I knew Dick Vitale was dirty as hell.

This thing reads like a Sopranos script.

bronyaur1: This thing reads like a Sopranos script.

I wonder how deeply Ticketmaster is involved in this mess?

Why do lobbyists even exist and why aren't they looked down upon below telemarketers and lawyer referral services?

Global warming thread?

My thoughts are private too. But they get me in trouble all the time.

Same argument that the global warming researchers are using.


/It's bullshiat

Was Dick Vitale lobbying on behalf of Duke?

Mugato: Why do lobbyists even exist and why aren't they looked down upon below telemarketers and lawyer referral services?

$$$

UNC_Samurai: I knew Dick Vitale was dirty as hell.

With a name like Vitale what do you expect?

Mugato: Why do lobbyists even exist and why aren't they looked down upon below telemarketers and lawyer referral services?

I'm just relying what I've been told, but for every time a lobbyist is used for sleezy, ethically dubious purposes, you'll have lobbyists talking to congressmen about boring and necessary things, like an association of people suffering from retinitis pigmentosa (pops) convincing congress to push back daylight savings time because people suffering from that disease don't see that well at night.

It's sleezy and hurts our democracy to have corporations and organizations be able to basically bribe congressmen into legislating their way, but lobbyists do play an essential role; allowing people to effectively communicate to congress.


/source: my high school social studies text book

Dick vitale..sounds like some quack medicine for "rejuvenating your sexual humours" back in the early 1900s..

the_chief: My thoughts are private too. But they get me in trouble all the time.

Thoughts aren't really "private" when you repeatedly e-mail them to the Jonas Brothers.

I hope they string him up as an example to other low life scum suckers who try to use money to buy laws to make money. It's a filthy system and it's dirty on both ends......Money.
What we need is to remove the practice outright.

No campaign contributions.
No resort trips
No Meals and entertainment

Politicians need to be restricted to only making money from their salary paid for an approved by the PEOPLE WHO ELECTED THEM. Their campaign should be 100% public funds. Outside profits lead to outside influences.

GET PRIVATE BUSINESS(Money) OUT OF POLITICS.
If you don't understand why this is so important at this point then you're probably not smart enough to be reading right now.

Mugato: Why do lobbyists even exist...?

There's this thing called the First Amendment. It makes it hard to pass laws limiting speech and the right of petition.

Mugato: Why do lobbyists even exist and why aren't they looked down upon below telemarketers and lawyer referral services?

Because we don't live in a Democracy.

Brilliant, I'm going to shoplift a TV from Best Buy and when they prosecute me, I'm going to say "you weren't meant to see that..."

Jonathan Hohensee: /source: my high school social studies text book

Ya gotta start young nowadays......

Politics 101

tell em what they want to hear......and someday you too can be president.

pedroloco: Mugato: Why do lobbyists even exist...?

There's this thing called the First Amendment. It makes it hard to pass laws limiting speech and the right of petition.

It's all part of the system of cheques and balances the framers had in mind!

Thenixon: It's all part of the system of cheques and balances the framers had in mind are spinning in their graves over!

Just a minor correction..

Githerax

Because we don't live in a Democracy.

I'm not sure where you live but America is a Republic.

Jayone: Githerax

Because we don't live in a Democracy.

I'm not sure where you live but America is a Republic.

A representative republic to be precise.

Hey, it was worth a shot. You never know when you're gonna get someone like Judge Ito.

some climotologists would like to speek to him......

Meh, as far as denial of legal reality goes, this lobbyist comes a distant second after this douche.

UseLessHuman: GET PRIVATE BUSINESS(Money) OUT OF POLITICS.

I don't think it's that straightforward. Businesses are run by individuals and employ individuals...it comes down to what's the most efficient way of communicating the concerns of a group of people who are associated by economic ties. If a lobbyist represents an industry group, for example, I would think that it is a little more transparent as the intentions of that industry would hopefully be obvious.

Thenixon: pedroloco: Mugato: Why do lobbyists even exist...?

There's this thing called the First Amendment. It makes it hard to pass laws limiting speech and the right of petition.

It's all part of the system of cheques and balances the framers had in mind!

Of course the framers did not foresee the influence of lobbyists. However, I can't see any way of limiting the influence of lobbyists without doing lasting harm to individual rights protected by the first amendment.

/unintended consequences are major biatches

What Richard Vitale might look like.

As benevolent dictator, my first reform would be thus: all campaign contributions are only allowed if the contributor is legally allowed to vote for the candidate.

P.S. Corporations and organizations cannot vote

People are really this stupid?

Jayone: Same argument that the global warming researchers are using.


/It's bullshiat

Certainly the NYTimes is hiding behind that bullshait argument for why they're ignoring it.

Jonathan Hohensee: Mugato: Why do lobbyists even exist and why aren't they looked down upon below telemarketers and lawyer referral services?

I'm just relying what I've been told, but for every time a lobbyist is used for sleezy, ethically dubious purposes, you'll have lobbyists talking to congressmen about boring and necessary things, like an association of people suffering from retinitis pigmentosa (pops) convincing congress to push back daylight savings time because people suffering from that disease don't see that well at night.

It's sleezy and hurts our democracy to have corporations and organizations be able to basically bribe congressmen into legislating their way, but lobbyists do play an essential role; allowing people to effectively communicate to congress.


/source: my high school social studies text book

I'd support any lobbyists that advocates better teacher wages, comprehensive benefits, continuing education and an prize to promote skilled teachers to the public, similar to Poet Laurette or a Pulitzer.

I'd push for a year round education system - it makes it harder for the students to forget the materials over the summer.

/ And more public options for the deaf, Better CC standards for HDTV/Digital channels,Required CC for online streaming, Reflected caption for movie theaters, mandatory transcripts for radio shows and such.

Evil Twin Skippy

I was looking at the state's campaign finance web site recently. The chief salesman for a company was spreading the wealth, not the company itself. Limiting donations to registered voters might turn out to be one of those rules with too many loopholes.

I am often amazed at local trial strategies similar to this. We had a local serial that confessed every time he got the chance; once he even wrote a local TV station confessing his guilt. His lawyer tried to get the confessions ruled inadmissible as evidence on the grounds that it would prevent his client from getting a fair trial. Apparently, a fair trial is one in which the defendant is found not guilty in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Thenixon: pedroloco: Mugato: Why do lobbyists even exist...?

There's this thing called the First Amendment. It makes it hard to pass laws limiting speech and the right of petition.

It's all part of the system of cheques and balances the framers had in mind!

I see what you did there.

Nice use of spelling to bring the point across.

Thenixon: pedroloco: Mugato: Why do lobbyists even exist...?

There's this thing called the First Amendment. It makes it hard to pass laws limiting speech and the right of petition.

It's all part of the system of cheques and balances the framers had in mind!


Won't someone think of the children? We need sensible speech laws. We also need to close the free speech loopholes.

Mugato: Why do lobbyists even exist and why aren't they looked down upon below telemarketers and lawyer referral services?

A better question would be "Why aren't more lobbyists in jail?"

Githerax: Mugato: Why do lobbyists even exist and why aren't they looked down upon below telemarketers and lawyer referral services?

Because we don't live in a Democracy.

If I remember correctly lobbying was the result of attempting to make our representatives more accessible to the people. The thought was something along the line of "they can't vote in our interests if they don't know the information" and lobbyists were to provide this information upon which to make a learned decision. But it benefits corporations before teh populace. Natch.

Judge, I know I was caught on tape stealing the jewelry from the store, but no one was meant to see that, so they shouldn't be allowed to use the tape. Also, no one was meant to know that I did it, so you really shouldn't be able to prosecute me.

Also, I'm going to sue the state for taking my privacy away from me.

UNDER the jail!

/I hate lobbyists.

Evil Twin Skippy: As benevolent dictator, my first reform would be thus: all campaign contributions are only allowed if the contributor is legally allowed to vote for the candidate.

P.S. Corporations and organizations cannot vote

Yeah, but the CEO and other executives can vote, and therefore donate. Ever since soft money got outlawed corporations aren't allowed to donate.

I do like the idea of limiting donations to those who represent you personally. This way, only California mormons could have donated for Prop 8, you cant have CEOs from Delaware give money to politicians representing Dallas, TX, etc.

The crux of the issue is that SCOTUS has ruled that money = speech. And in general they're right, but I think the integrity of the Republic and democracy is more important. Like shouting fire in a movie theater, limits on money/speech that threaten and even destroy the integrity of our democracy ought to be outlawed.