The robbers who work on Capitol Hill

[Robbien]

Published: Thursday, January 29, 2004

In case some people didn't think he was looking out for the rich guys already, Congressman Billy Tauzin of Louisiana has decided to consider another job - in the drug industry.

For people who need prescription drugs to live, Tauzin's name should ring a loud, angry bell. He helped co-author the prescription drug benefit package that recently passed through Congress - the same one that infuriated some of his colleagues because of the money it would give to pharmaceutical companies in the name of privatizing Medicare.

It's no coincidence that, after Tauzin's work on the bill that would help drug companies make more money on the taxpayers' dollar, a drug industry group offered him a job for reportedly more than $1 million a year. It's also no coincidence that the offer came from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, which was directly involved in the discussions that led to the legislation.

What's most bizarre about this is that it's not illegal. Even if Tauzin had worked for a drug company prior to seeking public office, he still could run for Congress and lobby for taxpayer money on the behalf of drug companies. Tauzin isn't setting a precedent. President George W. Bush's cabinet is full of industry insiders whose former jobs would seem the perfect reason not to give them the posts they hold now.

http://www.ucfnews.com/news/2004/01/29/Opinion/The-Robbers.Who.Work.On.Capitol.Hill-591755.shtml

comment: The great headline alone is worth this posting.

[BlueEyedSon]

1. kick kick kick

[ochazuke]

2. The power of industry lobbyists and the revolving door...

should be a major campaign issue, but we lack a vocabulary to commuicate it to Middle America. (Ross Perot tapped into it though.) What buzzwords can we come up with to impart the cruddyness of corporatists running our country? Remember, it has to appeal to Middle America, not Kuchinich supporters or Environmentalists. It has to appeal to Reagan Democrats and others we usually call 'idiots'.