OpEd:
American Lobby Groups Need to Disappear
July 16, 2009 by Kyle BradyTags: AMA, America, Congress, Lobbying, Obama, PhRMA, Politics, RIAA
As required by the FTC, a Full Disclosure is available - this piece adheres to the Code of Ethics
Lobbying groups have been a topic of recent discussion, ever since President Obama mentioned them in his campaign, and has continued to be a crucial topic whenever large legislation passes through Congress - the American Auto-Industry Bailout and healthcare reform are merely two examples where considerable money and influence were expelled to achieve favorable results for certain parties. Historically, lobbying has been a large source of influence and income for politicians, especially in Congress, and the tendrils of corporate interests continue to invade American politics on an increasing basis as time progresses. The American Medical Assocation (AMA), Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) are some of the biggest organizations attempting to influence policy, spending millions of dollars to do so – is this in the best interest of America, or the organizations that pay-to-play?
Whenever an issue arises that may effect the business of these groups, time and money is spent to augment, or even counter, such problematic legislation. The RIAA continuously influences the opinions of Congressmen on issues of copyright, “Fair Use” practices, and the use of modern technology for media consumption – every time to the benefit of themselves. The last two decades have seen an abuse of copyright law in order to make certain activities illegal, allow encroachment on citizens’ digital freedoms, and litigate individuals for exorbitant, disproportionate amounts of money, often even when no wrongdoing can be established or proven.
The AMA is no better, since it has a long and sordid history of opposing the rights of medical patients, more affordable care, and even the creation of Medicare/Medicaid. More recently this organization has come out in force against the creation of a public healthcare option, using their network of contacts, “summary reports”, and augmented statistics to push their opinion into the faces of lawmakers – Big Pharma (of which PhRMA is a part) is participating heavily as well. These reports and pieces of skewed information are exactly the kind of fuel the angry, cornered Republicans use when making claims against such policy.
The interests of the general public, or even the “average” American, are no longer considered for large issues – the corporate concerns are those that are given voice, due to their deep pockets and vested interests. Even if money does not exchange hands between lobbyists and lawmakers, gifts are given, VIP access to services are offered, and expensive lunches (or even trips) are funded by a shadowy “other”. While this is common knowledge to anyone remotely interested in politics, it has become such a way of life and the process of government that only a small minority thinks to question it - President Obama made a stir by announcing intentions of distancing himself, if not government as a whole, from lobbying groups, but only because he has the visibility and power to make a change.
Imagine if lobbyists influenced an average citizen’s daily life: free products in exchange for occasional favors, paid trips to think (or at least pretend to) a certain way, publications with twisted data labeled as facts - does this sound appealing? Would this improve their decision-making abilities? No. Why is it tolerated for those that have considerably more power, with the ability to effect millions with a single decision? Lobbying should be banned from the arena of American politics completely, lest Free America continue to favor certain interests groups to the point of becoming a corporate fiefdom.
Banning lobbyists, and all other kinds of interest groups, would not only change the political scene for the betterment of America, but could have a more interesting side-effect: more money for employee salaries, benefits, and charitable organizations. With hundreds of millions of dollars no longer being spent each year to influence policy, organizations would have excess money that could be spent in other arenas, not the least of which could be their own employees. If doctors received higher payments from insurance companies that no longer had to battle legislation, they could have more time with individual patients instead of taking on ever-more people in an effort to survive. Merely a singular example, the trickle-down effects of excess cash reserves in the realm of nine digits could be widespread and incalculable.
Pretending to work in favor of a certain constituency (i.e. the American people) when the true beneficiaries of the thought and effort put into lawmaking are corporations, shadow organizations, and otherwise commercial interests is tantamount to lying – something that is not typically tolerated in government. If for no other reason than this, lobbying and special interest groups’ involvement in American politics should end immediately and without exception. Continuing to allow such influences control the direction of the United States is risky at best, and will most likely end in disaster – if it hasn’t already.
Update (7/16/2009 8:45pm PST): The Huffington Post's "Lobby Blog" mentioned this piece in their ongoing lobby coverage.
Kyle can be found on Twitter and MySpace, or reached via email.
