New Rules, Same Game
Ron Paul at LewRockwell.com - corruption won't be ended, or even changed, by modifying lobbying rules. The only way to stop corruption is to reduce the federal budget. I think it needs to be reduced by at least a factor of 100, though I think a factor of 1,000 would be more healthy for our liberty. [lew]
I don't believe the problem is corrupt lobbyists or even corrupt politicians per se. The fundamental problem, in my view, is the very culture of Washington. Our political system has become nothing more than a means of distributing government largesse, through tax dollars confiscated from the American people -- always in the name democracy. The federal budget is so enormous that it loses all meaning. What's another million or so for some pet project, in an annual budget of $2.4 trillion? No one questions the principle that a majority electorate should be allowed to rule the country, dictate rights, and redistribute wealth.
It's no wonder a system of runaway lobbying and special interests has developed. When we consider the enormous entitlement and welfare system in place, and couple that with a military-industrial complex that feeds off perpetual war and encourages an interventionist foreign policy, the possibilities for corruption are endless. We shouldn't wonder why there is such a powerful motivation to learn the tricks of the lobbying trade -- and why former members of Congress and their aides become such high priced commodities.
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