Slapping the Hogs at the Trough

The Obama Administration has put in place a very stringent policy barring lobbyists from the stimulus trough. This is strange, since local governments all over the US hire lobbyists to advocate for them at the federal level. Free speech advocates on the left, right, and center are up in arms, and rightly so. According to Politico:

Under the directive, which began going into effect this week, agency officials are required to begin meetings about stimulus funding for projects by asking whether any party to the conversation is a lobbyist.

“If so, the lobbyist may not attend or participate in the telephonic or in-person contact, but may submit a communication in writing,” reads Obama’s memo, which requires the agencies to post lobbyists’ written communications online.

Lobbyists are not the problem
Despite what the politicians tell us, lobbyists are not the problem--round-heeled politicians who fall for anyone bearing a million dollar box of chocolates are. AARP, gay and lesbian groups, NRA, schools, city, county, and state governments... they all use lobbyists to legally petition the federal government on behalf of the people. If the petitioning is above-board, no problem. A sneaky, illegal transaction takes two conspirators. If we had honest politicians we wouldn't need laws like this.

They have turned our system of laws into a game of find the loophole

First Amendment implications aside, the new lobbyist-muzzle rule is unprecedented and could have unintended consequences, said ethics and lobbying lawyer Larry Norton. A former Federal Election Commission general counsel, Norton predicted the rules will prompt some lobbyists to de-register, so they can personally lobby agencies for stimulus funds.

That can be done legally, Norton said, if the lobbyists shift their workloads so that they spend less than 20 percent of their time lobbying – the threshold at which lobbyists must register with Congress.

There is an easy solution to all of this: Slam shut the doors of the Federal Treasury and stop handing out money.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/20580.html
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/03/bailout_boundary_dispute.html