The power of Lobbyists

$17 Million was contributed to the 100 Senators who voted yesterday to implement the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2010.  Was it passed because it is the best thing for Americans, or was it passed because it was the best thing for raising campaign funds? 

This is one vote, by 20% of our Congress: $17 Million! 

In 2009 Lobbyists spent $3.5 BILLION to influence government regulations.  Keep in mind that Congress meets for less than 160 days a year: this means that lobbyists are spending more than $40,000 PER DAY, PER MEMBER of the US Congress.  Is it any wonder that candidates
are willing to spend millions to get elected?  Is it any wonder that our elected representatives-even those who have never held a private sector job, are virtually all millionaires?  What are citizens getting in return? 

The Gulf oil spill was caused by the failure of the federal government to enforce regulations in place for more than 8 years: even though the president noted two years earlier problems with the MMS that is responsible for compliance with those regulations. 

The spill was permitted to spread 48 miles to shore because the federal government did not have the containment and recovery equipment on site as required by federal regulations in place for more than 8 years before the spill. 

The Shoe Bomber and the Panty Bomber were able to board aircraft in spite of draconian and grotesquely ineffective Homeland Security regulations and procedures.

Voter registration and voter intimidation abuses impact every election despite volumes of regulations designed to prevent them;

the Healthcare bill adds more than 160 new bureaucracies and buries small businesses in absurd, debilitating, and worthless paperwork, without providing a single additional doctor or
nurse.

We have immigration laws and regulations designed to protect us from illegal immigration that are being ignored in violation of the COTUS. 

We have volumes of regulations to prevent the illegal distribution of classified materials, but obviously they are powerless to do that.

Clearly having more regulations does nothing to protect Citizens: they only serve to enrich
our elected representatives. 

The real problem that must be corrected is the high cost of getting elected to public office.  Our elected representatives spend ALL of their time raising funds: not governing.  This is also why lobbyists write ALL legislation: because our elected reps don’t have any time for anything but fund
raising:  whomever contributes the most money gets to author the legislation that affords their interests the greatest return, regardless of what is best for Citizens.