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* This was Tweeted yesterday by an acquaintance of mine…
“Lobbyists are the people you hire to protect you from the people you elect.”
Discuss.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 2:51 am
Sorry, comments are closed at this time.
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It means the government has too much power.
Comment by Peter Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 5:50 am
Great line, which begs this line:
Legislators are the people you elect to protect you from the people who hire Lobbyists.
Comment by anon sequitor Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 6:23 am
Money talks
Comment by PublicServant Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 6:40 am
In old times, during monarchies, these were the opportunists who made up the King’s court. They’re not interested in protecting anyone, just in making a buck.
Comment by Wensicia Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 7:08 am
Government is so complicated that average people feel they can’t afford the time to fully participate in it any more, so they hire people that know all the details to look out for their interests full-time.
Comment by Gregor Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 7:17 am
The quote might be tough and cheek, but it also reeks of the truth.
Comment by Allen Skillicorn Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 7:27 am
“They are like the policeman for ‘the Wisenheimers’ …”
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 7:31 am
Forbid any elected or appointed official at the state, county or municipal level to engage in Lobbying or Property Tax Advisory Work in IL, or to be affiliated with any for profit entity that does. #killthekleptocracy
Comment by Ballot Initiative #1 Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 7:39 am
Or “Lobbyists are the people businesses hire to protect them from the politicians that people elect.”
Comment by Cheswick Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 7:45 am
Now the question becomes, Who protects us from the lobbyists and legislators?
Comment by formerwrmnpolitics Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 7:53 am
Lobbyists are the people you hire so that you can be sure that you had a say before the deal goes down.
It’s not personal, Sonny, it’s just business.
And Peter, if your liberties are cramped by your perceived misfortune of living in the United States with its “too powerful” government, I’ll stake you to a one-way ticket to Somalia, and you can let your freak flag fly.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 8:21 am
Lobbyists are people you hire when your legislators are becoming too expensive.
Comment by JustMe Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 8:25 am
“Who lobbies the lobbyists?”
– MrJM
Comment by MrJM Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 8:34 am
Lobbyistss are not hired to protect anything except their own self-interests, and on a good day the interests of their clients. No one protects the voters from the people they elect.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 8:45 am
Lobbyists are not there to create disorder, they’re there to preserve it.
Comment by PublicServant Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 9:50 am
It’s a great line, but most of the time it’s, “Lobbyists are the people you hire to protect you from the people OTHERS elect.”
Basically, when your candidate looses, you hire the other party’s lobbyist.
Comment by Ahoy Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 9:55 am
My deep thought of the day is this: the Cubs now have a better GM than the White Sox.
Comment by PaGo Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 9:56 am
I would say journalists have more of a role in protecting the public.
Comment by Regular Reader Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 10:01 am
True
Comment by OneMan Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 10:01 am
When lobbyists and legislators are in bed with one another (figuratively speaking), we are protected by neither.
Comment by Kerfuffle Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 10:03 am
Lobbyists are the people powerful interest groups hire to prevent legislators from fully representing the people.
Comment by walkinfool Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 10:10 am
Lobbyists - and legislators - are the people who keep Hart, Schaffner and Marx, Grey Goose, etc. in business.
Comment by Sir Reel Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 10:25 am
=== Now the question becomes, Who protects us from the lobbyists and legislators? ===
The end of session.
Comment by Coach Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 10:37 am
The October 1st Economist issue had a story about investment and lobbying. It quoted a research firm that created an index of 50 companies that focuses on lobbying expenditures as a percentage of a company’s assets (to measure intensity, not simply amount of dollars spent on lobbying).
This index of companies has outperformed the S&P 500 by 11% per year. It says the return on lobbying costs was $220 for each $1 spent. Not too shabby.
So protection isn’t the point, it’s opportunity. Ask not what lobbyists can do for the country, ask what the country can do for the client’s bottom line.
Why did Willie Sutton rob banks?
Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 10:37 am
Poor Protection when both the lobbyists and the electeds end up convicted.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 10:46 am
Funny and true. Nearly every person in this state is represented by a lobbyist in one form or another.
Comment by Jaded Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 10:53 am
I agree with Cheswick and Ahoy. You can also say they are there so that the people that you elect don’t screw it up with unintended consequences. Would it really make sense if a citizen legislature was passing a bunch of laws without anyone with any experience in implementing those laws and dealing with the impacts of those laws giving it a good look?
Comment by Its Just Me Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 11:04 am
A whole other dimension is lobbyists paid with tax dollars. They are the people that the people you elect hire with your tax dollars to protect the people you elect from the people you elect.
There are at least two kinds: state, county or municipal employees whose job it is to lobby, and “associations” supported by “dues” paid by school districts and municipalities on behalf of the respective government employees.
Examples of the second type are the Illinois Municipal League, Illinois Association of School Boards, Illinois Principals Association, etc., etc.
It ought to be as illegal to spend public funds to lobby legislators as it is to spend public funds in election campaigns of the same legislators
Comment by Anon III Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 11:10 am
Lobbyists are an expression of the 1st Amendment.
Comment by Cincinnatus Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 11:51 am
Cinci: “Lobbyists are an expression of the 1st Amendment.”
The First Amendment is a restraint on government, not a protection of government action. “Congress shall make no law …”
Government does not have First Amendment rights, only obligations. Lobbying by Government cannot be justified by the First Amendment.
Comment by Anon III Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 12:33 pm
Any so many lobbyists are hired by people who want the lobbyists conflicted so they can’t be hire by others. Can you say “easy money talks”.
Comment by Observing Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 12:43 pm
Lobbyists are people hired by the obscenely wealthy to get the government to line their pockets with the money earned by the working poor.
Lobbyists are hired by the 1% to give the knife to government who will eviscerate the 99%.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 1:27 pm
Anonymous, so that makes lobbyists for groups like Lutheran Social Services, the homeless, union members, consumers, the elderly, small businesses, gun owners, gun opponents, and a host of others what, exactly?
Get a clue, man.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 1:33 pm
lol I guess per the 1:27 post, we now have proof that the “Revolution” has actually begun.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 3:16 pm
Rich - Which lobbyist is more likely to get the ear of a congressman, the one with lots of money or the one pleading for a worthy cause? Given the recent, and hopefully short, success of the tea party, I believe that the lobbyist with the most money will most likely have the early and often access.
Who has the most access to the cash necessary to fund a lobbyist - the 1% - who will direct the lobbyist to promote those government policies and legislation which will benefit the wealthy rather than promote the general welfare of society as a whole.
The homeless, small business, consumers do not have cohesive and well funded groups representing their interests before congress and other legislative bodies. As a result lobbyists with different and possibly conflicting agendas are trying to promote laws and policies which are in direct opposition of the 1%.
AARP, the NRA and other single issue groups have the necessary funding only because of their membership dues and frequent requests for donations to fund the lobbying arms of the organizations. These groups are also looking out for their own interests to the detriment of all others.
Unions? What has happened to union membership? Unions are no longer looked upon as honorable groups. How many stories are written about unions being the cause of many of our economic troubles, being the reason why the U.S. can not compete with overseas manufacturing, why our children can’t read? Unions are being vilified for trying to protect their membership.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 4:52 pm
Anon III - lobbyists don’t work for the gov’t, therefore there is no “lobbying BY the gov’t”. You got yourself all bollixed up on that one, dude.
Comment by dupage dan Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 4:56 pm
===lobbyists don’t work for the gov’t,===
Some do. Illinois employs a DC lobster. Lots of local gvts lobby. Legislative liaisons lobby legislators for the guv and agencies.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 5:01 pm
Anonymous, nice diatribe. Doesn’t match reality in Spfld, however. The homeless have one of the better lobsters in the building, for instance.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 5:03 pm
Well that is what happens when you have been out of work for a year.
Thanks for letting me vent.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 5:09 pm
Dupage Dan ===lobbyists don’t work for the gov’t,===
There are at least two kinds of lobbyists paid with public funds: state, county or municipal employees whose job it is to lobby,and “associations” supported by “dues” paid by school districts and municipalities on behalf of the respective government employees.
The “associations” are fig-leafs to cover spending public funds to lobby.
Comment by Anon III Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 9:05 pm
If the state or federal government is about to make a decision that could be more costly to the taxpayers at the local level than any savings at the higher level, isn’t it a wise use of some taxpayer dollars to get that message in front of the higher body?
Then if it is cheaper for a number of similar types of governments to hire one lobbyist to represent their common interests to the state or feds, isn’t that better use of the taxpayer’s dollar than spending on multiple staffers to convey the message to the higher unit of government?
Comment by muon Wednesday, Oct 12, 11 @ 10:22 pm