3 ms·

I suppose the actual corruption happens in the revolving door - politicians gain benefits afterward from the industry. Either you are in or out - and if you are

by fsloth 9y ago

I suppose the actual corruption happens in the revolving door - politicians gain benefits afterward from the industry. Either you are in or out - and if you are in, there are lot of post political perks to be gained. The lobbyists role in all of this is to communicate what the corporations want, and formulate it into a message the politicians can sell to their constituencies with a straight face.

jessaustin 9y ago
When I worked for Lucent I met someone who described himself as a "project management expert" at a regional conference. I thought, "holy shit I suck as project manager I should talk to this guy." Upon inquiry, I learned that he hadn't been on a project in years, and actually didn't teach any project management classes either. Ballast. After I related my confusion to someone else, I got a "Ssshhhh! That guy is some Senator's cousin. They have to keep him on for five years after the Senator leaves office." I.e., his job was more secure than that of literally anyone else at the conference. Did Lucent receive some consideration for this accommodation? Have they and Ma Bell done the same thing for decades? Our system is composed of mutually revolving fictions. We pretend that campaign finance isn't corrupt, and we also pretend that all corruption that takes place is in the form of campaign finance.
- fsloth 9y ago
  "...we also pretend that all corruption that takes place is in the form of campaign finance." I thought the revolving door principle was a known deficit in the western style political system (contra some others where politicians just get direct 'gifts'). Maybe not, then?
  - jessaustin 9y ago
    Sure, I think that's corrupt. Not everyone agrees with me. For instance, there are lots of FCC fans on HN, and that body is built on the revolving door.

3 ms·

I suppose the actual corruption happens in the revolving door - politicians gain benefits afterward from the industry. Either you are in or out - and if you are

by fsloth 9y ago

jessaustin 9y ago
When I worked for Lucent I met someone who described himself as a "project management expert" at a regional conference. I thought, "holy shit I suck as project manager I should talk to this guy." Upon inquiry, I learned that he hadn't been on a project in years, and actually didn't teach any project management classes either. Ballast. After I related my confusion to someone else, I got a "Ssshhhh! That guy is some Senator's cousin. They have to keep him on for five years after the Senator leaves office." I.e., his job was more secure than that of literally anyone else at the conference. Did Lucent receive some consideration for this accommodation? Have they and Ma Bell done the same thing for decades? Our system is composed of mutually revolving fictions. We pretend that campaign finance isn't corrupt, and we also pretend that all corruption that takes place is in the form of campaign finance.
- fsloth 9y ago
  "...we also pretend that all corruption that takes place is in the form of campaign finance." I thought the revolving door principle was a known deficit in the western style political system (contra some others where politicians just get direct 'gifts'). Maybe not, then?
  - jessaustin 9y ago
    Sure, I think that's corrupt. Not everyone agrees with me. For instance, there are lots of FCC fans on HN, and that body is built on the revolving door.