Well, that is probably evidence of corruption. Is there a viable option outside increasing regulation? If there is, I'd like to get behind it, if not, I'm behind regulation.
But not all well-reasoned opinions have the financial wherewithal to hire lobbyists who will present those ideas to the public (and more importantly, private Congressional) discourse, thus ensuring that Big Money gets its side heard but without adequate assurances that the opposing view is heard. Who do you think the matchmakers are in that sick sad marriage, Matt?
Which is why a smaller federal government is essential. And if the husband ends up beating his wife is it the yenta's fault?
But it's not the husband beating the wife - it's the husband beating the children while the wife tells the cops at the door that the kids simply fell down while running.
Don't be obtuse, Matt. You know damned well that corporate lobbyists have been fighting tooth and nail to prevent both adequate environmental legislation and enforcement. You see the problem, but you refuse to address one of the causes. If you put the Sierra Club's lobbyists on an equal financial footing with corporate lobbyists, do you think we'd have as poor an environmental record in this country?
Let me rephrase/reverse it then - if there was no corporate lobbying, do you think we'd have as poor an environmental record in this country?
Yes we would be in a similar state as today. And I dispute you on the claim that our enviromental record is poor. Sure there is room for improvment but we are a relitivly clean nation. Try breathing the air in any South American city and you might agree.
Yay!!! We're better than Colombia!!! George Bush has really, REALLY lowered the standards in the US. We cheer for ourselves for torturing less than al Qaeda, and we cheer ourselves for having a better environment than a continent that's wholly Third World.
I assume you have been to Colombia, no? And this has what to do with congressional lobbying? Clear Skies was a Bush baby.
As do I...it just doesn't add up to me...yes I get that he has a 1 year cooling off period now versus 2 years if he waits until his term in done in 2012... the whole thing seems odd to me
Lobbying, in and of itself, is not necessarily evil. What is evil is the extent to which we've allowed our elected representatives to whore themselves out to the highest bidder. THAT has to change.
I actually do think lobbying is in fact a blight on democracy, in and of itself. Each person has a single vote to form this goverment. No corporation can vote; no trade union can vote; no industry association can vote; no chamber of commerce can vote; no non-profit can vote. Yet it is these latter groups that have more direct access to our government to put forth their needs and wants than the actual voters. (EDIT: In an effort to fully disclose, I take this position while a partner at the last law firm which employed Jack Abramoff.)