Lobbying
Obama Realilty Check - Healthcare Edition
Obama says he wants to fix our diseased healthcare system. But can a former healthcare lobbyist be trusted to do that?
December 1, 2008 | Read More
Subprime Thinking
So-called “aggressive lobbying” from the banking industry kept our government from cracking down on crazy mortgages.
December 1, 2008 | Read More
Obamanomics And Hedge Funds
Don’t expect much “change we can believe in” when it comes to regulating hedge funds.
November 28, 2008 | Read More
Another Obama Reality Check - Lobbying Edition
On the campaign trail, President-elect Obama promised a “fundamental change” in our government. But when it comes to lobbying reform, maybe “meaningless, purely symbolic change” would have been more accurate.
November 7, 2008 | Read More
“The Heartbeat of America”: The Fall of the Automotive Industry
There’s a reason the Chevrolet slogan evoking Detroit as America’s heart resonated so powerfully. The automotive industry is as American as rolling amber waves of grain. And now look how far it has fallen.
October 31, 2008 | Read More
Pill Bugs
Americans pay more for drugs than citizens of any other nation. Way more. And our bought-off political leaders have done nothing, absolutely nothing, to ease this crisis. Now, their criminal inaction is going to cost us big.
October 22, 2008 | Read More
Pigs Fly? The Pentagon Cuts A Bloated Program
Last week, something truly bizarre happened in Washington. The Department of Defense actually trimmed a wasteful military contract. But this is the Pentagon we’re talking about. Weapons systems never die. They just get re-bid. And defense contractors like Boeing are already lining up.
October 20, 2008 | Read More
Reason #74: Unleaded CAFE
Under President Jimmy Carter, the government set up fuel-efficiency standards that automakers had to follow when designing new cars. These were called CAFE standards, which stands for corporate average fuel economy. CAFE standards had a powerful positive impact. Between 1975 and 1985, the fuel efficiency of American vehicles improved by more than 50 percent.
Things were looking pretty good. If we could keep increasing fuel-efficiency, maybe we’d eventually even free ourselves from the oil-based entanglements in the Middle East. But then things stagnated again, and since 1985 there’s been no significant change in the fuel efficiency of our cars. We got through…
August 27, 2008 | Read More
Slam the Revolving Door
Men like George Bush Sr. should be ashamed. After he left office, he went to work jetting around the world and shilling for the Carlyle Group. In other words, he cashed in on his time as president like it was some kind of corporate internship instead of public service. He’s not alone. Just about every other president has used his post-White House years in similarly vulgar fashion.
This kind of unsavory exploitation of public office is all too common-and it’s a real problem. How can we trust our leaders to make the right decisions while in office if they’re all just bucking…
August 26, 2008 | Read More
Get out of the Lobby!
I’m not one of those people who believe all lobbyists should be banned. As much as I’d enjoy seeing all those well-healed mouthpieces tossed out of Washington on their rumps, lobbyists should be allowed to speak with lawmakers all they want. They’re American citizens after all and our elected officials work for them as well. But here’s the catch: they should not enjoy any special or secret access.
First of all, no lobbyist should ever be allowed to write any part of any piece of legislation. It’s absurd that I should even have to say that. But that’s how bad it’s…
August 26, 2008 | Read More
