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49 Comments
- inactive, on 01/23/2009, -0/+60My tax dollars at work, lobbying for more tax dollars to be spent in the future. Sigh. And people still wonder why I'm a libertarian...
- mozarker, on 01/23/2009, -1/+26While lobbying serves the purpose of bringing information and issues to congress, I stopped believing that this was the main function of lobbyists when they started writing the laws and handing them to congress, expecting them to be voted on as written. Their influence far outweighs that of the American people. This balance has to change!
- Dumbledorito, on 01/23/2009, -0/+21Corporate interests are important to our country. However, they royally suck at "helping" to run it. They've had a pretty free ride the past couple of decades. I think it's time for them to butt out and quit wasting our money (both while getting and while "fulfilling" contracts) until we get the economy out of this tailspin, at least.
And if that means a few of them go under... Well, if you can't keep a business going without buckets of tax dollars, you probably weren't worth being in business in the first place. - Andrewbot, on 01/24/2009, -0/+18. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _________
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: : : : : : :¯’’~~~~~~’’’ : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : | : : : : : : : : : - inactive, on 01/23/2009, -0/+14Lovely.... Zion's Bank here in Utah, the place where my company does our banking, is on that list. Just sent the President of Zion's Bank a very nasty letter. My partners and I will be discussing what we will be doing with our corporate account at their bank.
- serv, on 01/23/2009, -2/+16IT'S A TARP!!!!!
- inactive, on 01/23/2009, -0/+12Yep, and he got testy about it when asked about Raytheon lobbyist when he went to meet the press. But the only way to shrink the power of lobbyists is to shrink the size & power of what they're selling, which is our obese government. Bush obviously didn't, and Obama's plans so far don't look like a crash diet, either, so I expect lobbyists to retain their previous level of influence despite the feel-good honeymoon rhetoric. There's been a lot of talk about "big government" in my lifetime, but meanwhile the government has only grown even MORE obese.
- FlyingCaveman, on 01/23/2009, -1/+12Lobbying has a better ROI than anything else, and as a bonus, its tax deductible.
- Barackalypse, on 01/24/2009, -0/+10This is why Government is the source of such negative conflict in the world. So long as there are vast sums of money up for grabs, there will be lobbying, jostling, lying, cheating, and stealing to get at it. If we scaled back to a Constitutional Government, we wouldn't have half these problems, because there wouldn't be anywhere near the amount of money available for misuse.
- Dumbledorito, on 01/23/2009, -1/+10While I applaud the effort, he's already had to make an exception for (I think) his Defense Secretary, who used to be a lobbyist.
But really, almost any effort to limit lobbying is a breath of fresh air. - inactive, on 01/24/2009, -1/+10The circle of life? Or more likely the circle of greed.
- BlatheringIdiot, on 01/24/2009, -0/+9So- Where do I send the check if I want to buy a law? Where is the menu? We all know our Congress is for sale, but how much?
In Illinois, you can be a senator for $1 Mill (Blago) . Now, that might sound like alot of money, but look at what you get:
pay: $169,300 / yr http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/97-1 ...
pension: after 5 yrs, it varies, but about $60K/yr
insurance:- well, it's no HMO....
So, 1 $Million isn't too much when you look at the perks- not to mention those fat envelopes you find in your lap.... - pintomp3, on 01/24/2009, -2/+10Why do you think there were no string attached, no oversight, and no regulations attached to the money? The financial sector ran the rest of a country off a cliff and is now using the money to ride things out so they don't have to change their ways. Until we clamp down on campaign contribution and move to publicly financed elections, we will only vote for our politicians while the lobbyists and corporations own them.
- inactive, on 01/24/2009, -1/+9And as the size and scope of government expand, so does the potential for abuse, and therefore lobbying.
- grungegbunny, on 01/24/2009, -1/+8This is disgusting. Hey if your company can't hack it that's it. Game over man game over!
- NJank, on 01/24/2009, -1/+8buried for misinterpreting the news.
- dagnome1984, on 01/24/2009, -0/+5Yeah no *****.
- inactive, on 01/24/2009, -2/+6For some reason, I don't think Congress will be on board.
- BlatheringIdiot, on 01/24/2009, -0/+4'No strings attached' - fed giving away tax $ to corporations
Lotsa Red tape - When YOU need something from fed govt.
I would be willing to bet that I filled out more paperwork for my home mortgage than these guys did for TARP $$$ - jfreeman, on 01/24/2009, -1/+5Exactly. This is what people in the business call an "investment."
- rhinoman99, on 01/24/2009, -1/+5they have no business spending any money on lobbying when they are firing workers, and just got more money from the taxpayers than you can fit in a large house.
- g0dfather, on 01/25/2009, -0/+3>>> GM and Chrysler was a loan, not free money.
Technically yes. But loan is something you ask a Bank not the government to run a company. And the interest rate is dependent on you credit standing, individual or corporation.
Last time I heard, no bank would trust the car companies, because they knew very well these companies were going to fail. They are rated junk in the business world. That's like having credit score in the 500's range.
Also, I don't remember the last time when the government/tax-payer money was spent wisely. - inactive, on 01/24/2009, -0/+3Yeah, doesn't sound like a bad investment at all.
I wish the FBI/prosecutors would have sat on this case a little longer. They should have waited until someone bit and paid Blago for the seat. Could you imagine how much more entertaining that would have been? The senator would lose all of his/her money and would either sound as conspiratorial as Blago or have turned on him by now.
Like they say: wish in one hand, crap in the other, and see which one gets filled first. :( - reeds1999, on 01/25/2009, -0/+3Check the list of banks that received the funds. If you bank with any of them, get your money out! They are the ones most likely to fail!
- planes, on 01/24/2009, -1/+4Here's the story of a company in Washington State that hired a lobbyist, gave $31,500 in campaign contributions to Senator Patty Murray and Congressman Norman Dicks, and wound-up with an $800,000 no-bid contract to provide internet services. Why spend time and money advertising, when you can just make a couple of campaign contributions?
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/20 ... - inactive, on 01/24/2009, -1/+4He banned it within his administration, not congress.
- BoneStamp, on 01/24/2009, -0/+3Is anyone lobbying for decriminalized marijuana?
- inactive, on 01/24/2009, -3/+5Obama can ban the sun rising in the East if he wants to. That doesn't mean it wont continue to do so.
- Konrad9, on 01/24/2009, -0/+2Expecting anything short of government not existing to stop lobbying is absolutely absurd.
- Noliaboy75, on 01/24/2009, -0/+2duh! how do you think they got the money in the first place? asking really, really nice?
- rrife, on 01/24/2009, -1/+2This is kind of inaccurate, the money given to GM and Chrysler was a loan, not free money. They're basically free to do as they please with as long as they can make the payments on it.
- inactive, on 01/24/2009, -1/+2They need to pass a law that says any elected official and government employee can not accept any free gifts and any money etc. They should also pass a law that says any elected official that lies while in office is charged with perjury. This would scare away most people that want to play the system and take advantage.
- Hinducow28, on 01/24/2009, -1/+2damn, you beat me to it.
- inactive, on 01/24/2009, -3/+4"Lobbying is the transparent and effective way that GM has its voice heard on critical policy issues...that companies should not be required to forfeit if they receive federal funding," said GM spokesman Greg A. Martin, who added that no funds lent from the Treasury would be used for lobbying.
Here's the analogy:
I'm obese. I mean obese-obese. Oprah-Winfrey-peak-obesity obese. I'm also worthless, unattractive, and nearly broke, but I see nothing wrong with my current lifestyle. After all, I'm almost 100-years-old, which means that I'm not going anywhere, anytime soon, obviously. I employ a bunch of incompetent monkeys to do menial tasks for me. Of course, I give them 30 minute naps every hour, and pay them more than the average monkey, but they never seem satisfied. They band together and threaten to bite off my genitals if I don't cave in and give them raises and benefit increases. :(
Lately, things haven't been so good. I've been myopic, complacent, and made some pretty ***** decisions relating to my health. Some would argue that I lived a full life, and that my time has come. My incredible ego and sense of entitlement beg to differ.
The other day I went down to the welfare office to inquire about getting the government to pay for some/all of my medical bills. Apparently, I'm supposed to pay them back, but there's really no guarantee that my fat ass will even be around three months from now to do so.
Some of my peers found out about this, and I've been taking a lot of heat over it ever since. They argue that it's somehow unfair to place an additional burden on taxpayers in an already-troubled economy (one them even blindsided me by suggesting that I at least try to sell some of my five exotic sports cars to help with some of the bills). I usually respond with something along the lines of "Won't someone PLEASE think of the monkeys?" (and by monkeys, I mean my own fat ass). They usually respond by telling me that if I die, the monkeys will be able to easily find work with someone else, although their new employer might actually establish "rules, boundaries, and limitations."
UPDATE:
Apparently the guy who filmed that girl who banged Eliot Spitzer heard about my welfare-queen tendencies and decided to request some assistance for himself. I guess the business model of paying a drunk, 15-year-old girl to finger-***** an 11teen-year-old with trucker hats isn't as effective as one would think.
UPDATE:
Things have gotten much worse lately. I have yet to receive any assistance from the government--which is strange, I thought the Democrats were in charge again. Anyways, I decided to take some cash and bribe the secretary at the welfare office with it. I mean, it can't hurt, right? If I don't receive any assistance, I'll likely perish. If I do receive assistance, then this can only sweeten the deal! And if I'm ever pressed as to whether or not I think this behavior is ethical, let alone legal, I'll just ramble something about my First Amendment Right to "Freedom of Preferential Treatment" and tell Debbie Downer that all my bribes came out of my checking account, but all my welfare checks went straight to savings. - inactive, on 01/25/2009, -0/+1Scratching Head... You may have a point.
The best thing would be to have a proposition at least in states that have propositions. - planes, on 01/24/2009, -1/+2Ahh... it will be a "loan" when it gets paid back. Given the unlikelihood of that happening, at the moment it is a gift from the American taxpayer, until proven otherwise.
- oldgal, on 01/24/2009, -0/+1Let me know if you get any takers, I have a bridge to sell.
- BoneStamp, on 01/24/2009, -0/+1I heard all the bailout money was delivered in singles.
- inactive, on 01/24/2009, -2/+3Where are the FF when we need them?
- inactive, on 01/24/2009, -1/+2@jraymilton
Yeah, how's the saying go?
"If you want to take business out of government, take government out of business." - BoneStamp, on 01/24/2009, -0/+1Man, if that's how your bank treats you then you need a new bank.
- Barackalypse, on 01/24/2009, -2/+2I said the same thing about food stamps and people called me bad names.
- NJank, on 01/24/2009, -2/+2so that the government could more efficiently get our economy back on track? no?
- BoneStamp, on 01/24/2009, -1/+1Marketing 101
- DMCer, on 01/26/2009, -1/+1Didn't see it on the lobbying list though.
- yoda17, on 01/24/2009, -1/+1Sounds like a version of perpetual motion.
- NJank, on 01/24/2009, -4/+2A little perspective (lacking in the witchhunt article), in order of greatest %
GM: Bailout = $13.4B, Lobbying 2008 = $13.1M = 0.978% of bailout
Chrystler: Bail.=$4B, L'08 = >$3.1M = >0.078%
GMAC: Bail.=$6B, L'08=$4.6M = 0.077%
Goldman: Bail.=$10B, L'08=$3.3M = 0.033%
Morg.Stan: Bail.=$10B, L'08=$2.5M = 0.025%
Citi: Bail.=$25B, L'08=$5.5M = 0.022%
J.P.M.C: Bail.=$25B, L'08=$5.4M = 0.022%
BoA: Bail.=$25B, L'08=$4.1M = 0.016%
...
And that's for all of 2008 (Chrystler excepted), including long before the bailouts came in, while they were actively lobbying for Congress to do something. Granted the 2007 numbers aren't much different when given, so these levels seem 'normal'. - NJank, on 01/24/2009, -8/+2check the serial numbers on those $50's and $100's. I'm SURE it's not the same money going right back to the lobbying. It's different money. right?
- inactive, on 01/23/2009, -17/+6Obama has Banned Lobbying in government. Might want to catch that on the news when you get a sec.
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