Metal Sludge Gossip Board

You hear all the time about money corrupting politics?

Anyone post some links or post ideas that have been proposed to get the money out of politics?

Best argument i've heard is that you just remove the power that gov't has to hand out favors (libertarian view)

But would like to hear other views...

UncleMilton wrote:
Best argument i've heard is that you just remove the power that gov't has to hand out favors (libertarian view)

What are you talking about?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU6i3-4K ... ata_player

Basic argument is to remove the favors govt can give to corporations (subsidies and tax breaks) As long as govt can hand these out to businesses....you will have corporations paying millions to lobbyists to lobby politicians for the favors.

If gov't can't choose who wins and looses then companies wont have a reason to lobby them.

Here are the top sectors:
http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/top.php?indexType=c

Misc Business $5,170,910,867
Health $5,133,518,315
Finance/Insur/RealEst $5,103,694,206
Communic/Electronics $4,242,220,479
Energy/Nat Resource $3,805,405,061
Other $2,778,387,216
Transportation $2,658,736,620
Ideology/Single-Issue $1,726,532,260
Agribusiness $1,506,658,475
Defense $1,471,380,620
Construction $565,657,978
Labor $518,071,553
Lawyers & Lobbyists $395,005,851

#2 is health care. They lobby for spending. You have to get govt out of health care. Merely slowing Medicare growth by 700 billion over 10 years is a major campaign issue that cold determine the outcome of the presidential election. Getting govt entirely out of health care is not going to happen. That means your "best solution" is completely unrealistic.

#3 is finance. They lobby for deregulation. So if you get rid of all the regulations, then they won't have a reason to lobby. Giving them everything they want so they won't have to spend money corrupting politicians is called "giving in". It's about as sensible as trying to shut down the mafia by repealing all the laws they break.

#5 is energy. Get rid of all the laws that protect the environment and no reason to lobby. Once again, your solution is tossing the baby out with the bath water.

#9 is defense. They lobby for spending. Defense spending is not going away. Best you can do is cut defense spending and they will lobby as much against defense cuts as they lobby for increased spending. Again, your "best solution" is simply not realistic.

There is always a simple "libertarian" solution to a complex problem and it's always wrong.

One way is to put a cap on it... By this I mean.. You each get 50 million... Period. The money is put into a fund and is evenly distributed so no matter who donates their money goes to both candidates.


Not sure if that would work, but it's a thought.

brotherplanet wrote: but it's a thought.

Please, no more.

Death Row Joe - In your opinion would term limits help?

I remember seeing a 60 minutes interview with Jack Abramhoff...and he said they should have a law that none of the staff or politicians should be unable to go work for the companies that lobby them (after they are done working in gov't)

SeminiferousButtNoid wrote:

brotherplanet wrote: but it's a thought.

Please, no more.