What Is Lobbying and Can It Be Good?
A citizen's right to lobby plays a tremendous role in politics. Yet today lobbying is big business known to have a revolving door with Congress. What is lobbying really about, and can it...
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Lobbyists play a big role in American politics. They get bills passed, politicians elected,and national programs funded. But according to a 2013 Gallup poll, only 6% of Americansview lobbyists as honest or ethical. So how is it, that one of our most politically influentialgroups is also one of the least trustworthy?Let’s start by looking at what lobbying actually is. The National Conference of StateLegislatures defines Lobbying as “a citizen’s right to speak freely, to impact decisions,and petition the government…” And Lobbying can be that simple. People or groups petitioningtheir representatives to vote for issues they care about. But that’s not all lobbyingis. It’s also big business, carried out by professionals who register with the governmentand are paid ...
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Lobbyists play a big role in American politics. They get bills passed, politicians elected,and national programs funded. But according to a 2013 Gallup poll, only 6% of Americansview lobbyists as honest or ethical. So how is it, that one of our most politically influentialgroups is also one of the least trustworthy?Let’s start by looking at what lobbying actually is. The National Conference of StateLegislatures defines Lobbying as “a citizen’s right to speak freely, to impact decisions,and petition the government…” And Lobbying can be that simple. People or groups petitioningtheir representatives to vote for issues they care about. But that’s not all lobbyingis. It’s also big business, carried out by professionals who register with the governmentand are paid ...
