Google's CEO: 'The Laws Are Written by Lobbyists'

[denimgirly]

The Full Video is also available after the jump:
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2010/10/googles-ceo-the-laws-are-written-by-lobbyists/63908/

The average American doesn't realize how much of the laws are written by lobbyists" to protect incumbent interests, Google CEO Eric Schmidt told Atlantic editor James Bennet at the Washington Ideas Forum. "It's shocking how the system actually works."

[Hannah Bell]

1. of course they are. it's a mockery of democracy.

[starroute]

5. But the underlying problem is that our system is overloaded

The White House is overloaded -- there was an article a couple of weeks ago about how insane the pressure has gotten there even compared to the Clinton days.

And members of Congress are completely in over their heads. They don't have the time, let alone the expertise, to actually write or even understand the legislation they're expected to pass. If they let lobbyists (or right-wing policy groups) do it for them, it's not just a result of corruption but also because it takes full-time professionals these days to even understand the issues.

I think we're undergoing a crisis that is going to force a kind of professionalization of government. Back when the Constitution was written, even science was carried on by gentleman amateurs. Science got professionalized in the early 1800's, along with most other academic disciplines, but government is still partying like it's 1789.

Whether consciously or not, much of the Republican and Tea Party agenda seems directed towards resisting any meaningful change in this situation. They demonize bureaucrats, nominate candidates who are not only amateurs but proudly ignorant, and fetishize the "original" Constitution.

It's not easy to see how we can beat out way out of this jam-up, but ultimately we're going to have to take much of the routine business of crafting legislation out of the hands of these wayward kindergartners and hand it over to non-partisan specialists.

Both the determination of national goals and the final decisions on possible solutions can remain with the people and their elected representatives. But everything in between is going to have to change.

[thunder rising]

2. I'm shocked! Just shocked I tell you!

HCR was written by our hard working (caving) Dems. It's not easy to grovel at the feet of the minority and still look like your representing the people of the US.

[PoliticAverse]

3. They should know...

"Google Spent $1.34 Million On Lobbying In Q2, Up 41 Percent From Last Year":

http://techcrunch.com/2010/07/21/google-spent-1-34-million-on-lobbying-in-q2-up-41-percent-from-last-year/

[PassingFair]

4. Google is the only thing saving us from AT&T

...it is in Google's best interest to preserve
Net Neutrality because they dominate right now.

They dominate because they don't exploit.

If they begin to junk up their search function
with intrusive advertising, they will cease to
dominate.

The situation bears watching....

[Leftist Agitator]

6. Christ...

They don't even attempt to maintain the pretense that this is a healthy, functioning democracy anymore.

[old mark]

7. And they have been for a few decades now. Few laws actually are created by the

politicians we pay so highly to do so...I guess they make so much more from the lobbyists they forget why they were elected to begin with...
Congressional base pay is $174,000 as of last January.
Lobbyists make them millionaires, though.


mark