Money can't buy me love -- but it can buy access

by: Hank Kalet

Wed Feb 28, 2007 at 10:50:19 PM EST

There is an old song by the Smokey and the Miracles (and The Beatles) that, unfortunately, could be used as the theme song for most politicians: "Money (That's What I Want)".

The fact is, too much of it is coarsing through the veins of the body politic, distorting our priorities and shutting out the average voter.

Hank Kalet :: Money can't buy me love -- but it can buy access

That's the subtext of a very good piece in The Star-Ledger today, which asks the question: "Did '800-lb. gorillas' sit on property tax reform?"

The story, as I point out in a post to my Channel Surfing blog, is a laundry list of special interests based on lobbying reports released on Tuesday that, as the story points out,

show groups with the biggest stake in property tax reform spent more than $1.9 million last year to influence lawmakers. At the same time, key legislators extracted nearly $569,000 in campaign contributions from the same groups.

The short summary is that the groups with the most to lose and gain were the ones dumping bucket-loads of cash on the people making the decisions.

And the decisions will usually follow the money, which is why we need real campaign finance reform.

And I don't mean Band-Aids like pay-to-play bans, which are useful. I'm talking about public financing. Without it, all budgetary and tax reform efforts -- along with needed consumer, environmental and labor reform legislation -- will be hijacked by money.

The proof? Check out this quote from Matt Shapiro, an unpaid lobbyist for New Jersey's 1 million tenants:

"Had we been a group that made large campaign contributions, we would have had more access," Shapiro said. "We've had conversations, but we were not legitimately a part of that process."

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Money can't buy me love -- but it can buy access | 4 comments

and don't forget the O'Jays (0.00 / 0)

The Backstabbers and For the Love of Money unfortunately are more relevant than Love Train.

Frank LoBiondo Record and Jon Runyan Watch

by: Hopeful @ Thu Mar 01, 2007 at 04:12:11 AM UTC

Legalized Prostitution.... (0.00 / 0)

....I know, some of you must be tired of hearing me say "bribery" ad nauseam. LOL

Grassroots has it right. Public campaign finance is the way to go. It's actually cheap!!!

I bet every dollar spent on public financing of all campaigns would yield an average of at least two hundred dollars in net savings when you take into account the corruption taxes that we all pay in a myriad of ways.

These bastards are buying off our government: for pennies on the dollar!!!

A change in policy that "costs" lobbyists/contributors X dollars winds up costing taxpayers and consumers 200X down the line. (the 200X is a best guess....in the pentagon budget it might be 1000X and in a local school board expenditure it might be 20X....but you get the point)

In the case of environmental/health policies you also have to factor in the downstream costs of ruined lives, premature death, and human suffering.....often on into the next generation as the effects linger. (Check out global warming, eh?)

Imagine all the sheer effing road rage that would have been avoided if NJ was developed with an eye towards sanity instead of toward making billions of dollars in profits for developers?

And it's not about "stopping progress". Far from it. It's about not getting raped and progressing in ways that are sane and humane.

The nub of the problem is that virtually everyone in office is a creature of the current corrupt system...so how can we expect them to legislate away the instrumentalities that put them in office in the first place?

It would be great if pols simply did what was right because it was right...but these people are very attached to their power and privilege.

This really is NOT a partisan issue.

There are really are limits to how long this crap can go on...and the sooner we clean up the corruption the easier it will be on our grandchildren.

So long as votes are equated to "campaign contributions" we do not have a democracy, but we DO have a plutocracy!!!

So, gang, what do y'all suggest. What's it gonna take to really and truly get honest unbought and unbossed governance???

by: Nick Lento @ Thu Mar 01, 2007 at 04:32:58 AM UTC

by: you @ soon

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It's the same way out here, Nikolai... (4.00 / 1)

Just dial 1-877-REPUBLICS and pledge lots of money to them and you too can enjoy the salubrious effects of flatulating through silk that was paid for with taxpayer dollars.
Presently, moves are under way to turn the county into the Ducal Feifdom of The Chamberlain Family. With apparent impunity, I might add.

The nom de plume has a long and distinguished history.

by: Tandalayo Scheisskopf @ Thu Mar 01, 2007 at 06:22:30 AM UTC

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LOL Thanks for the Chuckles... n/t (0.00 / 0)

by: Nick Lento @ Thu Mar 01, 2007 at 07:16:19 AM UTC

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Money can't buy me love -- but it can buy access | 4 comments