4 ms·

We should also do away with the steak dinners, golf trips and other 'perks' that lobbyists/vendors give them in exchange for votes.

by _wldu 5y ago

koheripbal 5y ago
So meetings can not take place over a meal? ...or are you specifically saying they can only order certain dishes? Maybe we should force all meetings with politicians to take place on the floor of a mcdonalds. No chairs - that would be too fancy.
- _wldu 5y ago
  Right. And no 'working' conferences on tropical island resorts with 5,000 dollar per night rooms.
- 34679 5y ago
  Have you never split a check before?
- intrepidhero 5y ago
  Rank and file civil servants have very strict rules around what they can and cannot accept from a vendor. Same for investing actually, the rules around who can in invest in what depend on their decision making responsibilities. I'm baffled why we don't hold elected officials to the same standards.
- cameronhowe 5y ago
  Of courses they can, you just have to pay for your own meal. What are you trying to achieve with your sarcasm? If you have a job you can probably have a look at your ethics or anti corruption guidelines for a good idea of what is appropriate.
- Kranar 5y ago
  It's already illegal for lobbyists to pay for dinners or meals of any kind, including at a McDonald's.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
andrewla 5y ago
You are under the impression, I think, that this is something that happens. It does not -- this is already illegal (all the things you mentioned) and against ethics rules in both houses. Lobbyists, for the most part, wield power not because of the money they give to politicians, but because of the votes that they implicitly command from the constituents on behalf of whom they are operating. They also command considerable power because they have research organizations that are better funded than congressional staff allocations for doing things like authoring bills. Way more fishy is the revolving door when politicians leave office; that is done openly and without shame. Somewhat fishy are implicit bribes (like buying 1000s of copies of a politician's book), and sometimes preferential terms on loans, or employing family members (or buying their art for ridiculous prices). But lobbyists and vendors are already very tightly locked down -- the things you are talking about simply do not exist; politicians and special interest groups have found better ways of buying votes.

We should also do away with the steak dinners, golf trips and other 'perks' that lobbyists/vendors give them in exchange for votes.

by _wldu 5y ago

We should also do away with the steak dinners, golf trips and other 'perks' that lobbyists/vendors give them in exchange for votes.

koheripbal 5y ago

So meetings can not take place over a meal? ...or are you specifically saying they can only order certain dishes? Maybe we should force all meetings with politicians to take place on the floor of a mcdonalds. No chairs - that would be too fancy.

_wldu 5y ago
Right. And no 'working' conferences on tropical island resorts with 5,000 dollar per night rooms.
34679 5y ago
Have you never split a check before?
intrepidhero 5y ago
Rank and file civil servants have very strict rules around what they can and cannot accept from a vendor. Same for investing actually, the rules around who can in invest in what depend on their decision making responsibilities. I'm baffled why we don't hold elected officials to the same standards.
cameronhowe 5y ago
Of courses they can, you just have to pay for your own meal. What are you trying to achieve with your sarcasm? If you have a job you can probably have a look at your ethics or anti corruption guidelines for a good idea of what is appropriate.
Kranar 5y ago
It's already illegal for lobbyists to pay for dinners or meals of any kind, including at a McDonald's.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]

andrewla 5y ago

You are under the impression, I think, that this is something that happens. It does not -- this is already illegal (all the things you mentioned) and against ethics rules in both houses. Lobbyists, for the most part, wield power not because of the money they give to politicians, but because of the votes that they implicitly command from the constituents on behalf of whom they are operating. They also command considerable power because they have research organizations that are better funded than congressional staff allocations for doing things like authoring bills. Way more fishy is the revolving door when politicians leave office; that is done openly and without shame. Somewhat fishy are implicit bribes (like buying 1000s of copies of a politician's book), and sometimes preferential terms on loans, or employing family members (or buying their art for ridiculous prices). But lobbyists and vendors are already very tightly locked down -- the things you are talking about simply do not exist; politicians and special interest groups have found better ways of buying votes.