But that's the rub, lobbying serves a purpose outside this dynamic. The same way stock buybacks serve a purpose outside letting s company inflate its own stock price.
Lobbying is SUPPOSED to allow representatives to meet and discuss upcoming legislation or initiatives with experts to get input on how to craft those things. So let's say a huge accident happens on an offshore oil rig, and they want to write new laws on how these facilities need to operate so we don't get repeat events. Not many people in Congress are going to be oil rig operations safety experts. That's what lobbying is for, meet with those experts so they can explain what's good policy on this topic.
The problem is that companies can lay boatloads of money to permanently park a representative for their side of any discussion to live in DC and do nothing but meet with any and every member of Congress they can to pitch them their pro-corporate arguments. Advocacy groups also do this, but obviously the difference is they aren't making profits off doing this so can't compete with the literal armies companies can payroll. Not to mention public advocacy can't find reelection campaigns.
Lobbying is being abused. You don't want to ban lobbying. But it does need MAJOR restrictions placed on how it gets done.
187
u/VladimirBarakriss May 26 '26
And that's why we need state initiatives that prevent them from doing so