Lobbyists
Check this out. Leftists attacking Hillary Clinton over lobbyists.
She said, "A lot of those lobbyists, whether you like it or not, represent real Americans." Someone replies, "I see this as Hillary's first Gaffe of the primary. Are americans in Iowa and New Hampshire going to believe lobbyists work for them?"
I don't know if they will believe it, but since it is true, they certainly should. Clinton is right.
The NRA represents me, and millions of others; the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence represents thousands themselves. There are many lobbyists working on abortion, the environment, and, of course, retired people, with the AARP representing 35 million people.
Granted, most of the billions spent on lobbying come from business interests, but even there, you've often got interests not exclusively in favor of the business, especially when it comes to health care lobbying. But even with business lobbying, and so on, these lobbyists do represent us, often. Apple Computer spent over one million on lobbying efforts in 2006, and much of that had to do with various regulations that would otherwise make our computers cost more, or have less functionality.
Sure, Apple is working for itself, but it is working for my personal interests, too. And probably yours too, if you're reading this, since these things affect the entire computer industry.
You don't have to like the system we've got -- I sure don't -- but we can attack the system without making blanket attacks on the motives of the people involved in that system. Certainly, not all lobbyists "work for us," but to some degree or another, many of them do.
Demonizing is easy. Being thoughtful is hard.
She said, "A lot of those lobbyists, whether you like it or not, represent real Americans." Someone replies, "I see this as Hillary's first Gaffe of the primary. Are americans in Iowa and New Hampshire going to believe lobbyists work for them?"
I don't know if they will believe it, but since it is true, they certainly should. Clinton is right.
The NRA represents me, and millions of others; the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence represents thousands themselves. There are many lobbyists working on abortion, the environment, and, of course, retired people, with the AARP representing 35 million people.
Granted, most of the billions spent on lobbying come from business interests, but even there, you've often got interests not exclusively in favor of the business, especially when it comes to health care lobbying. But even with business lobbying, and so on, these lobbyists do represent us, often. Apple Computer spent over one million on lobbying efforts in 2006, and much of that had to do with various regulations that would otherwise make our computers cost more, or have less functionality.
Sure, Apple is working for itself, but it is working for my personal interests, too. And probably yours too, if you're reading this, since these things affect the entire computer industry.
You don't have to like the system we've got -- I sure don't -- but we can attack the system without making blanket attacks on the motives of the people involved in that system. Certainly, not all lobbyists "work for us," but to some degree or another, many of them do.
Demonizing is easy. Being thoughtful is hard.
"It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt."
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