We are not as far apart as Congress or lobbyists would have us believe.
We have now decided not to accept contributions from corporations, federal lobbyists or foreign donors.
Barack Obama, Edwards has eschewed fund-raising from lobbyists or Political Action Committees (PACs) during the 2008 campaign.
Unlike Senator Clinton, I have also never taken a dime from federal lobbyists or political action committees, because I know that money comes with strings attached.
CNN: Edwards' October 13, 2007, speech on restoring democracy
If an employer has a health plan, the law will say, it has to cover two-day maternity stays, or acupuncture, or psychotherapy or whatever the lobbyists want.
The Democratic National Committee does not accept contributions from registered federal lobbyists or political action committees and hasn't done so since President Obama became the party's nominee last year.
And so, perhaps driven by lobbyists (or the collective voices of taxpayers), Congress did exactly that.
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Then again, the men might be spending more time with their constituents (good) or being greased by lobbyists (bad).
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Should the Tax Code be used as a tool to hide the names of mega-givers to political candidates or the activities of lobbyists?
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These laws do not care who peddles influence, how many lobbyists you have or how big your corporate bankroll is.
The best solutions are not popular with lobbyists, unions or corporations, and to implement them would cost politicians the financial support they desperately need to get reelected.
Such a tax code actively discriminates against U.S. workers and smaller corporations which cannot afford the high priced lobbyists and accountants or employ overseas entities to shelter income.
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This confusion spills over into the rest of the economy, especially smaller businesses that can least afford to pay higher taxes, higher wages and higher gas prices or for pricey dinners with lobbyists, and so forth.
All those kids in inner cities, small farm towns -- kids dreaming of becoming scientists or doctors, engineers or entrepreneurs, diplomats or even a President -- they need a champion in Washington, because the future will never have as many lobbyists as the status quo -- children don't have lobbyists the way oil companies or banks do.
The mere mention that Congress is reviewing an extender is good for a fundraiser or two, to say nothing of helping fill the coffers of the lobbyists who are often themselves ex-members or former Hill staffers.
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Each time lobbyists game the system or politicians tear each other down instead of lifting this country up, we lose faith.
The last thing we need to do is hand more influence to the lobbyists in Washington, or more power to the special interests to tip the outcome of elections.
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That's why we've excluded lobbyists from policymaking jobs, or seats on federal boards and commissions.
They also make the code highly inequitable as some companies get breaks while others don't with little rhyme or reason other than how effective their lobbyists are.
And it gives lobbyists a month to rally support or opposition for the proposals.
They're going to decide whether they're going to side with the lobbyists on killing a consumer agency or those that want to support it.
What I'd say to these executives is this: Instead of sending a phalanx of lobbyists to fight this proposal, or employing an army of lawyers and accountants to help evade the fee, I suggest you might want to consider simply meeting your responsibilities.
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Over the years, several celebrities or their groups have been required to register as lobbyists.
Mr Bush is unlikely to veto bills to raise the minimum wage or to restrict and make more transparent the way lobbyists schmooze lawmakers.
There's an unpublicized view among foreign-car lobbyists that General Motors is much scarier dead or bankrupt than alive.
His communications director, Robert Gibbs, says Demers is a state lobbyist who does not do business involving any federal legislation or federal regulation, and that the campaign has drawn a distinction between lobbyists who are registered to work at the state level and those who lobby the federal government.
He will propose that lobbyists be prohibited from offering and making loans to any City officials or employees.
While the prison sentence (duration) for Ring was not that bad compared to the average federal prison term of 9 years, any prison time, or any conviction for that matter, for Ring sends a terrible message for lobbyists, and also for nearly every business person out there who is looking to entertain clients.
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And the lobbyists we're talking about are paid to contact members of Congress or regulators in the executive branch.
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