Ever wonder why our representatives can’t hear our voices? The following are only a very few lobby groups that dole out $3.5 billion per year, up 5% despite the economic crisis we are in.[1] These are funds on which representatives are totally dependent for getting elected and on which they spend more than half their time in office to procure – more time than they spend on doing the nation’s business. "Old numbers from 2007" include Lawyers $58Million [M], retirees $36 M, real estate $33M, Health professionals $32m, securities and investments $29m, insurance industry $21M, commercial banks $16M, pharmaceutical $14M, Defense $13M, electric utilities $12M, oil and gas $11, Computers $10M Israeli lobby $9M. Israel is not the only foreign nation which has established lobbying ties directly to Congress. [2] On many issues of interest to them, Israelis likely have more influence over your representatives than their consituents do.
Or for the other side of this coin see the tables [following this link -- http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/ ]on the campaign funds the President, and a select few Senators and Representatives receive from big money interests. Lobbyists carefully target their “contributions” to influence key representatives who can advance or block pending legislation. It only takes one Senator to put a "hold" on a bill or to conduct a filibuster. A million here and a million there can go a long way to cause or prevent passage of legislation. It's impossible to prove, but every body knows it's going on and how it works. While the Democrats and Republicans talk a different philosophy, this funding – fairly evenly divided between the parties – insures that the resulting legislation seldom varies much from the desires of the industries they affect. The industry lobbyists know that they didn't have to spend any "new money" on the Republicans because Republican opposition to health care reform was guaranteed from the start. Is it any surprise that especially the "Blue Dog Democrats" with immense pressure on them from the Democratic leadership to vote for health care reforms received hundreds of thousands of dollars each from the health industry just before health reform was to come to vote? All of a sudden they had serious doubts about the public option, or the cost or... Not only did they get huge campaign funds from the industry they were regulating, they also were able to deal their party leaders for additional millions in "pork barrel" legislation for their home districts. The industry knew that they didn’t have to spend “new money” on the Republicans because Republican opposition to health care reform bill was already guaranteed. It should not be news to anyone that these professional lobbyists know how to spread their money around effectively to achieve their ends without ever doing anything that could be proved to be a bribe under current regulations.
From the war industry?
From the Medical-Industrial Complex?From AgriBusiness?
Source: http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/
[1] “$3.5 billion spent on lobbying in 2009” AP in Sac Bee 2-13-10, A8
[2] Source: “The Israeli Lobby” by Stephen Zunes, Tikkun Magazine, Nov./Dec 2007, page 50
Contact us: wedonthavefreespeech@outlook.com
p.s. If
you want to read or share our complete introductory series and other blog posts
about this and other issues, see our Annotated Table of Contents below. Or if you have questions or comments,
email us.
Annotated Table of Contents
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/sign-the-pledge-big-out?source=c.em&r_by=14960502
Insist candidates vote for a single act of Congress
stating: “There is no relationship between speech and money stated or implied
in the US Constitution and therefore no such relationship exists” as the basis
of further reforms to limit the abuses of Big Money interests.
Best summary of the proposed “Recover our Democracy Act;”
its Constitutional basis; removing purported legal objections, public financing
of elections, limits on campaign contributions, public funding of federal
elections, preprogrammed campaign website, redefining a bribe and much more
Cut and paste text to share by electronic media to spread
the word on our plan
Our appointment being ignored while lobbyists immediately enter
our Congressman’s office
Being on the outside: Explaining the meaning of our logo…the
corrupting influence of Big Money
Political contributions, Citizens United Supreme Court
Decision, “We don’t
have free speech. We can’t afford it,” our
solution is an act of Congress,
“Backdoor money in politics, quid pro quo, “anything of material value
offered or given to, or received and accepted by any candidate, incumbent or
governmental employee under any circumstance shall be defined as a bribe,” penalties defined for candidates and government
employees.
Our early commentaries: Free speech is fundamental to
democracy, different views, uses and limitations of free speech, public
financing of elections, fair and balanced media coverage
Original free speech: freedom to speak our mind, power
to “buy” both the “content” and the “delivery” of “free” speech, "personhood" of corporations,
Supreme Court and Citizens United,
ownership of the media, points of view, political advertising, educational content,
bought speech,…
Trickle down economics, tax reductions, income disparity,
deregulation, power by changing belief systems, abuses, distortions and lies, is
it regulation or just bad regulation?, affording governmental programs and high
taxes, millennia of struggle by the rich to retain control vs. democracy,
85% of Democrats, 81% of Independents, and 76% of Republicans opposed
Citizens United
Humans speaking their mind
without fear, means of extending the reach of speech [meida], bought speech,
literally “free” speech decoupled from money, power of the media, corporate personhood,
limitations of free speech, campaigns and political speech, alternative communications
for elections: public financing, freedom of the Internet….
Figures on campaign
contributions given by largest lobbying corporations [6+ years old = pre Supepr
PACs]
One of our earliest posts:We don't have free speech
that has meaningful access to our own representatives. Our logo, our slogan, our chants, young adults, spreading
the word on the Internet, Obama’s election, making videos,
Largely unedited, free associated ideas on framing the legislation
Free public website designed
and formatted to conduct campaigns for office and public issues , FEC provided
bank account, and credit cards , campaign accounting system and
regulations, partial design specifications, real time public review access…
…the most logical
public space to allow the free flow of information on issues of public interest
“understanding the
power of corporations as a means of amassing power and money, the founding
fathers originally rejected the existence of corporations,” corporations
are not mentioned in the Constitution and have no protected rights; therefore,
Congress may limit or abolish corporations as deemed necessary for the public
good. Growth of corporate power, personhood of corporations and personal rights
attributed to corporations , theory of 14th amendment [due process]
applies to corporations,
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