Is lobbying necessary when a government is fascist?

[tridim]

I woke up this morning thinking about that question. When big corporations write policy and basically run the government, what's the point of lobbying? I can't help but think that this is why the repukes are trying to pretend they're for ethics reform. Cut off all corporate money to the Democrats and make the corporations wholly owned subsidiaries of the fascist (Republican) party.

Case in point.. Do you think Halliburton has to lobby the government while their CEO is the VP?

Scary huh?

[geiger]

1. You are totally right.

and scary.

That's the way it is. You are totally right, that was their plan.

[havocmom]

2. Memo to stenographer-journalists: Same applies to talking heads.

If only one chant is spoken, no need to pay a lot of big mouths to do it.

[FloridaPat]

3. They still have to bribe the law makers. Otherwise they might

actually get a conscience and decide the Constitution is more important then the president or their bank account.

[spunky]

4. Its probably safest to keep bribing, otherwise, some other corporation

could start bribing them behind your back, and next thing you know, you're out on your ass-- No more lucrative no-bid contracts.

No political relationship is ever too secure to preclude bribery.

[gratuitous]

5. Well, the forms must be honored

You know, like playing the national anthem before sporting events. It serves no real purpose, but by observing the rituals and the forms, it comforts folks. By having "lobbyists" slithering around congressional offices, it makes the graft and the bribery look less open, more palatable to the hoi polloi. When you don't observe the liturgy, people get upset. Watch a Catholic or an Episcopalian go into a Quaker meeting some time.

[TexasLawyer]

6. Yes, of course they're still needed

The competition for government dollars used to be citizens versus corporations.

Now that citizens are essentially out of the picture, there is still competition for government dollars.

But now the battle is industry versus industry. Only the biggest and most powerful pigs will get to feed from the trough.