Public Campaign Funding
What makes lobbyists so effective as promoters and imposers of public policy? In a word, money. As an elected official in 2009, one needs immensly huge amounts of funding in order to be elected or reelected, and lobbyists often can offer such funds to these officials in exchange for a simple 'yay' or 'nay' vote on a particular issue. This year alone, over 2.5 billion dollars from over 13,000 lobbyists has poured into policymaker's pockets and campaigns. There are so many lobbyists on Capitol Hill today that every single Congressman can not help but to be swayed by thier collective, overwelming voice. The only way to ensure that Congressmen are voting along with their constituant's best interests is to take money out of the Congressman/lobbyist relationship through campaign finance reform in the form of public funding.
Public funding would open up the canidate pool to those not of the monomially elite. Lobbyists would still be able to vocally lobby members of Congress, both privately and publically, but they could no longer 'buy' a Congressman's vote. Under this system, there would also be stricter regulation regarding outside salaries earned by Congressmen during thier tenure so they would be unable to recieve personal gifts and contributions from lobbying groups and corporations.
Lobbying is a billion-dollar industry. On health care-related lobbying alone, one company-PhRMA- spent over six million dollars, while another- the AMA- has spent over eight million. This money goes straight to our represententatives, who are then indebted to the lobbyists, which sways their votes and public statements.
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Public funding would open up the canidate pool to those not of the monomially elite. Lobbyists would still be able to vocally lobby members of Congress, both privately and publically, but they could no longer 'buy' a Congressman's vote. Under this system, there would also be stricter regulation regarding outside salaries earned by Congressmen during thier tenure so they would be unable to recieve personal gifts and contributions from lobbying groups and corporations.
Lobbying is a billion-dollar industry. On health care-related lobbying alone, one company-PhRMA- spent over six million dollars, while another- the AMA- has spent over eight million. This money goes straight to our represententatives, who are then indebted to the lobbyists, which sways their votes and public statements.
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