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comment by BLOB_CASTLE
BLOB_CASTLE  ·  4049 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: A Thought on Political Representation

Isn't that called lobbying?





user-inactivated  ·  4049 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Except that for every $100 donated by a real citizen, lobbyists with connections can donate 100 million.

EDIT: also no that's not really lobbying. Lobbyists have a hand in what politicians vote for beforehand, not after the fact via withholding contributions. (Both, really.)

thenewgreen  ·  4049 days ago  ·  link  ·  

No, it's not called lobbying. Here's an example of something a lobbyist would do:

1. Represent a company, say BLOB_CASTLE brick manufacturers inc (B_C BM INC)

2. Gain access to a legislator (helps that most lobbying firms worth their salt have ex-legislators on payroll)

3. Donate large sums of money on behalf of B_C BM INC to legislature in exchange for favors

4. Legislator puts forth a bill mandating that all bricks used in government building must come from a minority owned brick supplier and he knows just the one. B_C BM INC is 25% hispanic owned

5. B_C BM INC gets hundreds of millions in govt contracts for their bricks and doles out a small percentage annually for the reelection fund of those legislators the lobbyist has procured.

What I suggested is a real-time way for politicians to see the effects, monetarily (where it hurts them) of the decisions they make. Couple this with actual campaign finance reform (eliminating B_C BM INC's ability to donate) and you've got a much nicer and more responsive system imo.

BLOB_CASTLE  ·  4049 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I think that might be far more ideal than my proposed situation. I think there is tangibility to what I'm proposing.