What is a Lobbyist

For as much as I have spoken of Lobbyists, always negatively, it was only recently that I acquired more insight into their Trade, if you can call it that.

I went to a local Senator and was discussing with his receptionist the reason why I wished to see the Senator, to make licensing procedures easier for such and such and this and that. What she told me was almost like a Satori Experience regarding the Realization of how Modern Politics works. It turns out that I didn’t want to see the senator after all, according to her, a rather glib woman, but that I wanted to make an appointment with a certain Political Consulting Form (what Lobbyists call themselves). They would put together a study to see who would benefit from such a change in licensing procedures, and then they would quantify it in regards to how much money could be made by certain people, and then efforts would be made to bring together and organize these various people, showing them the benefits of pushing forward a change in the law, and getting them to commit a small fraction of their increased future earnings in order to advance such a change in the law. Everyone concerned would be briefed regarding the present state of Election Contribution Laws and would be shown where all the gaping loopholes are, so that contributions could get to the Right People. They would even help me plan Parties and Benefits!

And the Lobbyists would deal with both Parties. Oh, one thinks that everything is decided by Party Politics… that one Party is for something and the other party against it, and it comes down to a vote, all in conformance to whether a particular thing is seen in principle as either being Right Wing or Left Wing. Well, almost, but not quite. The Lobbyists do not just pay the One Party that would be in Favor of an Idea. Of course they arrange Contributions for the Sponsoring Party. But they also arrange Contributions for powerful members of the Other Party so that they will just let things be. Yes, sometimes other Lobbyists jump in and interfere, to try to make big fights out of things, and if it looks like more money can be drummed up on both sides by stirring up a big partisan frenzy it is even welcomed by both sides – who doesn’t like more money coming in, win or lose? But little pieces of Business Legislation are usually just allowed to go through as long as everyone gets a little bit of the grease along the way.

I was not naïve enough to ask if anything is ever done only because it is the right thing to do.

Of course, all cynicism aside, as described above, such a process might even be seen as being a somewhat efficient means of arriving at business and profit friendly legislative initiatives… everyone that will stand to make money from some political scheme puts in a bit beforehand to enact the necessary laws or regulations. Seems fair enough. The problem is that such a mechanism ONLY works in regards to Money Ventures. If the Lobbyists can’t figure out how to turn a Buck with some Idea, it is left to rot.

It reminds me of Our Blessed Messiah Obama… how by some coincidence he sides with All of the Health Care Insurance Companies, to give them what amounts to a Legal Monopoly to distribute what will become compulsory Health Care Benefits. Of course it will be hugely expensive for the individuals who will be forced to pay out these compulsory premiums and for the tax payers who will have to subsidize a lot of it, but it is these expenses which form the Profits which grease the Lobbyists who somehow magically get all of their client politicians elected. The Reasonable Thing would be to have an inexpensive One Payer System, but the problem there is that no Lobbyist saw a single penny of Self Interest in it.

Oh, and by some other equally amazing coincidence, Our Lord and Savior Obama just so happens to believe that the one way to rescue the Banks is to pay out billions of Dollars to the very same people who stole all the money in the first place. Is there any reason to look at the old Campaign Finance Records there?

So, anyway, there is the basic problem with Government by Lobbyist… that if the Devil isn’t in it, it doesn’t get done. The sad truth is that not only is the System corrupt, but it has gone so far that Corruption has become necessary for the system. There is no longer any Legislation that isn’t crooked somehow. Otherwise the Lobbyists would not have wasted their time with it.

The only Change we will ever see in it is change for a dollar.