system.

Bob Kaiser, Associate Editor and Senior Correspondent for the Washington Post and author of So Damn Much Money: The Triumph of Lobbying and the Corrosion of American Government, argued that the main purpose of today’s lobbyist is not “getting something done,” but “preventing something from getting done.”

Critics of the lobbying profession argue that extensive federal government programs are promoting a culture that is dependant upon preserving the status quo.

“We very, very rarely end a federal program or a federal benefit or a tax break that goes to a particular interest,” he said.

Kaiser pointed out that lobbying is also “a career choice for public servants.” Those who desire to go into the lobbying profession for altruistic reasons may find themselves disillusioned once they see the many imperfections in the current system.

So what is the solution? Kaiser argued that enforcing laws already on the books (such as gift bans) will be effective only to a certain extent. Transparency about interactions with lobbyists is the key to reform.

“Let’s make every contact between lobbyists and officials transparent. In the computer age it would be…easy to require every official who was visited by a lobbyist to report the visit that night on some website that all of us could then find and look at,” he said....

LOL is right.

Think about it.........in some shape or form everyone is a special interest lobbyist. Just bringing something of concern to you to the attention of your city councilperson or state representative is an act of special interest lobbying.

Look at it from the perspective of a small town. You and your neighbors have a problem with trash collection done by the town. You all have pretty much the same problem and want about the same thing, although there are a few that disagree. Does it or does it not make sense for the group to have one person to bring the issue to the town, as opposed to 10 or 15 trying to get the attention of the same person or persons? That’s nothing more than special interest lobbying, but there is nothing wrong with it, is there?

The concept of the paid professional lobbyist stems from that concept. Has it gone over board in some cases? Of course it has, but that doesn’t mean there is anything inherently wrong with the concept, nor of a group paying someone to be the spokesperson for their interests.

Years ago my, then 13yo, niece asked me about being a lobbyist and what exactly did I do. My explanation was that I was a sales woman, but what I was selling was the position of my client on a particular law or regulation.

Simplistic, yes, but actually rather accurate. My job was to convince legislators that my position was the better “product” in comparison to that of the opposition.

I love Hobby Lobby.
They put out wonderful posters every Easter and Christmas, and belong to a group of businesses that promote ministry for Christ.

http://www.hobbylobby.com/our_company/ministry.cfm

On that page there is also a link to “Independence Day sources” which has some great quotes and stuff from the founding fathers.

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