Lobbying (Follow The Money Series)
Who Runs Washington D.C.?/Not The Citizens/Buying Your Politicians One Bribe At A Time.
I would like to start this conversation with a statement about math. I don’t know any personally and I’ve never met one, but I hear they are out there somewhere. Here’s where the math part comes in. The odds say that there has to be a few honest, unbribable politicians out there. There just has to be. Math never lies. Having said that, any politician who has not submitted or voted on legislation to outlaw lobbying is corrupt. In My Humble Opinion.
Here is the definition of a lobbyist.
Since they are #1 on the list, they can be the primary target for today. Yes, that graph shows that the pharmaceutical industry spent over a quarter of a billion dollars bribing Congress in 2022. I wonder why? Could it be that they are about to go down as the greatest mass murderers in human history? Probably. They want to put a good spin on things to brainwash us into believing they are the good guys. The purveyors of truth. Can you say predictive programming boys and girls?
It’s a shame when you wake up every day now and ask yourself “How can it get any crazier in this world”? Then boom, there’s a new set of headlines to blow your mind. All those normal analogies, like absurdity, unbelievable, unprecedented, insanity don’t even apply anymore because we have gotten so far off track we are in a place none of us ever thought we would be.
This will be another one of those article where I feel so dirty after just doing the research, that I don’t think there is enough soap in the entire world to ever get clean again.
I hope my language doesn’t offend anyone here. Trust me when I say I sanitized it for your consumption. As a general rule I try not to write about other species because there are so many and I know so little about them. There is a species though, that we all need to become more familiar with. I don’t know if they can be considered sub-human and also be a reptile but if it’s possible, that’s how I would describe them. They mainly exist in the political areas of the world like the Washington D.C. Swamp. They are cold blooded reptiles that slither their way through the corridors of power. They come bearing gifts from their masters to any blood sucking politician who leveraged up his soul to get his place in the D.C. hierarchy. For lack of a better term, and because I did say I sanitized this for your consumption, we’ll just call them lobbyists.
It’s amazing how Big Pharma, Social Media, Big Tech and a few other major players are all in the news right now over collusion and corruption involving elections, medical misinformation, Constitutional abuses and so many things. I don’t believe that is a coincidence. The lies are being exposed. It’s just never fast enough to put an end to the human collateral damage that the world is suffering from.
So here’s the set-up for you. Let’s say you weren’t around when a certain politician was running for office and you didn’t contribute to his campaign, but now you need that vote. Why would he want to help you in any way? So, you kind of have to become his friend “After The Fact” as it were. His constituents elected him on his All-American values and agenda, but you need him to totally abandon those principles and promises and vote to pass a bill that is favorable to your employer, who by the way just happened to give you briefcases full of money for just such an occasion. That Senator who voted against you three times already, just bought a new house and he can’t get the city to give the permits he needs for that eyesore gazebo and massive swimming pool/miniature golf course in his backyard. The city planning commissioner has turned him down twice already and he’s mad. You just happened to hear about this from another politician, whose vote you just procured (See 2,3 & 4 below) with that donation to the little league baseball field fund where his son goes to school. You know that anonymous donation in that politician’s name, so he gets all the praise and kudos for making it happen without all of that pesky paperwork. The city planning commissioner has a penchant for Ferarris and prostitutes and you just happened to help with those vices and he owes you a favor. This round robin takes place over and over and voilà, votes change, bosses smile, bank accounts grow and the public gets screwed over again. Just another typical day in D.C.
There’s not one single prostitute in history who has sold themselves for more money than politicians do every day, and yet what they do is illegal because some politician says it is. Chase that around in your mind for a minute.
I think back to that line in “Pretty Woman” with Richard Gere’s character Edward Lewis, where he’s speaking with Julia Robert’s character Vivian and he says “You and I are such similar creatures Vivian, we both screw people for money”. I envision that’s how a lobbyists approaches a politician in Washington and if the line works, check that conscience at the door and they’re off to the races.
Lobbying, what a creative way to describe legal bribery. I don’t necessarily agree with a lot of this information I am referencing in this article, but I am referencing it because it is our current reality and we have to get our elected officials to give up their bribery money to ever solve this problem and take the country back.
Do you really believe that most Politicians in Washington went up their to help the U.S. and it’s citizens or was it all about the money? We have all taken jobs because we need the money and we need to earn a living. There’s nothing wrong with that. We all have to pay the bills. Sometimes that entails taking a job we don’t necessarily want but we know in our mind it’s a necessary evil. But, what they have going on up there is criminal, regardless of what the law says. Back to the meanings of words. Laws are so confusing and obtuse that they are intentionally ignored because of lack of understanding once they are passed.
Now that I’ve had my say, I will give you a few of the dozens of websites I researched to write this article, so you can see other opinions of these creatures called lobbyists. They will try and sell you on the necessity and the importance of these political pariahs to the process in Washington D.C. and elsewhere.
I will have to say over the years, I have used this website for research and to expand my knowledge of financial matters. If a case could be made for lobbyists, this article from Investopedia might have enough positive information to at least make you consider the necessity. Why Lobbying Is Legal And Important In The U.S.
Now, this shouldn’t be surprising to anyone. What a headline from Politico a year ago. Biden-tied Lobbying Firms Raked In The Dough During His First Year.
I don’t know if any of you have ever visited the Open Secrets Website, but I highly recommend bookmarking their website for future reference. There is an amazing amount of searchable information that is constantly updated. Here are the Ranked Sectors for Federal lobbying.
24/7 Wallstreet: Who Spends The Most Lobbying The U.S. Government.
Truthout.org website also appears to be an excellent website for real information.
What is Lobbying (And Do We Really Need Lobbyists?)
I can’t believe I would even reference this “Rag” in one of my articles, but I found some of this information informative. (That was painful) The Washington Post:Lobbying Broke All=Time Mark In 2021
There have been some Changes to Both The Hatch Act and Anti-Lobbying Act You Should Be Aware Of.
Over the last couple of years there has been some interesting changes to The Lobbying Disclosure Act. I am including this as a frame of reference for you as well.
Having said all of this, I do believe lobbying started off as a necessary evil to inform the political process all those centuries ago. It has now turned into a corrupt monstrosity that is so out of control on all levels, that I feel it needs to be abolished altogether and a new form of dialogue needs to take its place.
Of all of the articles in the “Follow The Money Series”, I think we as citizens really need to pay more attention to the companies and politicians involved in this money trail. It’s pure corruption and I do believe a lot of it is getting exposed for what it is. Treason against the American People at the behest of corporations and hostile governments who have the money and power to infiltrate and manipulate our legal process in Washington D.C. Along with term-limits for all of those bribable politicians, lobbying laws need to be rewritten. Hopefully, you can tell by my wonderfully kind words, how I feel about lobbyists. Thank you to the artists at the top and the bottom of this article. Their art expresses my sentiment perfectly. That “SLEAZE” acronym is priceless.
As always,
Namaste
Until Next time, when we will delve into …….
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