Lobbyism

Nothing makes me blood boil more than the system of undue influence that is allowed in this "free" country of ours...the trail of tears is locked into the path of the money used to coerce a vote out of OUR elected officials...OK, you may call me names, but go ahead....DISAGREE with me...this idea of "buying a vote" has been going on long before you or I have inhabited this earth...so you think that I am just generalizing the problem...I got locked into an argument about this about 5 years ago with one of Marsha's broker bosses...and his reply was to get into it....that was the way this whole thing works...that if you want change, be a part of it first...interesting...sell yourself out...

No better example than what has been going on in DC right now...the TV cable company Comcast wishing to buy out another (Time Warner) and become a mega giant in the industry...of course, to get the votes (lawmakers and regulators) to allow the procedure, they call upon their team of people in their LOBBYIST department....and call on the Northrop Grumman Co. to lead their "battle"...and last year, they invested a mere...wait...$18.8 MILLION...on the company...to target the regulatory approval for a $45.2 BILLION deal to buy Time Warner Cable...what?...a negligible amount for the grand prize...are you rowlfing yet?...

Comcast has more than 100 lobbyists....including two former senators (another story), three retired house reps (repulsive) and an ex-Fed Communications Commission Member...leading their charge on the hill...and these blokes find ways to "give" money to Super Pacs, filtrate $ to charities that benefit targeted certain Congress types...and on and on...what do you think the lobbyists do?...if you are a former Congressional member, don't you think that you just may have an inside track to others in the same biz?...yea, right...

I laugh at the the notion that on the local level, that there are limits to anything that a, let's say, lender, can give to a realtor...or buy a lunch...ha ha...as there are none whatsoever on the highest level...they all find ways to get around it...have I ever told you, I trust NO POLITICIAN...

When their time is up, they continue to work...as a lobbyist...and at a higher rate of $ earned...

Yes.   There is NOT going to be a change in how the rich and powerful are doing things...to govern us, the masses...thank goodness we have change every 4 years....I guess...but the ground swell of the real people need to heed this warning...and set major limits upon the top tier of lobbying...do as they should do...not as they give us in their trickle down...

OK, get yourself into a frenzy...go ahead and read up on the latest venture on money laundering...Super Pacs...you and I can only complain...maybe it's what we should be doing...
Someday...