Chandos the Red
Thu, 23rd Jun '05, 4:28am
Yes, Republicans have actually done something uncharacteristic for their party: They have helped a few Americans get some new jobs, and a pay increase at the same time. It seems they have crafted a boom for the industry of lobbying. That in itself is nothing new for this party - the public be damned - the American government is there for only those who can afford it. Right? But they have created a thriving industry for all those parasites who live off of the American political system at the expense of the average American.
The number of registered lobbyists in Washington has more than doubled since 2000 to more than 34,750 while the amount that lobbyists charge their new clients has increased by as much as 100 percent. Only a few other businesses have enjoyed greater prosperity in an otherwise fitful economy.Wow, and the Dems say the Republicans can't create new jobs. I guess King George showed them a thing or three. But wait - there's more:
Lobbying firms can't hire people fast enough. Starting salaries have risen to about $300,000 a year for the best-connected aides eager to "move downtown" from Capitol Hill or the Bush administration. Once considered a distasteful post-government vocation, big-bucks lobbying is luring nearly half of all lawmakers who return to the private sector when they leave Congress, according to a forthcoming study by Public Citizen's Congress Watch.Hey, there's nothing like recycling these guys. In-and-out of government, it seems there is always an opportunity to make the big bucks:
The Republicans in charge aren't just pro-business, they are also pro-government. Federal outlays increased nearly 30 percent from 2000 to 2004, to $2.29 trillion. And despite the budget deficit, federal spending is set to increase again this year, especially in programs that are prime lobbying targets such as defense, homeland security and medical coverage. Do you feel any "safer" now? or healthier?
The result has been a gold rush on K Street, the lobbyists' boulevard. Quinn Gillespie has added at least 16 clients and six professionals since its co-founder, Edward W. Gillespie, announced last November that he was returning after a stint as chairman of the Republican National Committee. Barbour Griffith & Rogers LLC, another lobbying firm, increased the number of lobbyists to 15, from eight in 2003.
The owner of a large lobbying shop said that five years ago he could hire veteran Capitol Hill staffers for $200,000 a year or less. Now the going rate is closer to $300,000 a year and the most-sought-after aides can expect even more. In 2002, Susan B. Hirschmann, chief of staff to House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), had so many lobbying offers that she enlisted Robert B. Barnett, the attorney for Bill Clinton and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), to receive and filter them.It does make me feel so much better knowing that at least a few Americans are prospering at a time like this - I mean with 9/11 and all, and the "sacrifices" we Americans are making as a result of the "war on terror." It's good to see that the government officials and their pals are raking in the dough off of doing the "people's work." Or is it living off the people's work? It's little wonder the Republicans don't want us to retire.
"People in industry are willing to invest money because they see opportunities here," said Patrick J. Griffin, who was President Bill Clinton's top lobbyist and is now in private practice. "They see that they can win things, that there's something to be gained. Washington has become a profit center."http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/21/AR2005062101632.html?referrer=email&referrer=email
The number of registered lobbyists in Washington has more than doubled since 2000 to more than 34,750 while the amount that lobbyists charge their new clients has increased by as much as 100 percent. Only a few other businesses have enjoyed greater prosperity in an otherwise fitful economy.Wow, and the Dems say the Republicans can't create new jobs. I guess King George showed them a thing or three. But wait - there's more:
Lobbying firms can't hire people fast enough. Starting salaries have risen to about $300,000 a year for the best-connected aides eager to "move downtown" from Capitol Hill or the Bush administration. Once considered a distasteful post-government vocation, big-bucks lobbying is luring nearly half of all lawmakers who return to the private sector when they leave Congress, according to a forthcoming study by Public Citizen's Congress Watch.Hey, there's nothing like recycling these guys. In-and-out of government, it seems there is always an opportunity to make the big bucks:
The Republicans in charge aren't just pro-business, they are also pro-government. Federal outlays increased nearly 30 percent from 2000 to 2004, to $2.29 trillion. And despite the budget deficit, federal spending is set to increase again this year, especially in programs that are prime lobbying targets such as defense, homeland security and medical coverage. Do you feel any "safer" now? or healthier?
The result has been a gold rush on K Street, the lobbyists' boulevard. Quinn Gillespie has added at least 16 clients and six professionals since its co-founder, Edward W. Gillespie, announced last November that he was returning after a stint as chairman of the Republican National Committee. Barbour Griffith & Rogers LLC, another lobbying firm, increased the number of lobbyists to 15, from eight in 2003.
The owner of a large lobbying shop said that five years ago he could hire veteran Capitol Hill staffers for $200,000 a year or less. Now the going rate is closer to $300,000 a year and the most-sought-after aides can expect even more. In 2002, Susan B. Hirschmann, chief of staff to House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), had so many lobbying offers that she enlisted Robert B. Barnett, the attorney for Bill Clinton and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), to receive and filter them.It does make me feel so much better knowing that at least a few Americans are prospering at a time like this - I mean with 9/11 and all, and the "sacrifices" we Americans are making as a result of the "war on terror." It's good to see that the government officials and their pals are raking in the dough off of doing the "people's work." Or is it living off the people's work? It's little wonder the Republicans don't want us to retire.
"People in industry are willing to invest money because they see opportunities here," said Patrick J. Griffin, who was President Bill Clinton's top lobbyist and is now in private practice. "They see that they can win things, that there's something to be gained. Washington has become a profit center."http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/21/AR2005062101632.html?referrer=email&referrer=email