Forum Post: concrete ideas - lobbying as bribery

I saw this morning that a twitter account (#concreteideas) has been started to gather concrete ideas for reform. Since I don't tweet, I'll post mine here.

Stop paid lobbying.

Paid lobbyers, government officials who accept money or campaign contributions or gifts from lobbyers, all are a form of bribery that we wouldn't accept in any other official body. It's illegal for police for obvious reasons, why wouldn't it be the same for politicians. It is the #1 way that big money influences every day decisions that affect and negatively impact us all.

Lobbyists hide behind the right to petition government as an excuse for this blatant bribery, the law that states that people and corporations have the right to state their case or cause to government in their own interest as a protection of their actions, and this is an important right - it also protects our right to protest and petition this OWS movement, but it is a clear and dangerous misuse of this right to allow its hijacking by those who are able to pay for government to "see things their way" and also shouts down and drowns out this right for the average person.

Stop influence of government by lobbyists, make it illegal for anyone to pay or accept payment in lobbying, directly or indirectly. If the cause is important enough for a corporation they can afford to send their own unpaid representatives, just as any citizen would have to take their own unpaid time to represent themselves.