How Lobbyists Affect Our Government

Without lobbying, much of United States congressional work would never be started. Congress would probably only need to meet a few months per year. The lobbyists provide huge amounts of information to congressional leaders. Every state in the nation has lobbyists at the national level. Even governors work as lobbyists at times to promote the needs and wants of their respective states.

Lobbyists identify areas of need to elected officials in Washington D. C., and provide huge quantities of detailed information about various projects. This saves the nation untold millions of dollars that congress would need to research these things if left on their own.

Any large company, group, or collective will normally have lobbyists at the national level and frequently at the state level. At the state level, most lobbyists do their work a little less obviously than at the federal where they figure to get more bang for their buck. So, this mean that farmers, labor unions, grocers, car manufacturers, are all represented by private lobbyists. Other nations of the world also keep lobbyists on the payroll to get foreign aid and favors for their country.

The other side of lobbying is somewhat less ethical than the almost altruistic appearance of flagging needs and assisting with the writing of legislation. All lobbyists serve some special interest. Because of this, every piece of information that is passed to those in power, has a bias for its creator built into it. Lobbyists are paid to present a slanted picture that favors the interest that they represent.

Lobbyists are not always a member of the group they represent. In fact, today most lobbyists are former government employees who have inside access to the more powerful people. Without this access, a lobbyist would be reduced to sending junk mail to federal officials. Lobbying in done over a meal or drinks. Social gatherings are a great place for the lobby-sharks to converge on officials who are there.

In fact, lobbyists frequently fund these events so that those in attendance feel a little obligated to listen to their cause. Free meals always come with a pitch for a need. It might be around of golf or theater tickets that give the lobbyist the “in.”

As long as these pressure tactics stay small, it is customary to overlook them. The lobbyist is only using what is commonly accepted as a business practice. It is a way to get heard. This pressure may be cranked up a few notches.

Lobbyists do this by funding trips to the hot spots on the planet. Those in Congress do not have to ask for travel funds or justify the trip since the taxpayer is not carrying the cost. A lobbyist may not care if he or she has an interest in that place as long as the one they are trying to influence does.

Even this practice of given “junkets” was overlooked until the trips were discovered to often be to vacation destinations rather than places of national security interests. Some lobbyists became bold enough to include spending money for the individual and his or her family. These trips were eventually identified and considered as bribes to the official. When these were uncovered, laws were enacted to change lobbying in ways to lessen the chance of this being repeated.

The idea of the lobbyist is not a terrible thing. There will always be lobbyists. Every person who speaks to their representative or senator about a person concern is a lobbyist. The professional lobbyist is just a bigger version of the same thing.

With a representative style of government, elected officials need some way to stay in touch with ways to solve needs for large numbers of people. Lobbyists fill this need. It is only when lobbyists step across the influence-making line to bribery and other illegal means that the ethical barrier is severely breached.