Googling Pryor
Paul Barton sends in this item from Washington, D.C.
Google is upping its lobbying efforts and Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor appears to be one of the targets. “Should Google Move HQ to DC,” is the headline of piece this week by media blogger Frank Reed. The blog says the company is increasingly concerned by the perception it has become a monopoly.
Google is now getting firmly entrenched in the DC political machine and has upped its spending on these efforts early on this year. In the first quarter of 2009, Google spent $880,000 on federal lobbying expenses, $370,000 of which was paid to seven outside lobbying firms, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Google public policy execs and the other lobbyists met with staffers representing several Congress Members and committees, including aides to Sen. Maria Cantwell, who sits on the Communications, Technology and the Internet subcommittee; Sen. Jeff Sessions, who works on the Judiciary Committee; and Senators Mark Pryor and Mike Enzi, who both sit on the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee.
What ever happened to the Google motto of "Don't be evil?" Don't lobbying and evil go hand in hand?
Comments
>>>Don't lobbying and evil go hand in hand?<<
ABSOLUTELY NOT! Lobbying has been going on for many generations.
Banks/financeers have been the longest/strongest lobbies. That's why
they run this country. You can flag wave, patriot march, protest wars,
write your Congresscritters, form organizations, just about anything and
not beat out the banksters lobby. Plus, banksters have millions in OUR money
to bribe Congresscritters.
Microsoft found that to hang on to their bidness model a lobbying effort was
necessary.
See how banksters have spent on Ark's favorite little ho....clickly
They have ho's from both sides of the aisle and from both sexes.
Our Congress is too small. That's right. We need more of them.
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Posted by: eLwood![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/nav-commenters.gif)
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May 8, 2009 04:06 PM
err....environmental groups lobby....human right groups lobby...
everyone lobbies.
Posted by: JD![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/nav-commenters.gif)
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May 8, 2009 04:36 PM
Thank you, eLwood & JD. Lobbying, like politics itself, if a tool. Just because a tool has been misused does not mean that you blame the entire thing.
The world is too complex for any legislator to know everything he or she needs to know. Hopefully, Lobbyists would enlighten the legislators and make sure that an informed decision can be made. Yes, they will whitewash and try to put their clients or employers in the best light, but that is human nature.
It is easier to condemn the entire system.
Posted by: Joel![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/nav-commenters.gif)
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May 8, 2009 05:25 PM
I meant to add that to help Congress keep their soul there is one more thing those
two party money grubbers need to do:
Prohibit all corporate contributions.
But , that's in eLwood's dream world. With a little education from colleges across the nation
it could be done in 15-20 years.
Most of the maxed out "individual contributions" at present are from corporate owners of some type. Let them live on individual contributions then money goes down, honesty goes up.
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Posted by: eLwood![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/nav-commenters.gif)
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May 8, 2009 06:41 PM