Kennedy proposing lobbying restriction (not Fat Teddy)

Pioneer Press ^ | 1-14-06 | FREDERIC J. FROMMER

[Rakkasan1]

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Mark Kennedy this week ramped up the effort to curtail the influence of lobbyists by proposing a lifetime ban on members from serving as lobbyists after they leave Congress. Currently, members are banned from lobbying for one year. "I think part of the temptations are whatever your possible future life might be," Kennedy, R-Minn., said. "We need to be attracting folks to Congress with real-life experience, with real-life experience to go back to."

[Rakkasan1]

IMHO,this stands not a chance, but good luck to him.

[Sonny M]

He's got a pretty good shot to be the next senator from Minnesota, so this is interesting to watch.

[rellimpank]

--neither would it do any good, because the result would merely be to cause former members to be hired through some third party.

The only real solution-(and the impossible one ) is the removal of the fingers of the government from virtually everything , thus removing the need for lobbying in the first place---

[edcoil]

'Kennedy, R-Minn., said. "We need to be attracting folks to Congress with real-life experience, with real-life experience to go back to."


This naturally leads to the conversation that politicans are not paid enough to leave the private sector SO, we need to pay them more.

Soon they will be saying we need to double their pay. I say lets move to a part time legislature.

[EagleUSA]

Yeah, just like Klintoon said, when he was elected --- end lobbying -- well, we know the value of what ANY Demorat says...sorry, but the Congress-critters make too much money for themselves from lobbyists.

[massgopguy]

I recall BIll Clinton passing a EO banning congresscritters from being Lobbyists for three years after leaving cooffice when he won the 1992 election and then passed another recinding it when he left office.

[Rakkasan1]

I think Wetterling will through her hat in the ring for Congress, raise a ton of $, then switch to running for Senate instead .

[Rakkasan1]

there used to be a reason it was called "public service".

they're about as public service as the NFL players now.

[rellimpank]

--I am not totally up to speed on exactly what a presidential " Executive Order" can encompass, but wouldn't have though that it could apply to Congress (separation of powers).

I stand on the second sentence of my above post.

[Sonny M]

I think Wetterling will through her hat in the ring for Congress, raise a ton of $, then switch to running for Senate instead .

Is she the one he beat in a previous election?

My friends cousin lives in Minesota and told my friend that he likes Kennedy but that the guy really does have the personality of an accountant but seems like a nice guy who can make jokes about himself.

Ironically, most of the accountants I know, do not come anywhere near the sterotype.

[Rakkasan1]

she ran once before and lost.

Kennedy is my congressman. I paid a lot of money for him.
(sarcasm)

Seriously, he's a nice guy.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Every time congress gets in a jam, their solution is a new restriction on my right of petition.

[rellimpank]

--as I am fond of pointing out, the "There oughtta be a law people" are outnumbering us "it's a free country" types--

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Life Member.

[Chuckster]

When I was in college (A very long time ago) I read a small text titled American revolutionaries in the Making". It describes the practices and ideas that were prevalent among the Founders. You'd hardly know it now by looking at todays Congress.