by FZR1KG » Sat Dec 14, 2013 7:50 pm
Pay is pretty good when you take into account all the pay and benefits you get unofficially, be that legally or not, immoral or not.
How many times do we read about some unfavorable legislation passed and the person leaves politics to a handy dandy high paying job that just happens to be for a company that benefited from said legislation?
From my POV anyway, the whole concept of lobbying is the premise that an outside party can win favour with the policy makers by giving them money. Everywhere else I know of, this is called bribery.
If it's not seen as bribery here in the USA then is there any wonder that the system is corrupted?
The leaders of the country should be setting examples of what to do an what not to do.
That is one major down falling of both the parties here in the USA.
Lobbying can only be seen as a person with money buying influence from a person with power.
If it sits at the highest levels of government in plain view and protected by the laws of the land, how can anyone expect that similar things won't happen at lower levels of government.
The mechanism is the same. Only the payoff figure varies.
I do tend to agree with Rommie's view as to why people some people get into politics.
I personally would like to have a test done on politicians to see if they are sociopaths.
If they are they should not be allowed in politics or positions of power at all.
My argument there is someone who has no sense of ethics or ability to put themselves in someone else's shoes cannot legitimately represent the people.
By people I mean voters of the country in a political sense and share holders in an economic one.
As far as I know it is impossible by definition for them to have the ability to do so.
As a further argument, I note that to be President one must be a born citizen. That rule was placed for a reason, to try to ensure the leader of the nation has loyalties to both the nation and it's people.
The far better way is to limit sociopaths from office as it makes no difference if they are native born or not, they will have no loyalties to anything but themselves.
Or they are like Ann Romney. Willing to do anything to help their man. Even lie about how rough they had it in college. Why, they had to sell stock to pay for tuition you know. It was a very difficult time for them and gave them the basis for understanding what the average person has to go through in this country today. 
