this post was submitted on 12 Oct 2023
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I still don’t understand how lobbying is legal. Like, it’s straight up bribery.
If you ever called or wrote a letter to your congress person about an issue you cared about you were a lobbyist when you did that.
The problem is not lobbying, the problem is pay-for-play. Something like 80%-90% of candidates who spend the most money end up winning their election. Our politicians are owned by wealthy corporate interests who fund their elections. The solution is to get money — especially corporate money — out of politics.
There are a number of policy proposals that might limit the power of money in our politics, federally funded elections, regulations for how much air time each candidate gets, perhaps bring back the fairness doctrine, just to name a few.
The "tea party"/freedom caucus are literally groups funded by the Koch brothers. The entire "movement" existed because they willed it to be with their money.
"Americans for prosperity" is Koch manipulating politics through who they fund to run.
Yeah but there's a difference between making one phone call and your job being to convince people to do things they would never do otherwise.
Or lobbyists being involved in drafting legislation.