Lobbying in the USA
Well, we are now days away from the presidential elections of 2008. As usual when we go to the polls next Tuesday we will be presented with choices for other officials at different levels (from state to local). Given the state of economical affairs in the United States of America (USA) this year we might have a huge turnover seeking CHANGE.
I don’t know were you live, but in the state of Minnesota we have been bombarded with political advertisements on television, streets and roads for a few months. It has gotten so bad that one of the presidential candidates has been broadcasting a half-hour paid commercial late afternoon just before prime time. I am sure it has cost a pretty penny but it is not the money of the candidates, it is money from the political party and from contributors. The Naive American might wish to question why some organizations and private individuals would contribute so much? Are such contributors philanthropists or they directly or indirectly are expecting some type of repayment?
As we all know the USA is not a democracy, it is a republic. After long deliberations, the nation’s founding fathers concluded that people in power could not be trusted. Apparently they did not trust too many of their own neighbors. They were cautious enough to make sure that the new republic would not turn into a monarchy. If you have additional interest on how the USA was actually born, there are many good books that go into details that are never not covered / discussed in K-12 education. This means that the Naive American is not aware of them.
The constitution has prevented the USA from turning into a monarchy. Imagine the possibilities with the Bush and Kennedy families who pride themselves of having strong political connections (i.e., presidents, congressmen, governors, etc). The Naive American feels happy and free of such threat because of the Constitution.
After we vote on November 04, 2008, the votes will be tallied. Describing how this is conducted would be the subject of a future entry. Provided that paper ballots do not cause a repeat of the last presidential elections, the following day we will know which candidate will occupy the White House for the next four (4) years. If we cast our vote for the winning party, we will be very happy with the results. If the winner is not the one we voted for then we might be disappointed. The truth of the matter is that no matter who wins the presidential election in 2008, the Naive American is convinced that CHANGE will come. All politicians at all levels are promising pretty much the same (e.g., lower taxes for the middle class, no tax breaks for big oil, rebuild the economy, better education, energy independence, healthcare reform, blah, blah, blah). They are all distancing from the Bush administration. While all this is going on, no one at any level has been able to put a logical and realistic PLAN FOR CHANGE that might stand a chance of success.
Politicians are -for the most part- puppets. The president, congress and senate do not run the USA. Lobbyist run the USA. The Naive American might be shocked to learn this, but as all the ideas and information provided by this web site, being objective is the only way to get to the truth. Most (note that I never generalize) politicians are enamored with the power they manage. They fully know that at the end of their terms they will be out of a job unless they fully honor their profession, which is “career politician”. Politicians know that they need more than just fight for the good of the USA and their constituents. In many cases the good of the few has precedence over the good for the many. For example, if my state produces weapons, then the elected officials / politicians would be in most cases in favor of new wars so the goods generated by the middle class Naive American are consumed and new jobs are created or old ones maintained. If my state lives out of oil (Texas Tea) so much that there is no state income tax, then the elected officials, in most cases will oppose alternate energy sources and would be against solving the foreign oil dependency which has been promised by over a dozen presidents over the past fifty (50) years or so. One last example, if my state produces automobiles, then would my representatives be interested in the electric car?
Given that decisions are not a clean cut, politicians need someone to advise / guide them what is good for their state and what their constituents really want. This is the reason why the Naive American has allowed lobbyist in Washington D.C. Lobbyist are well trained people, well paid and typically have strong financial backup from organizations and corporations that want to make sure that what is beneficial for them will always prevail.
Given that lobbying is allowed in the USA, then companies (i.e., big oil) which last quarter reported billions of US Dollars in profits, which have hundreds of lobbyist working for several lobbying companies (lobbyists are for hire, the better ones work for better lobbying companies and demand higher salaries) on their behalf, will CHANGE their ways in a few days and the USA will be energy independent shortly (just do not hold your breath; might be hazardous to your health).
The Naive American should not just go after big oil. Big oil is not an individual. Big oil; is a set of public companies. Public companies have in common stocks and shares. Many Americans own oil companies stock. They do so because they pay high dividends. The dividends make my stock portfolio or the stock portfolio purchased for the retirement of the employees at the company I work for strong. So in retrospect why do we need change? I do not work for oil companies but I have shares so I demand high returns while I sip my “mojito” at home doing no work for the success or direction of the company. This is not completely correct. I cast my vote for the management team that provides the highest possible returns (while still sipping my drink at home).
It has been all over the news for the past few weeks and many of us are feeling the effects that our economy is collapsing thanks to games played by Wall Street on the housing market. The games benefited a few people. Some made billions of dollars while many Americans lost their homes. The main reason for the collapse was that some Wall Street executives (via lobbyist) passed in a five hundred (500) or so pages bill an almost hidden / unnoticed modification to the “bucket law”. I am and have been curious who would take time to write such lengthy bills and more importantly who is going to read and understand them? (This must be the main job of “career politicians” we so often elect). This was done at the end of Bill Clinton’s administration (democrat). The next few years during the George W. Bush (republican) administration the effects of the small hidden bill managed to collapse the USA economy. Given that all the presidential candidates are “career politicians” the Naive American (Joe the Plummer is just one more American) want to know how CHANGE is going to come to pass?
