Image (“Mike Pence Casting Out the Lobbyists From the Trump Transition Team, after Antoine Jean-Baptiste Thomas”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
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“New evidence also shows that drinking lots of milk doesn’t protect against bone fractures and may be linked to certain types of cancer. And all the good stuff in milk — calcium, potassium, and protein — can be found in greater amounts in foods like broccoli, kale, and black beans.
But these foods are at a disadvantage when it comes to competing against dairy. They don’t have trade groups giving millions to members of Congress and lobbying for influence over the nation’s nutrition policy.”
— “How big government helps big dairy sell milk,” Liz Scheltens and Gina Barton, Vox
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Short link: http://wp.me/p6sb6-opN
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You can hear the recorded message by clicking on the link below. Imagine how it would sound if you got this robocall while sitting at the dinner table with your child, a surviving schoolmate of the young victims, or if there was an empty chair at dinner since December 14th.
The NSSF represents gun and ammunition manufacturers and dealers, so it’s no surprise that it has lobbied Congress against restrictions on military-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. It even claims that the AR-15 is a legitimate hunting firearm.
It’s a sad day when our public servants leave the halls of Congress. They cry all the way to the bank. An analysis by Lee Fang finds that when congressmen become lobbyists, their income increases astronomically:
“When a Congressman Becomes a Lobbyist, He Gets a 1,452% Raise (on Average),” Lee Fang, Republic Report
“They’re inside in the afternoon, tapping at laptops and nursing lattes. They send emails and organize protests, chat with friends and warm their hands. It’s been two months now, and no one shows any signs of leaving. It’s undisputed and undeniable: The Starbucks at 15th and K has been thoroughly Occupied.”
— “Starbucks near protesters’ compound thoroughly Occupied,” Aubrey Whelan, Washington Examiner
172 former congressmen and senators currently work as Washington lobbyists, according to a perceptive report by Justin Elliott and Zachary Roth of Talking Points Memo. They work for trade associations and large law firms and as independent influence shapers for industry and monied interests. Not all are officially registered as lobbyists, but they use their influence to shape legislation nonetheless. Former members of Congress have access to Capitol and federal offices denied other citizens.
Retired legislators from 41 states are working as DC lobbyists, and Texas has the most (17). TPM has an interactive map with a list by state, but it is easier to name states without an ex-congressional K Street contingent: Hawaii, Maine, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wyoming, and West Virginia.
Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
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