I wonder why WE can understand what insidious lobbying is, and the senate can't?

[SoCalDem]

After watching today, I am utterly amazed at the attention to detail..and yet, they don;t seem to "get it"..

They are trying to equate Girl Scout Cookies, Rotary Club speeches, free baseball caps with "LOBBYING".

Attention Senators:

It NOT about the trivial doo-dads, hats, shirts & pot-luck suppers..

It IS about the "mega-dollar contributions"to your CAMPAIGNS (and don't EVEN try to tell us you don't 'know' how that money gets to you, or through whose bank accounts it's funneled).

It IS about the "mid-winter junkets" to balmy tropical places

It IS about the "help" your children/ spouses/ in-laws/ brothers/ sisters/grand-children, etc receive in regard to jobs, cushy schools, loans, etc.

it IS about the revolving door between government (your jobs) and lobbying firms/corporate boardrooms (your future jobs).

WE GET IT !! Why are you all having such difficulty understanding it?

The group who shows up and gives you a baseball cap does not "worry" us.

The amorphous group that "hires" your wife/husband/Dad/Mom for $100K a year to do god knows what, or the college big-wig who gets your C- kid into a prestigious school or the K-Street wizards that offer you a private jet.....Well THOSE are the ones that WORRY us.. and if you admit it, you KNOW why..

You don't "owe" the Girls Scouts when they bring you cookies,but when you are getting millions of dollars in "goodies" and cash from lobbyists, you DO owe them something.. and we know THAT too.

You have a BUDGET for travel.. USE it.
Need to know about big business? Hold hearings, "invite them in", put them under oath, and let them "woo" you...in open session..while we watch.

We don't need to watch you eat lunch at a Rotary Club buffet, nor do we need to see how much it cost.

All we ask is that you remember this.,.

You work for US.

[C_U_L8R]

1. they're paid to not understand

huh... $$$$ ....oh

[rhiannon55]

2. Because we have nothing to lose by understanding.

Senators have a lot of $$$ to lose. Why should they kill their cash cows?

[porphyrian]

3. Well, they better read a book or line up another job.

2008 isn't that far away.

[neoblues]

4. “He who is greedy is always in want.” --Horace

“A Native American grandfather talking to his young grandson tells the boy he has two wolves inside of him struggling with each other. The first is the wolf of peace, love and kindness. The other wolf is fear, greed and hatred. "Which wolf will win, grandfather?" asks the young boy. "Whichever one I feed," is the reply.” -- Native American Proverb

“Three great forces rule the world: stupidity, fear and greed.” -- Albert Einstein

“The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” -- Jesus

Of course, Congressmen seek not only wealth (and many have become very wealthy while in office; wonder how?), but wealth to feed their lust for power. They are addicted and will make every excuse and every pretense that they are kicking the habit when they know they have a craving that will make them seek every opportunity to feed it.

[TahitiNut]

5. How many of those people DON'T get rich in the House of Senate?

The mere fact that there are more millionaires in Congress than ever before is a hint. The mere fact that they're richer after every term than they were before should be a BIG hint.

[SoCalDem]

6. Selling the freebie baseball caps on ebay?

NOT !

the ever-increasing wealth of legislators is precisely why I am in favor of term limits..

In a country as large as ours, it should not be that hard to find a steady stream of well-meaning, smart people who would happily serve, and then go back to their "real lives" ...y'know..like the FOUNDERS INTENDED !!!