Google, Verizon & AT&T Unsurprisingly Top Lobbyers

Is anyone surprised that the biggest companies spend the most on lobbying? They have the most to lose from any over-reaching government regulation efforts. That they spend what is really a small amount of money compared to the size of their revenues to prevent that is only common sense.

And to give you an idea on how small those lobbying numbers really are, AT&T spent $1.9 billion & Verizon $1.64 billion last year on advertising. Lobbying expenditures are a drop in the bucket. »onswipe.investopedia.com ··· 072303/3

There, I fixed it.

Where's mine?

The Constitutional Amendment to end this bullshit is being introduced today. Be sure to write your congress people and express your support for it.

»movetoamend.org/big-news ··· d-monday

It can't hurt to express your opinion, but the chances for an amendment to actually pass approaches zero. The congresscritters would never let an amendment like that move forward. They depend too much on industry money to fuel their reelection campaigns.

Unfortunately the tyranny in our government is so pervasive now that like the other poster mentioned, it is unlikely that it will pass.

Or worse yet... We'll wind up with a Constitutional amendment passed that grants corporations the right to run for political office...

We're only a heartbeat away from that now. Part of me could honestly see companies like Google and AT&T moving to allow for this.

While I understand everyone's skepticism, how do you know until you try? Even if this attempt fails, hopefully it will build some publicity and/or momentum for another attempt. The key with Move to Amend is that they're in it for the long haul and have gotten several cities (along with some big ones like LA and NYC) and are working on states to pass resolutions calling for this amendment.

We know because of human nature.

No, you know because you've most likely given up on our government and won't do something basic like write a letter. If we all stopped voting for these morons and created actual demand for politicians with some semblance of principle, then things might be a little different. Right now, they don't give a shit because so few people actively participate in our government either through voting, writing in, etc.

Whatever. Write your letter. Nothing will happen. It's just like those idiots saying that Cameron is turning things around in the UK and things are just getting bleaker and bleaker.

Good luck trying to stop lobbying.

I signed the petition but it was nothing more than a futile gesture. Any legislation which will harm the operating principle of our government, "money talks", will never pass.

Unfortunately "tyranny" doesn't respond to what would, in honorable circumstances work, like writing a letter to a representative.

The thing most folks today don't understand is that the Constitutional Government that our Founding Fathers handed down to us has been hijacked by criminals. Of course they gave us the legal ability to remove such tyrants too.

Tyranny is something that is overused by Alex Jones / Beck NWO types, in order to be able to believe their BS. What's going on here is not tyranny, it's that we are becoming a corporate fascist society run by plutocratic oligarchs. Where multibillion dollar corporations (e.g AT&T and VZ) and the wealthy few are calling the shots. A country is only as good as the people 'you' elect into office and the efficiency of the government. We have a party today (R), who is determined to undermine our government any way they can.

It's no coincidence that CATO is bankrolled by the libertarian Koch brothers. That the Koch brothers are the biggest advocates of small government and less government regulation. I don't spend a single dollar on any one of their products anymore. Fewer rules and regulations, less law and order (i.e. government) allows them to do whatever they like and profit off the backs of Americans.

Do you really think the Democrats are much better? Both parties are equally to blame for the mess this country is in. Democrats are just as responsible for creating an environment where jobs are flying out of this country. We certainly need fewer, but more effective regulations. Many new regulations are written by the lobbists to benefit the company's they are suppose to regulate. Then there are the regulators who walk in lock step with those companies in order to land a high pay position with those same companies after they leave government.

I know that with the advent of the internet it seems much harder to remember the past despite having easy ways to look it up and read about such matters.

I will take you back on a journey to the 1990s when tech companies didn't lobby (Microsoft spent all of 100k on the effort) they felt they can safely leave government alone and government will leave them alone letting them innovate and create jobs.

The various people in congress were so angered by this approach that they felt it was a slap in the face so they sent the DOJ after microsoft for failing to pay them. They did not legislate .. they did not look into the issues of why things were where they are they sent a clear message that they will get you to play and pay one way or the other.

So is there any surprise that they pay for lobbyists? The various factions that make decisions are isolated from any rational thought they rely heavily on the lobbyists to inform them of the right direction to take, they would never actually read a report from a think tank (like Cato Institute) or university studies since they already have to read 2000 page bills (or not as the case maybe) and draw their own conclusions based on what is right for the people instead they turn to "industry insiders" to give them direction.
There however is no need to be cynical they will listen to a large contingency of voters (Notice how SOPA was defeated and it was soundly buried along with becoming toxic for companies to even be part of). Change however takes a very long time sometimes even a new generation that is either angry with the current system or beholden to new people that want something else money in America changes hands very quickly...

Unfortunately, if any individual did Lobbying as opposed to organizations, we'd likely be arrested for bribery.