Lobbyists have to much influence?
828989
We did in Colorado.  Basically, employees and elected officials of the state of Colorado, can't even accept a meal.  They can't accept donations for their campaign for more than fifty dollars.  Everybody else needs to follow suit...By the way, it's sort of funny to see these jokers running around trying to cover their tracks about previous deals, and trying to figure out what they can get away with.
763316
In order to be elected to a seat in the House or Senate, you MUST be able to finance the election yourself or be able to raise the millions of dollars required. A teacher, for example, is unlikely to be able to do either of those things.\n\nIn order to get a bill passed through Congress, it requires millions of dollars in lobbying funds, advertisements, and other "tricks". Only large corporations or individual billionaires (like that jerk, George Soros who single-handedly funded Moveon.org in the last presidential election) are able to make any significant impact on legislation.
392508
But every time we say "lobbying reform," we reinforce the idea that it is only the lobbyist who is the wrongdoer. Sure, many lobbyists are slimy and aggressive. (Others, in my experience, can be helpful and informative, as long as you understand that they represent only one side of an argument.) But no one forces any legislator or staffer to accept lunches, trips, or favors from a lobbyist. And the reason not to do that is that the legislator risks surrendering some of her power, which is a public trust, to these private interests. That's the other side's frame. This is not a lobbying scandal. It's a betrayal-of-public-trust scandal. Lobbyists have no power, no influence, until a public servant gives them power. That's what DeLay and the K Street Project was all about. What they did was to set up a system by which lobbyists who proved their loyalty in various ways, such as taking DeLay and Ney on golf trips to Scotland, could be transformed from supplicants to full partners in government.  WASHINGTON, March 31 — A former top aide to Representative Tom DeLay pleaded guilty on Friday to charges that he accepted thousands of dollars in illegal gifts, including money funneled through a consulting firm he set up with his wife and travel by private jet to California, in return for influencing legislation on behalf of the lobbyist Jack Abramoff.Abramoff, 46, faces up to 11 years in federal prison and must pay $26.7 million in restitution, said U.S. Assistant Attorney General Alice Fisher.THERE IS A LOT OF GOOD LOBBYIST OUT THERE THAT DO NOT BUY WANT THEY WANT BUY GIVING GIFTS AND MONEY! BUT IT WOULD AMAZE YOU HOW MANY PEOPLE IN CONGRESS AND THE SENATE THAT ACCEPT THESE GIFTS!!THIS IS FACT!! JUST LOOK UP LOBBYIST WRONG DOING ON ANY SEARCH ENGINE!!
1072670
Politicians are elected by their constituency (registered voters in their district); lobbyists are simply lawyers and 'top-flight' businessmen (and women!), who attempt to influence the political decision making process. Example: the pharmacutical industry tries to influence laws to their benefit. The term lobby originated in the old days because these lawyers would 'hang' in the lobby waiting to 'make their move'
530156
Simple is the answer people who have some money have access to people with even more money and it takes alot of money to get elected.a politician cant upset the apple cart and get elected ross perrot had alot of money but wasnt able to get elected.you must remain true to what works for big business without rasing taxes or cutting entitlments to the people.its a tricky rollacoaster ride for most politicians it takes money to get elected but it takes the people who got you there to keep you there the media supports candidates at all levels and are owned by a wealthy group of americans and forigners whos profits are tied directly to the political influence they control in congress and apponties abroad look at the people who come with the canidates to see who they are owned by most are run by large multinational corps. with profit as the agenda a candidate who has people support can often be ruined in the press unfit .to lead whatever that means usually liberal wanting to give back to much to the workers of america and protect the enviroment and force business to assume responcibility for there workers and the enviroment around them. so you see it is simple.
860727
Actually, I think all politicians have way too much power.  In the case of the president, the problem is that he presides over a vast entrenched bureaucracy that cannot change very quickly, and still less when it is asked to down-size.  So it's not so much the president's power that has grown directly, but his authority to increase bureaucracy, which grows like mushrooms after a rain.
49839
in germany it is illegal for companies to give money to a politician during their campaign. they learned their lesson. hitler was popularly elected and suported by lobby money. the historical parallels to this prez are are uncanny and the reasons for wire taps and how the germans allowed the occlusion of their democratic  freedoms be implimented as we american allow it to happen here. the burning of reichstag was their 9/11.
928644
Candidates need money in order to campaign. They obtain this money in two ways: 1) raising it through various functions, 2) donations. Interest groups donate money to candidates in hopes that that candidate will then be sympathetic to the group's cause if he/she gets elected. In effect, the group is buying influence. This happens ALL THE TIME in nearly every elected political/ judicial office you can imagine. \nCampaign costs affect party membership because campaign funding is often one of the many benefits political parties offer their incumbents. Incumbency is the fact that once a person is in office, it is easier for them to stay in office because of a variety of benefits. Because of this, politicians often vote according to their political party's majority view, regardless of their own inclinations, in order to avoid risking the benefits they receive from their party which will help them get re-elected in the next election.\n\nHope that helped!!
882027
I feel Congress truly represent Special Interest Groups/Lobbysists more than the citizenry.  Theses special interest groups are SUPPOSED to have our best interests in mind, and some do such as the American Lung Assoc., etc...but not Alcohol, Tobacco, Insurance lobbys.\n\nThe rich/corporations: overrepresented\nPoor/Small businesses: underrepresented
870539
The problem with all but the first of those suggestions is that they take power AWAY from the people:  If I want to exercise my freedom of speech to tell people what I think about a candidate by buying advertising using money that I earned honestly you think it should be illegal?  Or if I'm not that rich I can't get together with a bunch of other people who think similarly and pool our money to do the same thing?  How is that giving me power? \n\nThe real solution is to start holding government power to the limits set up for it in the constitution.  When it can't buy votes with tax money, most of the reasons for corruption will disappear.  Of course this is unlikely to happen because most people like it when the government taxes other people to buy them goodies, so they'll never tell their representatives "No, don't send money taken from tax payers by force to help us build our city a pork barrel project, pay for health care for the poor, run our schools, etc. If enough people want the project then it can be built with private funds; if not, then we shouldn't build it.  Charity should be funded by voluntary charitable contribution, not money taken by force.  etc."
800031
They are not going to vote to limit their own terms so we just have to limit them ourselves with our votes.  Most people at the national level are professional politicians so the only other job open to them is lobbying.
536314
Life is more important than things. People should be more powerful than government. Isn't that what you conservatives say you believe in? So put your money (well, your lobbyist's money) where your mouth is.\n\nSomehow, I think I'm not getting the 10 points.
923538
If you are in the U.S., get in touch with your local senators and representatives (state and federal) and government leaders. If you give them a really big campaign donation, that is even better.
1134269
I think that that Washington is so out of touch with the views of most Americans. In addition; I believe it may have a lot to do with the lobbyist for various business. However; I believe many of us are waking up and this up coming November Elections will be the litmus test. I say dump the dirty bastards.
239406
Money is the route of the corruption in this country.  Most of our people elected to either house of Congress are in the 2% of the countries richest.  It is not the fact that they are rich that makes for the corruption.  It is money from corporations, lobbying groups, other wealthy contributors that have added a layer of corruption in this country.  They are not as organized as they could be as they are all looking out for themselves, however watch out if they would decide to start coordinating efforts.
733104
Could it?  Of course.\nAnd you've just answered your own question -- THAT is why they oppose reform.  \nKnow what really gets me?  Campaign and lobbying laws *are* so loose, yet so many still go beyond them and do stupid things for MORE money...and get caught!  How dumb is that?? :)
708946
"They give the politicians billions of bucks to represent us" lobbyists are bad not good, they do not "give the politicians bucks to represent us", they give the politicians money to represent whatever agenda the lobbyist is pushing, it's a subversion of the democratic process, you get government officials that are beholden to whomever pays them the most(to run a re-election campaign), not voters, lobbying should be abolished or outlawed IMO.