These Are The Ex-Lawmakers Who Could Barely Wait To Sell Out

This is what happens when the best politicians money can buy leave their elected office:

Five House members and two senators who left office in January are already working for lobbying firms that make millions peddling influence on Capitol Hill

It didn’t take long for these lawmakers to cash in on their careers as public servants. Less than a month after leaving office, at least five former House members and one U.S. senator are already on the payroll at firms that make millions lobbying their congressional colleagues.

The findings, provided to Vocativ by the Center for Responsive Politics, a government watchdog group, also show that a second senator who left office at the beginning of January, Alaska’s Mark Begich, took the extra step of starting his own public affairs consulting firm, which has already secured clients in health care and aviation.

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a reply to: AlaskanDad

7) Congress is a stepping-stone to lobbying

Congress is no longer a destination but a journey. Committee assignments are mainly valuable as part of the interview process for a far more lucrative job as a K Street lobbyist. You are considered naïve if you are not currying favor with wealthy corporations under your jurisdiction. It's become routine to see members of Congress drop their seat in Congress like a hot rock when a particularly lush vacancy opens up. The revolving door is spinning every day. Special interests deplete Congress of its best talent.

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I guess im trying to wrap my head around these stupid Lobbying firms. Are these guys pretty much just up there, like car salesman, tying to wine and dine as many as politicians as possible. How do these companies pay lobbist, because they secured a dinner, and maybe won the vote. They should totally outlaw any and all lobbying. but I guess thats like trying to tell someone starving not to eat.

a reply to: Glassbender777


Oh but it gets worse:

Wall Street Pays Bankers to Work in Government and It Doesn't Want Anyone to Know

itigroup is one of three Wall Street banks attempting to keep hidden their practice of paying executives multimillion-dollar awards for entering government service. In letters delivered to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over the last month, Citi, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley seek exemption from a shareholder proposal, filed by the AFL-CIO labor coalition, which would force them to identify all executives eligible for these financial rewards, and the specific dollar amounts at stake. Critics argue these “golden parachutes” ensure more financial insiders in policy positions and favorable treatment toward Wall Street.

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These cretins are wasting valuable oxygen.....time to water the tree of liberty.....

originally posted by: Glassbender777
I guess im trying to wrap my head around these stupid Lobbying firms. Are these guys pretty much just up there, like car salesman, tying to wine and dine as many as politicians as possible. How do these companies pay lobbist, because they secured a dinner, and maybe won the vote. They should totally outlaw any and all lobbying. but I guess thats like trying to tell someone starving not to eat.

Yes. Yes they are. But not just "up there", there are plenty of lobbyists at the state level as well. Citibank wrote a law not too long ago, everyone knew it, nothing changes but the names in government. Altruism has been replaced with jingoism.

Why spend millions to get a job making thousands?


To make millions.

Based on the OP article, I see that these traitors are made up of both democrats and republicans. So, we can't blame just one party or the other.

Unfortunately the problem with trying to limit the access of lobbyists to the so-called lawmakers is that the constitution makes provisions for the people to have access to congress.

1st Amendment to the Constitution:
...or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

So, to limit the lobbyists would require an amendment to the Constitution. :-(


dex

a reply to: DexterRiley

Nice, in theory, but you and I don't have a lobbyist. Corporations, think tanks, whomever etc. have lobbyists but the average Joe, not so much.

There is no such thing as a law maker. That is a criminal. I do not give anyone the right to create laws and do not obey demons, nor do I empower them and their rogue Roman Circus stuff does not equate lawful order, it is merely rule by mafia and evil. I do not ever endorse law makers. I do not murder or rape or steal from others, etc. That is is it. They have zero control over me.

Funny how the majority is supposed to get by without government meddling while they sell government meddling in the favor of those who pay.

If every american who is at or below the poverty line would donate just 100 bucks a year that would be 15 billion that could be spent towards lobbying.

originally posted by: AlaskanDad
a reply to: Glassbender777


Oh but it gets worse:

Wall Street Pays Bankers to Work in Government and It Doesn't Want Anyone to Know

itigroup is one of three Wall Street banks attempting to keep hidden their practice of paying executives multimillion-dollar awards for entering government service. In letters delivered to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over the last month, Citi, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley seek exemption from a shareholder proposal, filed by the AFL-CIO labor coalition, which would force them to identify all executives eligible for these financial rewards, and the specific dollar amounts at stake. Critics argue these “golden parachutes” ensure more financial insiders in policy positions and favorable treatment toward Wall Street.

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Thats beyond worse. That has the potential to turn a government terminal. I always scoffed at the corruption in Italy, but it turns out politicians there are bad at being corrupt and get caught too.

The last act of a government is to loot the country.