4 ms·

The problem is the process is innately corrupt though. If we wanted an uncorrupted process, we would set aside tax money to pay researchers in the field grants

The problem is the process is innately corrupt though. If we wanted an uncorrupted process, we would set aside tax money to pay researchers in the field grants solely to study and advise, with laws preventing them from taking subsidies and the like elsewhere. Perhaps with a process to allocate existing researchers to new issues. Corporation feels that we need more spying on our citizens because it makes them profitable? They could raise that issue, an existent researcher could look into it; but the continued funding of that researcher is not tied to their findings or results in any way. As it is, the side with the most money gets the most lobbying, and that's not even considering the negative effect of campaign donations and the like.

shit_parade2 11y ago
Lobbying is an inheritly tricky problem because you want to allow everyone to exercise free speech, if suddenly only government funded researchers are allowed to make comments on policy you no longer can participate in democratic governance. The problem is governents have way too much control over nearly every facet of the economy and it is much cheaper and easier to buy a senator and get some new regulations passed than it is to build a successful product or service that everyday people want to opt in for. When you mandate decisions, you tend to get bad and corrupt decisions that benefit the few over the many.
- fineman 11y ago
  It's not the issue of the speech in lobbying, it's that lobbying in politics means gifts of money. I can "lobby" a police officer not to give me a ticket, but when I offer him a $20 all of a sudden he'll call it a bribe and slap the cuffs on me. (Despite my explanations that money is speech, and thus protected...)
mathiasben 11y ago
The congressional research service does this. Unfortunatley over the last two decades it's been crippled by partisian meddling. - http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/januaryfebruary_2015/features/why_i_quit_the_congressional_r053467.php?page=all http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/januaryfebruary_20...
aeturnum 11y ago
> we would set aside tax money to pay researchers in the field grants solely to study and advise Just because someone works for the government does not make them free from political influence. [0] I'm not happy with our current system, but I'm also dismayed by all the people who think it has a simple solution. [0] http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-03-08/florida-officials-say-they-were-banned-from-saying-climate-change-and-global-warming- http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-03-08/florid...

shit_parade2 11y ago

Lobbying is an inheritly tricky problem because you want to allow everyone to exercise free speech, if suddenly only government funded researchers are allowed to make comments on policy you no longer can participate in democratic governance. The problem is governents have way too much control over nearly every facet of the economy and it is much cheaper and easier to buy a senator and get some new regulations passed than it is to build a successful product or service that everyday people want to opt in for. When you mandate decisions, you tend to get bad and corrupt decisions that benefit the few over the many.

fineman 11y ago
It's not the issue of the speech in lobbying, it's that lobbying in politics means gifts of money. I can "lobby" a police officer not to give me a ticket, but when I offer him a $20 all of a sudden he'll call it a bribe and slap the cuffs on me. (Despite my explanations that money is speech, and thus protected...)

mathiasben 11y ago

The congressional research service does this. Unfortunatley over the last two decades it's been crippled by partisian meddling. - http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/januaryfebruary_2015/features/why_i_quit_the_congressional_r053467.php?page=all http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/januaryfebruary_20...

aeturnum 11y ago

> we would set aside tax money to pay researchers in the field grants solely to study and advise Just because someone works for the government does not make them free from political influence. [0] I'm not happy with our current system, but I'm also dismayed by all the people who think it has a simple solution. [0] http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-03-08/florida-officials-say-they-were-banned-from-saying-climate-change-and-global-warming- http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-03-08/florid...