Ethics and Lobbying Reform Bill --Is Anything But

Polling done by Newsweek in 2003 showed that 70 percent of Americans believed the "political system is so controlled by special interests that it cannot respond to the country's real needs." Turns out Americans have good hunches, as this year brought scandals and stories that justified our concerns to a sickening degree.

After responding with the usual rhetoric of reform, many politicians are apparently hoping you have forgotten all about this issue. The so-called reform bill is pathetic! There is no proposal for an independent Office of Public Integrity, which is greatly needed because the members are incapable of policing themselves. Parties, gifts, and lunches paid for by lobbyists will not be permanently banned, and the revolving door swirls just as quickly as Congressmen can return to lobby their former colleagues within a year.

Please urge your Senators to support strong Lobbying and Ethics Reform.

With the help of Citizen Hunters we can get the teeth put back into this bill. There are some proposed amendments that would do just that, and the above link will give you a chance to learn about them and send a letter to your Senator to ask them to support them.

One big thing is still missing in this whole conversation - campaign contributions! The scandals that have dominated the headlines involve lavish trips, loose lobbying requirements, sure, but the larger point is that Abramoff's clients gave boatloads of campaign cash to members of Congress who used their power to help the clients out -pay to play, quid pro quo, whatever you want to call it. Backing bold campaign finance reform must happen for real change to occur and for politicians to be able to focus on the public interest instead of special and personal interests.

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