Lobbyists
Do you trust Lobbyists?
Trust Them
Side Score: 3
|
 |
Do Not Trust Them
Side Score: 10
|
|
|
|
|
Aren't we all lobbyist to varying degrees. We may not be professionals, representing the interests of clients for a fee, but we all hold certain interests near and dear to our heart and seek to influence peers and politicians alike through town-halls or emails or simply casual discourse. The problem is not with lobbyists, but with the pay to play system in modern American politics. Blaming lobbyists for our collective woes is little more than scapegoating. It makes you feel better but does little to solve real problems. Side: Trust Them
|
3
points
Lobbyists are simply paid to sway politicians towards the agendas of their employers. There are very few things that someone will not do when promised money. They are just like employees at any other job. While a friend giving you information on a new car may be trustworthy, you know that the salesman at the dealership is going to do everything in his or her power to get you to buy the car, even if some of it is unethical or beyond the scope of their power altogether. Whether or not they are good people, regular people, or any other type of people, lobbyists cannot be trusted because they will do almost anything to "sell" their employer's views to the lawmakers, just like the salesman will do everything to sell you the car. Side: Do Not Trust Them
Originally lobbyists had an altruistic purpose. Say you're a farmer in Ohio, and you noticed that your crops are dying of something or other, and you want something or other to be changed. Well that one farmer does not have much say, so you get a whole bunch of farmers with the same problem, and now you have a lobby. Normally even then, because Ohio farmers are such a small part of the population, they could not get much done in D.C., But by making deals, bringing awareness, and promising votes in blocks for representatives, they now have a little more power than individually they could have. But today those are not the kinds of lobbies you see in D.C., the biggest lobbies are billion dollar corporations who have no real problems, they are just looking for more ways to manipulate the system. So no, most lobbies are full of crap, and most lobbyists have basically soled their souls. Side: Do Not Trust Them
eh, corrupt politicians and corporations have been around for quite some time. the biggest example in the old days would be the New York Democrats who would pay millions in tax payer dollars on something that could have been way less expensive if done with another corporation. the thing is, that extra 20 million spent will go back into the politician's pocket on Christmas. 20 million in tax payer dollars. now we see it the most from the organization Acorn... we don't know much about politicians being in on it (i actually doubt that many are) but organizations are giving millions of dollars to these guys to register as many Democrats as possible (even if the actual person doesn't exist or is dead). Side: Do Not Trust Them
1
point
|
