Steve,
Lobbying is becoming a very significant feature of Western advanced
countries. However, the media (particularly the American media) too often
regard it as inimical to "democracy". Yes, it's full of corrupt agents
with insider contacts who are pursuing special interests but, essentially,
it's an inevitable outcome of complexity which overwhelms governments,
never mind individual legislators. It's only a minority of politicians who
set about researching details for themselves. Most of them, like most
members of the public, get carried along by the particular cross-current
which happens to be strongest at the time -- or by the biggest back-handers.
American and Western politicians rarely talk about corruption in which a
great many of them are deeply involved and governments are reluctant to
root it out with enough prosecutions. On the other hand, the Chinese --
with ten times the longevity of centralized government -- consider that
corruption is endemic within governments and talk about it all the time.
What they've done about lobbying is interesting. Some years ago they
adopted the policy of inviting business leaders into the highest levels of
the Communist Party (in practice, just another promotion route into
government). The invitees don't have to believe in Marxism (which is still
the formal ideology) and can argue their own case directly.
Keith
At 15:39 04/06/2010 -0400, you wrote:
Report: More Than 1,400 Former Lawmakers, Hill Staffers Are Financial
Lobbyists
By Dan Eggen Washington Post
Friday, June 4, 2010
Even for Washington, the revolving door between government and Wall Street
spins at a dizzying pace. More than 1,400 former members of Congress,
Capitol Hill staffers or federal employees registered as
<http://projects.washingtonpost.com/politicsglossary/general/lobbyist/>lobbyists
on behalf of the financial services sector since the start of 2009,
according to an exhaustive new study issued Thursday.
The analysis by two
<http://projects.washingtonpost.com/politicsglossary/general/nonpartisan/>nonpartisan
groups, Public Citizen and the Center for Responsive Politics, found that
the "small army" of financial lobbyists included at least 73 former
lawmakers and 148 ex-staffers connected to the House or Senate banking
committees. More than 40 former Treasury Department employees also ply
their trade as lobbyists for Wall Street firms, the study found.
Some of the biggest names highlighted in the study include former Senate
majority leaders Robert J. Dole (R-Kan.) and Trent Lott (R-Miss.); former
House majority leaders Richard K. Armey (R-Texas) and
<http://www.whorunsgov.com/Profiles/Richard_Gephardt>Richard A. Gephardt
(D-Mo.); and former House speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.). Ex-Rep. Vin
Weber (R-Minn.) has the largest number of financial-services clients of
any former lawmaker, representing 13 companies and groups, including
Deloitte, Ernst & Young and the Real Estate Roundtable, the report shows.
The revolving door is evident in almost every major issue that comes
before Congress, from regulation of the
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/17/AR2010041702990.html?nav=emailpage>coal
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/08/AR2010030804900.html?nav=emailpage>industry
to the auto industry to the
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/05/AR2009070502770.html?nav=emailpage>health-care
sector. But the sheer scale of the overlap within the financial sector is
remarkable: For every sitting member of Congress, the study shows, there
are three former colleagues or government staffers lobbying for banks.
David Arkush, director of Public Citizen's Congress Watch division, said
"Wall Street hires former members of Congress and their staff for a
reason," especially at a time when lawmakers are debating a historic
overhaul of the way Wall Street does business. "These people are
influential because they have personal relationships with current members
and staff," Arkush said. "It's hard to say no to your friends, but that's
what Congress needs to do."
"Companies pay a premium for lobbyists who've spun through the revolving
door because it can be a small price to pay relative to the huge payoff if
they can shape legislation," said Sheila Krumholz, executive director of
the Center for Responsive Politics. "These lobbyists tap insider knowledge
and personal relationships, knowing that their old friends and former
co-workers won't want to let them down."
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Keith Hudson, Saltford, England
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