Liberal Democrats In Bed with Big Lobbyists

After reading this, think about how the health care bill got written and just who wrote it. The whole thing was written behind closed doors with no input from Republicans or Conservatives. None!!

So just who is being controlled by lobbyists the most, and just who has all the money to hand out to special interests - yep - liberal Democrats.


A PLAGUE OF LOBBYISTS
Source: Ronald Bailey, "A plague of lobbyists: you get what you pay for," Reason Magazine, July 2010.

As Congress debated health care reform, the lobbying industry's representatives invaded Capitol Hill. Some got into the game to protect their interests against redistribution while others were digging for special subsidies, tax breaks and regulations at the expense of their competitors, says Ronald Bailey, a science correspondent for Reason Magazine.

The nonprofit Center for Public Integrity reported in March that an analysis of Senate lobbying disclosure forms shows that more than 1,750 companies and organizations hired about 4,525 lobbyists -- eight for each member of Congress -- to influence health reform bills in 2009.

Lobbyists for unions opposed taxes on gold-plated health insurance plans;

lobbyists for doctors opposed cuts in Medicare reimbursements;

a lobbyist for Dunkin Donuts opposed a soda tax to pay for health care reform;

and a Cigar Association lobbyist fought a tobacco tax.

The Center for Public Integrity noted that 2009 was a boom year for influence peddling overall, with business and advocacy groups shelling out $3.47 billion for lobbyists. Although it is hard to quantify the exact amount spent on trying to influence health care legislation, the groups lobbying the issue spent about $1.2 billion, says Bailey.