Thread: No wonder Congress has been ignoring the American people!

BearFlagRepublic wrote:

Any guess as to where they go to work after leaving congress?

They probably go to work as lobbyists?

(I bet I know where many of go after they die, too)

Originally Posted by 2ndamendsis

Lobbying on private jets and private compounds, well, that puts it into a different category altogether.

It's the MONEY, not the lobbying.

And that's exactly what I'm talking about.

Unfortunately, it's the MONEY that's gets all the attention in DC.

Originally Posted by CrocketsGhost

Let me ask you a few simple questions, and I expect reasonable answers:

Who do you think would regulate access to Congress if lobbying was outlawed or strictly limited?

If lobbying was regulated, do you believe that honest citizens and citizen groups would be among those gaining access?

If lobbying was completely banned, do you believe that it would be inpossible for those who abuse the lobbying process would be excluded from influencing legislators?

I will remind you of the old axiom that if guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. The same is true of denial of access to legislators.

I'm beginning to think that you're intentionally missing my point.

I'm not for outlawing or "regulating" lobbying, but it should be obvious to just about everybody that if you don't show up on Capitol Hill with bushels of cash, you'll get exactly zero access to your "representatives". The evidence for that is right in front of your eyes. What is the prevailing public opinion on amnesty for illegals? Overwhelmingly against, isn't it?

Yet, what's about to happen? Amnesty, that's what. And why is that about to happen when the people are against it? Because all of the big-money supporters of Congress are for it, and they show their support by handing over huge amounts of money to buy the legislation they want.

The ones denying you access to your representatives are the representatives themselves. It's a pay to play system, and has been for many decades.

Now I'm done posting on this topic. I can't make my position any clearer than I already have.

Originally Posted by CountFloyd

Originally Posted by CrocketsGhost

Let me ask you a few simple questions, and I expect reasonable answers:

Who do you think would regulate access to Congress if lobbying was outlawed or strictly limited?

If lobbying was regulated, do you believe that honest citizens and citizen groups would be among those gaining access?

If lobbying was completely banned, do you believe that it would be inpossible for those who abuse the lobbying process would be excluded from influencing legislators?

I will remind you of the old axiom that if guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. The same is true of denial of access to legislators.

I'm beginning to think that you're intentionally missing my point.

I'm not for outlawing or "regulating" lobbying, but it should be obvious to just about everybody that if you don't show up on Capitol Hill with bushels of cash, you'll get exactly zero access to your "representatives". The evidence for that is right in front of your eyes. What is the prevailing public opinion on amnesty for illegals? Overwhelmingly against, isn't it?

Yet, what's about to happen? Amnesty, that's what. And why is that about to happen when the people are against it? Because all of the big-money supporters of Congress are for it, and they show their support by handing over huge amounts of money to buy the legislation they want.

The ones denying you access to your representatives are the representatives themselves. It's a pay to play system, and has been for many decades.

Now I'm done posting on this topic. I can't make my position any clearer than I already have.

And what I am telling you is that the problem is not the system, but rather the dishonorable and dishonest politicians we keep electing. There is an old saying that we get the leadership we deserve. I don't know that it is literally true, but if we don't get smarter about who we elect and don't stop treating federal elections like American Idol contests, we're just going to keep getting screwed.

How do we solve this problem? Rather than having the sum total of our political role being that of selecting from the pair of goons we are offered in November, we have to make political action a daily or at least weekly part of our lives year in and year out. We need to organize our efforts around the primaries where our votes have a concentrated effect (due to the historically low turnouts of primaries) and make sure that the choices being offered in November are good ones. Then we need to make sure that those people we end up electing know us and understand that we are watching their every move for a misstep. We need to avail ourselves of the remedies that exist in the event that a serious one occurs.

I understand that we will never get the majority on board with making sound political decisions and devoting anything more than a cursory effort to the selection of the nation's leaders. That's why those of us who are active have to be smarter and more directed at the way we deal with them. Properly coordinated, our efforts can have a force-multiplying effect. Improperly coordinated or imprudently utilized, they may be detrimental or disastrous. For example, look at how people were duped into getting so riled up with anti-Bush fever that they dumped Republicans that had nothing to do with Bush (who wasn't even up for election in 2006) and handed Congress over to the scumbag Democrats led by Jabba the Kennedy and Powermad Pelosi. That's because people weren't smart with the power of their votes. They were (rightfully) mad at Bush and so they lashed out at anything that vaguely looked like Bush. Now we're really screwed, because we not only have a pro- illegal immigrant in the White House, we have them controlling both houses of Congress.

My point in all of this is that railing for the sake of railing accomplishes little except for rousing the rabble to state of hysteria in which poor decisions are made. Unless you have a specific fix for the lobbying situation without trampling people's right to access and redress, then all you're likely to do is stir up more unfocused anger and generate more poor decisions. Anger is not without certain benefit in a fight, but a wildly flailing pugilist will lose to another who can control and focus his anger every time.

CrocketsGhost wrote:

My point in all of this is that railing for the sake of railing accomplishes little except for rousing the rabble to state of hysteria in which poor decisions are made. Unless you have a specific fix for the lobbying situation without trampling people's right to access and redress, then all you're likely to do is stir up more unfocused anger and generate more poor decisions. Anger is not without certain benefit in a fight, but a wildly flailing pugilist will lose to another who can control and focus his anger every time.

You are sooo right!

Originally Posted by olivermyboy

They probably go to work as lobbyists?

DING DING DING!!

(I bet I know where many of go after they die, too)

Right again...Wow, you are on a role. Give this man a Tom Tancredo cigar

I smoke cigars!!!

Originally Posted by olivermyboy

I smoke cigars!!!

You and Tancredo have a lot in common, Oliver. Both smoke cigars, both in favor of saving America