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U.S.: lobbyists bought Congress

If a democratic point of view, Congress U.S. is the most corrupt institution in the world, it is not in the courts. It is legally that interest groups have spent 32 523 dollars per day parliamentary session and to buy their votes. What else is deemed a criminal activity is accepted as a simple business in a country that refuses the notion of general and parliamentary representation based on coalitions of interests.

The "special interests" [1 ] have paid over 3.2 billion dollars to lobbyists in Washington in 2008, more than any other year that have been studied, informed an NGO, the Center for Responsive Politics. [2 ] This figure represents a record increase of 13.7% compared to 2007, where they had already spent 7.7% more than in 2006.

Center calculates that interest groups spent $ 17.4 million in lobbying dollars per day of parliamentary work in 2008, an average of 32 523 dollars per day per legislator. Sheila Krumholz
, Director of the Centre, said: "The federal government distributes billions each day, this represents a safe working environment for agents capable of winning a share of the cake to the large companies and sectors of activity. "

interest groups of health industries have spent more than any other economic sector in federal lobbying. The "investment" of $ 478.5 million earned them the award for the third consecutive year. They go beyond the financial sector (with insurance companies and real estate), who has spent 453.5 million in lobbying activities.

The pharmaceutical industry / health disbursed 230.9 million, bringing its total for the past eleven years to over 1.6 billion. It is followed, in 2008, by the highly efficient electrical installations, with 156.7 million, then the insurance, with 153.2 million, and finally the oil and gas, with 133.2 million. The pro-Israel groups, businesses and food processing industry oil and gas sectors are the most increased their contributions to lobbying in 2008, as a percentage relative to the previous year.

The financial sector, the insurance and real estate companies have been scrambling to get a good share of the Congress for emergency aid package of 700 billion approved late 2008. Most companies have reduced their contribution to lobbying are those who have declared bankruptcy or whose control is passed into the hands of the federal government, putting an end to their lobbying activities.
"Although certain financial interests, insurance companies and real estate, have retired last year, they still have distributed more than $ 450 million to influence the political market. This money
can buy a good deal of influence, it is a fraction of the harvest in exchange for the financial sector with the government program of emergency assistance, "notes Krumholz.

associations related to financial and property markets, as well as groups of property owners are among the organizations with the most increased their lobbying expenditures in 2008: the National Association of Realtors 25% from 13.9 to 17.3 million, the American Bankers Association for its $ 9.1 million disbursed in 2008, or 47% more than in 2007.
Other industry groups have circulated more bribes in 2008 include: the Council's private equity, the Mortgage Bankers Association of the United States and the Financial Services Roundtable.

Chamber of Commerce of the United States remains the leading investor in lobbying for the year 2008, with nearly 92 million, more than 350 000 dollars per business day and an increase of 73 ;% over 2007. Employers' associations as a whole have increased lobbying expenses by 47% between 2007 and 2008.

Some industries seem to have made deep cuts in such spending, but have not totally abandoned the practice. The contribution of the automotive companies fell 7.6% from 70.9 U.S. $ 65.5 million, a sharp change from previous years as manufacturers and distributors of automobiles had increased such spending 21% between 2006 and 2007. Between 2007 and 2008, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which with the "big three Detroit" (General Motors, Ford and Chrysler) was heard by Congress to ask for help, has lowered its lobbying expenses by 43%, totaling from $ 12 8 to 7.3 million dollars. Only Ford has slightly increased its spending, but only 8% (from 7.1 to 7.7 million).

Among firms lobbying Washington-based Patton Boggs reported revenues, said on lobbying, the highest for the fifth consecutive year 41,9 millions de dollars, ce qui représente une augmentation de plus de 20 % par rapport à 2006. Parmi les clients les plus généreux de l’entreprise figurent Cerberus Capital Management, le fabricant de sucreries et d’aliments pour animaux Mars, le groupe de communications Verizon, les groupes pharmaceutiques Bristol-Myers Squibb et Roche, ainsi que l’Association américaine pour la justice (auparavant connue sous le nom d’Association des avocats plaideurs des Etats-Unis).

Mise à jour de Lindsay Renick Mayer (de Open Secrets.org)

On dirait une petite annonce : « Licencié and seeking employment? The lobbying industry needs you! "Since we published this article on OpenSecrets.org in January 2008, the lobbying industry has grown steadily, even as others fell into recession, condemning hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens unemployed.
This growth is partly explained precisely by the economic recession: many managers seek government help to restore their businesses afloat. Others simply take the benefits of many government parachute packages. As long as there is a federal government distributes funds, officers will increase their lobbying expenditures from year to year to earn the favor of those who make the laws.

We see this kind of spending rise every year-more than one hundred percent over the past ten years, and the increased activity that characterized the first quarter of 2009 indicates that the trend will continue in the near future. Based on the records of the Office of the Senate public records, the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) found that between January and March, a growth lobbying, compared to the same period the previous year of around 2.4 million.
Trade unions, organizations and companies have paid for the first quarter of 2009 at least $ 799.7 million merchants to influence the U.S. Congress, against 797.2 million for the same quarter of 2008. The increase may seem insignificant compared with the billions invested each year in this activity, but this time of economic turmoil, it is undeniable that this represents a strong revenue stream for a single industry.

However, industries that have made headlines in the press on the issue of funds requested or received from the federal government cut their lobbying expenses during the first quarter of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008.
recipients of cash distributed under the rescue program of federal financial assets (Troubled Asset Relief Program, TARP) distributed less money to their agents than during any other quarter in 2008, perhaps because they were faced with new rules restricting their contacts with public officials in charge of the program urgent help.

The CRP found that the beneficiaries of TARP spent $ 13.9 million in first quarter 2009, against 20.2 million from January to March 2008 and 17.8 million in the last quarter 2008. While the government distributes billions of dollars, these amounts seem paltry in comparison to reap the benefits as corporations. [ 3]

Project Censored / Red Voltaire / Center for Responsive Politics. Translation
Voltaire Network.

We thank the contributions from
Student Researchers: Alan Grady and Leora Johnson.
Tutor: John Kramer, Ph.D., Sonoma State University.

Source www.voltairenet.org/ HERE