Matt Wuerker Editorial Cartoon, January 25, 2013 on GoComics.com

mickey1339 said, 4 months ago

Of course this story is just a little bit (actually a lot) one sided in lambasting the Rep’s. They deserve it, but the article linked shows that a boatload of money, $141,000, was given to the Obama campaign and Amgen lobbyists were in the White House several times last year. One of their principal lobbyists is “Tony Podesta, whose fast-growing lobbying firm has unusually close ties to the White House.”

So once more we get a fine example of American politics where both congress and the president are on the dole from K Street lobbyists.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/20/us/medicare-pricing-delay-is-political-win-for-amgen-drug-maker.html?pagewanted=all&r=0

http://www.amgen.com/about/corporate_governance_political

contributions.html

rightisright said, 4 months ago

When government is little more than a glorified mafia, expect businesses of all sizes to pay protection money. Amgen products do more for people than these buffoons ever will.

masterskrain said, 4 months ago

America, home of the BEST politicians money can buy, where an “Honest Politician” is described as “One who once he is bought, STAYS bought!”

MortyForTyrant said, 4 months ago

Nitpick: currently there is no $1000 bill.

The Wolf In Your Midst said, 4 months ago

The fix for this sort of thing is so easy! Just remove all private money from the political process, and make it an act of treason to accept a single dollar for anything related to one’s political duties.
Well, easy in theory, anyway… the cash addicts in the halls of power aren’t going to vote to shut down their supply, after all.

firefighter_raven said, 4 months ago

Needs to be like nascar where the congressmen have their sponsors logo’s on their suits.

Nos Nevets said, 4 months ago

term limits

Robert Landers said, 4 months ago

@HOWGOZIT

For once at least I have to agree with you! If you really want to be a successful thief, “Never steal anything small!”

Or become a lawyer, or even better, a politician!!

Rickapolis said, 4 months ago

‘One lawyer with his briefcase can steal more than a hundred men with guns’.- Vito Corleone

mickey1339 said, 4 months ago

@The Wolf In Your Midst

“The fix for this sort of thing is so easy! Just remove all private money from the political process, and make it an act of treason to accept a single dollar for anything related to one’s political duties.”

It would be more than a theory when you extend the penalty to lobbyists giving the money and then prosecuted both sides of the transaction. Wouldn’t that be a novel change, politicians that hold the interests of the people above their own gain…

dtroutma said, 4 months ago

If elected officials had the same legally defined limits on their “lobbying” and punishments, as civil servants, the problem would basically go away. Shut down 85% of K street operations, and you’d still have 300 times the number of lobbyists pre-Reagan era. It was deregulation in this area as well, that led to the decline in government ethics, as “conservatism” overwhelmed “public service” as a mantra.

braindead08 said, 4 months ago

@The Wolf In Your Midst

A more doable fix would be to make it illegal for a legislator or staffer to ever become a lobbyist. Ok, maybe not a complete fix, but a good start.
-
an idea from Jack Abramoff, of all people. One of the things Ambramoff did was to offer staffers lucrative positions for ‘just a little tweaking’ of legislation.

ARodney said, 4 months ago

How come any corporation can give $1000 to a congressman or president, but I can’t bribe a judge before he sentences me? It can’t be “money is speech,” or there woudn’t be a distinction.