The Note: The Very Definition (most meaningful par. buried)

[ShockediSay]

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/TheNote/story?id=156238

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee holds a 9:30 am ET hearing (TODAY!!!)on "Lobbying Reform: Proposals and Issues" in Dirksen 342. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), and Sen. Dick Durbin (D- IL) testify.

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It's like they're all trying to sneak this one by us, IMHO. Lobbying in the most pernicious threat to our democracy as it is practiced in this country, if not the most burdensome hidden tax on us all.

I think we need to put the stops:

A) on lobbyist campaign contributions

b) earmarking

c)lobbyist written legislation, like the disaster of a medicare prescription (most benefits go to PhARMA and Billy Tauzin, Pres & CEO) legislation that Tauzin passed while a congressman.

Connecticut did this sort of thing after their Repug Gov got sent up the river for felony corruption.
It seems to me that felony corruption is what kills any idea of a government representing the majority of interest of its citizens, instead of what is practiced, the majority of money of Lobby Lawyers.

THE ENTIRE LIST OF CONTACT INFO (PHONE, FAX, EMAIL) FOR ALL MEMBERS OF THE SENATE HOMELAND SECURITY blah blah blah COMMITTEE CAN BE FOUND AT
http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/cgi-bin/newcommittee.cgi?site=ctc&lang=&commcode=sgov